Te Waimate Mission

Te Waimate was the Church Missionary Society's attempt at an inland farming settlement - established in 1830, with three houses, a mill, a chapel and cleared paddocks, intended to demonstrate European agriculture and to be self-sufficient rather than dependent on supply from the coast. One of the three houses survives, built in 1832 of kauri, and is among the oldest buildings in New Zealand. Charles Darwin visited in December 1835 during the Beagle voyage and wrote about it in his journal, remarking on the incongruity of an English farmhouse and garden in the middle of the country - the quotation is on the interpretation. Bishop Selwyn later used it as his base. The house is furnished to the mission period, the garden is planted appropriately, and St John's Church stands beside it. It is quiet and rarely busy, and it holds a specific place in the argument about what the missions were doing here.

What you actually see

• The 1832 kauri house - among the oldest buildings in the country.
• The mission garden - planted to the period.
• St John's Church - beside the house.
• The Darwin connection - his 1835 visit, quoted on site.

When to go

Any season. Opening days are limited, particularly in winter - check before driving out. Ticketed.

Honest expectations

Opening hours are restricted and it closes some days entirely. It is a small site - two hours at most. Rural location with no other services nearby.

Nearby

Kerikeri's Stone Store and Kemp House are fifteen kilometres north-east; the Bay of Islands is beyond.