"Beauty, history and holiness"

St. Cuthbert's, Governor's Bay

People often open my eyes and touch me deeply. A visit to St. Cuthbert's Church in Mt Herbert Parish in Governor's Bay on New Zealand's South Island has a small group of people with a big vision. At first view, the church looks like a quaint country parish, set in a churchyard with a cemetery and beautifully cared for flowers gardens. Yes, it is beautiful. But there is more pizzaz in this country church.

Call it a big idea or a series of small ideas - people, individually and in community reach out with hospitality, as community leaders, as writers and historians, artists, and especially to the Christchurch City Mission.

Let me start with the City Mission. This grabs me because of my passion for justice. It also caught my attention because of a long conversation I had some time ago with a person who initiated the community garden movement in the city in chich I live.

Now, at St. Cuthbert's, with a backdrop of hills with its pathway of ancient trees, the community has dedicated five acres for growing vegetable gardens. They are sustainable, organic community garden plots for people to grow fresh vegetables, and learn how to gather water, compost, sell, and cook the food.










The practicality of the community garden and the city mission is that the unused vicarage has been transformed into affordable accommodation to house 26 people: families or groups, to spend time in the peaceful countryside, and learn how to garden. People are given certificates of achievement in horticulture.

Then I met an elderly gentleman who came flying up the driveway on a swish new motorized vespa like bike, with a dog panting and running beside him. We struck up a conversation immediately, and sat on an old stone bench outside the church talking about his recently publishes book. When you live in the same place and go to the same church, except for the war years, for 87 years, you have something to say.
Inspiring! It's never too late to write if that is one's dream. Dogs are important to him, and he has a whole chapter of his book on his beloved dogs. I'm glad I took the time to speak to him.



Laughie Griffen with his dog, Dougal, and his "wheels".

The greatest fun was that Dougal was one of three dogs in church that Sunday. They'd come because the bishop was present!

TransAlpine Train Journey: "Meeting the Challenge of the Mountains"

Trains! I love them. From childhood I have been thrilled with train journeys. So, there was no way I was going to miss this TransAlpine adventure. So, I set out early one Monday morning from Christchurch, shrouded in low clouds, across the Canterbury Plains, through the Southern Alps, and to Greymouth on the Tasman Sea.


The Canterbury Plains


We remember the sheep stations!


Train life started with the company of twenty school children and their teachers on their way to a camping trip at Arthur's Pass. Even if the noise was unbelievable, the children's outward excitement and expressions of seeing everything from sheep to mountains and deep gorges made me smile and laugh. The wonder and delight of the children helped me see things I might have missed.



The viewing deck


The outdoor viewing deck from the train. Cold, crowded, swaying as we travelled coast to coast through 19 tunnels, over one of the highest viaducts over the Whanganui River/Gorge, and down the "Staircase" at 73 Metres.

The children piled out of the train at Arthur's Pass.








A Parish Church with a view above the altar of a waterfall flowing like a ribbon
down the mountain


Arthur's Pass is high in the Southern Alps on the ways to the west coast and the Tasman Sea. This is a haven for hikers (tramping) and we who love the outdoors and mountains. On the way to Greymouth the train followed the steep gorge of the Whanganui River, a challenge for kayak enthusiasts.



The wild flowers and bright red flowering trees were stunning on the hills. No pictures through the window of a moving train could do them justice.


Greymouth: Where rivers meet the sea

At 1:00 pm we arrived at Greymouth and I took a long walk along the esplanade and had my first glimpse of the Tasman Sea.



From the South pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea, and back again, I travelled that one memorable Monday. Once again, with joy of the curious pilgrim to see the land loved by a nation, not my own.

A View From The Pew: Good Shepherd




There are many sacred places throughout the world in settings that take our breath away. One of these is the Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tepako, New Zealand. From the few wooden pews in the seventy five year old stone church, people are amazed by the view of a large turquoise lake with the Southern Alps on the horizon. It is magnificent.



The Church of the Good Shepherd is beautiful in its simplicity. This tiny church attracts hundreds of visitors from all over the world. Yet it continues to be an active worshipping community. Peace reigns in this little stone church and it's a holy space with tranquility and stillness. Tourists whisper. Others sit in deep meditation and prayer. The vision of the builders was to have a church built to the "glory of God". From it's opening, the Church of the Good Shepherd has broken denominational barriers and is still a Co-operating Parish for all christians in the McKenzie region to hear scripture and receive the sacraments.



As I sat quietly in this tiny stone church, I thought about the people I care for at my home Church of the Good Shepherd which is celebrating it's 100th Anniversary of mission and ministry in another part of the world. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want".

Rock Sculpture: Art or Nature?

Castle Hill on the way to Arthur's Pass has a unique outcropping of rocks that stand out like centinals on the hills. Rock Sculpture: Art or Nature? is the question posed on a sign on the pathway leading to an upward climb to the rocks.

The limestone has been tackled over time by wind and nature to create magnificent formations. No wonder the Maori regarded this as a spiritual site. The closer we walked toward them, they loomed over us and were much higher than I thought.

It wasn't until we watched a group of young people practicing their rock climbing skills that i realised their immensity.



Some of these pictures will show the perspective.




The artistic shapes drew me to climb, go further, look under rocks, sit on them, feel their form and beauty.



No, this isn't the site of the the filming of the Lord of the Rings. However, a few Km down the road, another outcropping of rocks at Flock Hill was the place the battle scenes of in Narnia were filmed.

Thanks to two new adventurous friends for this glorious day playing on the rocks.

A White Knuckle Drive

Flying along in a car on a road with switch backs, and steep drops on either side isn't exactly fun for those of us with height phobia. Neither does it prevent nausea. As usual,there really was no need of the fist clenching, the foot pumping imaginary brakes, or the sweat pouring off my forehead.

The Port Hills wind up the the ancient rim of a volcanic crater. I would suggest this is far more favourable for day hikers and cyclists than cars. And, for some who love gondola rides, those lift you up to the top of the hills.



The views were spectacular in every direction: Lyttleton Harbour with Quail Island which is supposed to be the "plug" of the volcanic crater; The crescent shaped beaches on the South Pacific filled with Sunday surfers; and the Canterbury Plains stretching from Christchurch to the faint outline of the Southern Alps. Having recently hiked on Quail Island, I wasn't too excited to learn that it was the volcanic plug. Totally unreasable of course. The views were glorious.



The early "Canterbury Pilgrims" who arrived in the four sailing ships eventually climbed their way over the hills, once covered with natural vegetation, to settle Christchurch.



Thanks to Rev. David and Anne, for this adventure, not only geologically, but extraordinarly historical.