St Clement's Anglican Church 1873

Nestled on a small hill just around the corner from Ahipara township and bay is this little wee gem. St Clement's Anglican Church and cemetery dates back to around 1873 and was named "Pukemiro" after the hill that is stands on.

As per an old Maori story this area was chosen as a sacred burial spot for Poroa who was the Chief of Te Rawara - he lived here when times were peaceful. Most of the graves are from the 1800s with a few of them surrounded by old iron fencing.

Inside everything looks quite tidy, humble and well looked after. The church itself was built by local Maoris named Inoka Tutangiora, Rapata Wharawhara and Kihirini Te Morenga under the guidance of Richard Matthews who was the son of Joseph Matthews (part of the Missionary Society).

The view from the top steps next to the church looks out over miles of farmland. In 2012 restoration committee of the church were looking for funding to restore the church, I'd say since then alot of work has been done quite tastefully. After sharing these photos on Facebook I had a few people tell me their Tupuna (ancestors) were buried there.

Taken from the supplement to the Auckland Weekly News 24 May 1939 p047

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