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The Church of the Good Shepherd on the shores of
Lake Tekapo Lake Tekapo () is the second-largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand (the others are Lake Pukaki and Lake Ōhau). It covers an area of and ...
on the
South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...
of New Zealand is a small
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
church used by various denominations. Built in 1935 as a memorial church to commemorate early settlers, it is one of the most photographed buildings in the country. It has a Category I heritage registration by
Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...
.


Background

Walter Ernest Detheridge Davies became the vicar of Fairlie in February 1933. The Fairlie
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extended up to
Mount Cook Village Mount Cook Village, officially Aoraki / Mount Cook, is located within New Zealand's Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park at the end of , only south of the summit of the country's highest mountain, also called Aoraki / Mount Cook, in the Souther ...
and Davies realised that the
Mackenzie Basin The Mackenzie Basin (), popularly and traditionally known as the Mackenzie Country, is an elliptical intermontane river basin, basin located in the Mackenzie District, Mackenzie and Waitaki Districts, near the centre of the South Island of Ne ...
needed its own church; he first suggested this to parishioners in September 1933. Davies also suggested that a large window should be incorporated so that there would be a view from within the church of the lake, based on the 1930 design of St James Church at
Franz Josef Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death in 1916. In the early part of his reig ...
on the West Coast. The idea was taken up by various local runholders who thought that it would be an appropriate way of acknowledging and commemorating their pioneering ancestors. The land for the building was given by the owners of Braemar Station, which is (mostly) located on the eastern shore of Lake Tekapo. A generous amount of land belongs to the church so that the building will continue to be sited on its own. Esther Hope, a local artist from Grampians Station, provided sketch designs for the proposed church. The Christchurch architect Richard Strachan De Renzy Harman (1896–1953) based his 1933/1934 design on Hope's drawings.


Construction

The foundation stone for the church was laid by
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, on 16 January 1935, in the presence of the bishop of Christchurch,
Campbell West-Watson Campbell West-Watson (23 April 1877 – 19 May 1953) was successively an Anglicanism, Anglican suffragan bishop, Bishop, diocesan bishop and archbishop over a 40-year period during the first half of the 20th century. Born on 23 April 1877 he ...
, and vicar Davies. The building committee had decided that the church should blend into the environment. The grounds surrounding the church were deliberately left with their native vegetation. The church was clad in local stone and lichen was left on the stone to give it a natural look. The structure itself was made from concrete, with the stones as cladding. Fred Trott won the construction tender, but the work was carried out by Les Loomes and Doug Rodman; the latter was engaged to Trott's daughter. The stonework was done by Christchurch stonemason Jack Miller. A Christchurch firm installed the hardwood shingles. Audrey Barker had died in February 1935 aged 21, and the Barker and Sealy families donated the bell for the church, commemorating both Audrey Barker and her grandfather,
Edward Sealy Edward Percy Sealy (23 August 1839 – 30 October 1903), also referred to as Edwin Sealy, was a New Zealand surveyor, photographer, explorer, farmer, and entomologist. Born into a wealthy English family, Edward and his elder brother Henry Sealy, ...
, who had explored many of the glaciers in the area during the 1860s. The bell was cast in Christchurch by W. H. Price and Son Ltd. The dedication ceremony was held on 3 August 1935 by the Bishop of Christchurch. Even before the church was finished, ''
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'' in Christchurch commented:


History

Rodman, one of the two builders, was the first person to get married at the church. On 14 December 1935, he married Peggy Trott. The Australian oak shingles did not last in the harsh climate of the Mackenzie Basin and in 1957, the roof was covered with slate shingles instead. On 5 September 1985, the building was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now
Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...
) as a Category I structure, with register number 311. The Church of the Good Shepherd is one of the most photographed buildings in New Zealand; photography within the building is no longer permitted as it interfered with worship. In late 2017, a fence was installed around the church grounds after "damage to the environment around the church, verbal abuse of staff, and tourists interrupting the church services". Access is granted during daytime hours. As of 2018, the local vicar estimates that 600,000 people visit the church per year.


See also

* List of historic places in Mackenzie District


References


External links

* {{Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, state=collapsed Mackenzie District Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in the Canterbury Region Churches completed in 1935 20th-century Anglican church buildings in New Zealand
Good Shepherd The Good Shepherd (, ''poimḗn ho kalós'') is an image used in the pericope of , in which Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ is depicted as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Similar imagery is used in Psalm 23 and Ezeki ...
1930s architecture in New Zealand Religious buildings and structures in the Canterbury Region Stone churches in New Zealand Lookouts in New Zealand