Story: Communes and communities

Cistercian monks at Southern Star Abbey in rural Hawke's Bay eat a simple dinner. The abbey was founded in 1954 by a group of six Irish monks on a property donated to the church. They lived in the former shearers' quarters while erecting prefabricated buildings to serve as a monastery. Cistercians are a contemplative order originating in France whose members follow a simple, austere lifestyle.