Mel Williams, Visitor Services
I received a save the date card for a good friend’s wedding this week and it got me thinking about how many beautiful spots there are in the Heritage Park at Kiwi North for weddings and other special celebrations. I asked around some of the team who have worked here for a long time and was told there have been many vows shared in the park and some beautiful ceremonies in our very own Oruaiti Chapel.
The Oruaiti Chapel was built by settlers on land owned by Thomas Ball in 1860 in the small settlement of Oruaiti near Mangōnui. Thomas Ball emigrated to New Zealand with around 80 others, of predominantly Wesleyan faith, in 1859. Some of the group settled in Auckland while the remainder, including Thomas Ball sailed north to Mangōnui on the Dove to take up land grants in Oruaiti Valley.
Soon after his arrival Thomas Ball, with the aid of fellow settlers, felled a kauri tree from the bush on his property. This single tree provided enough timber to build the entire chapel. The octagonal shape is reminiscent of early Methodist preaching houses in England and it was originally topped with a thatched roof. Measuring just 18 feet in diameter, the Oruaiti Chapel is believed to be the smallest church in New Zealand. Although compact, it was big enough for 80 people to attend regular services.
The original roof, thatched with rushes was replaced in 1866 with shingles by Mr Whitehead and his son Thomas. This helped the building remain weatherproof until 1919 when it was re-roofed with hand-cut kauri shingles given by Mr J. Goldie.
As with most of the buildings in the Heritage Park, the chapel served multiple purposes over the years and was relocated several times. In 1892 the property was sold to Samuel Foster and remained in the Foster family for more than 40 years before being ceded to the Methodist Church in 1936. During this time the decision was made to move the chapel to a more accessible location and it was towed on skids by bullocks to a roadside site donated by the Foster family.
One decade later, in 1946, the chapel was moved once again, this time to a Methodist property on Kamo Road. Here it was used as a Sunday School and wedding chapel. The final move came in 1975 when the church was donated to the Northland Regional Museum and relocated to its current site. By the time the Whangārei Museum officially opened in 1984, 44 weddings had been celebrated in the Oruaiti Chapel on the Heritage Park with many more since then.
One such occasion that was held in 2018 was the wedding of Mark and Christy Schreurs. The location of their nuptials was particularly special as Christy is a direct descendant from the community that originally built the chapel in Oruaiti. The couple exchanged their vows and posed for photos outside the church built by her ancestors almost 160 years earlier.
In 2019 Kiwi North celebrated the completion of the Oruaiti Chapel conservation project which was made possible with funding from the Whangārei District Council Partnership Fund, Foundation North, Lottery Grants Board and the Sir John Logan Campbell Residuary Fund.
This project has not only ensured the longevity of the Oruaiti Chapel, its memories and its stories, it has also given Northland a unique place for memories to be made for many years to come.
The Oruaiti Chapel and grounds can be booked for weddings and events by contacting Kiwi North.
