Story: Diverse religions

Whare Ra temple

Whare Ra temple

This windowless room, painted with mystical symbols and originally used for meditation, is part of Whare Ra ('House of the Sun'), a New Zealand temple for the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Whare Ra was built in 1915 in Havelock North, Hawke's Bay, to house the leader of the group, Robert Felkin, and his family. Felkin belonged to the Stella Matutina branch of the order, which combined a number of ancient magical traditions. Whare Ra closed in 1978 and in the 2000s the building was a private home.

Using this item

Art Deco Trust
Photograph by Peter Hallett

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Paul Morris, 'Diverse religions - Recent and new-age religious movements', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/32285/whare-ra-temple (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Paul Morris, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 12 Jul 2018