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Story: Wellington region

Early church

From 1839, the missionary Octavius Hadfield had a mission station at Ōtaki. This 1847 sketch by Thomas Callingham (in a letter to his brother) shows a church built by Māori converts at Waikanae. The church greatly impressed Te Rauparaha, and prompted the construction of Rangiātea Church at Ōtaki.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Thomas Bernard Collinson Collection

Reference: MS-Papers-1038-1-17

by Thomas Bernard Collinson

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Chris Maclean, Wellington region – From town to city: 1865–1899, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/13247/early-church (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Chris Maclean, published 3 March 2009, updated 1 August 2015.