Beware missionaries
VulcanSpirit
Richard & Alison Brunstrom
Wed 1 May 2013 09:07
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New Zealand's oldest surviving building is the
Mission House at Kerikeri in Northland:
 This dates from 1822 and has a very interesting
position in NZ history. The Mission was established in 1819, under the
protection of the local Maori chief, Hongi Hika. The Misssion failed to make any
significant progress in converting Maori to Christianity, but it played
a role in the tumoil that affected Maori society during the early
nineteenth century. The missionaries depended on local Maori for food and
protection, but the Maori demanded guns in return. Tragically and hypocritically
the missionaries complied, and thus made a significant contribution to the
devastating Musket Wars of the 1820s which killed thousands of Maori and
displaced many more, with ramifications lasting to the present day. It is
estimated that about 20% of the entire Maori population died in the Musket Wars
before British intervention (at Maori request) put a stop to them.
Next to the Mission House is The Old Stone Store
from 1829:
 On the hill behind the Mission is a prefabricated
church assembled from a kit shipped from Australia:
 And the oldest surviving 'exotic' tree in New
Zealand - a pear tree planted by the first missionary in 1819 and still going
strong. Here it is, absolutely covered in fruit:
 My picture perhaps doesn't quite do it justice.
True, nowadays it is in the car park of a restaurant across the road from
the Mission, but the general ambience remains very pleasant, and the tree
is clearly happy with its lot. Altogether a fascinating place. And with a
really good tea shop.
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