Kōrero: Pacific churches in New Zealand

Dressed in white and wearing headscarves, Samoan Methodist Church members sing Christmas carols at the home of Grey Lynn Methodist Church pastor Ioane Tuupo on Christmas Eve in 2007. Every year choirs from the different congregations follow a circuit around the homes of church pastors to sing carols; they then receive a blessing before continuing to the next stop. The journey is seen as reminiscent of the three wise men's travel to Bethlehem to worship the baby Jesus. The choirs complete their circuit around 6 a.m. on Christmas Day, and then the weary singers go to church.