Beware missionaries

VulcanSpirit
Richard & Alison Brunstrom
Wed 1 May 2013 09:07
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.