History Of The Old Church (also see previous entry)

On 28 February 1858 Father Euloge Reignier a french missionary priest came to live at the Meeanee propety he had purchased for the Society of Mary in 1856. He was accompanied by two brothers of the Society of Mary who shared his missionary work, Brothers Basil and John. They brought their house with them from Pakowhai and quickly assembled it on the property. This house became their accommodation and was used as the first church.


Their congregation grew , they needed a church so in November 1862 tenders were called for the erection of a church adjoining the residence of Rev E. Reignier. December 1863 Bishop Philip Viard from Wellington blessed and opened the church of St Mary of the Assumption at Meeanee. The cost was 348 pounds and it measured 36ft by 15ft. Despite frequent flooding of the nearby Tutaekuri River the mission prospered as the Brothers managed their farm of 326 acres as well as assisting Friar Reignier with their missionary duties.


Suzanne Aubert a french woman who wanted to do missionary work with the Maori people arrived in Meeanee in 1871. She played the church harmonium, trained the choir, decorated the church and became well known in the area for her nursing skills and later was the founder of the Order of the Sisters of Our Lady of compassion. She worked at Meeanee until 1883. There are books written about her and the work she did.


A large boarding and day school was built on the side of the church in`1872. In October 1874 the church was enlarged cutting it in two and a transpet placed between. The entrance was moved around to the east of the new section it cost 626 pounds.

A large new residence for the priests and brothers was built in 1880 which was later converted to become a seminary for the training of priests and because of repeated floods was moved the the Greenmeadows hill in 1910 where it still functions today as the Mission Estate Winery.

In 1892 it was enlarged again lengthened to 75ft by 46ft. The old sanctuary became the vestry and the nave was enlarged to 50ft by 37ft and 30ft high. It was divided from the aisles by pillars of rimu with arches filled with ornamental traceries. The gallery for the choir was completely new, the building was over six times larger than the former church.


There were attractive gardens, grape vines, crops, fruit trees and farm land. The Seminary had 23 students. There was a swimming pool, an observatory, a flourishing school, a new brothers house, and the church raised by 21 inches on new piles to escape the flood waters.

In 1910 the leaders of the Society decided to shift the entire complex to Greenmeadows, only the church and schools were left, many locals and priests were unhappy.
It continued as a much loved parish for many years with a new villa style 10 roomed presbytery being added as accommodation for the priests in 1913. The school ruined by years of flood waters was demolished and a new school opened in Guppy road in 1926.

In 1970 it was becoming too small for the growing population a new church built in Osier Road opened in 1972. The church was reconsecrated in 1972 eventually it was sold to a group of Napier businessmen who in turn sold it to its present owner who converted it to a restaurant and wedding venue, the former presbytery converted to boutique accommodation.
Many people have lived, worshipped, celebrated and worked on this unique property.

The Old Church

The Old Church in the Hawkes Bay has been converted into an amazing restaurant that i have been to a couple of times and the food is just as good as the setting. The menu is printed on vellum with a great selection of food to tempt you...




You enter into the grounds down a long tree lined driveway i imagine that these trees are many years old they are very stately and very beautiful.


The entrance to the church just to the left of the picture you can see an old house which i believe was where the priests or brothers i think they were know as lived........it has now been converted into a very upmarket B&B


The wonderful old door at the entrance..... i am sure many people have stepped through this door both in its life as a church and as a restaurant.


What greets you once you step inside.....it is very elegant with lots of gilded gold, beautiful ornate mirrors and a cabinet which tells the history of the church...


There are tables and chairs of different sizes and proportions......sitting at these large backed chairs is a feeling i imagine a bit like Alice in Wonderland when she fell through the rabbit hole and arrived in this strange new world!

In the centre is the most amazing chandelier i have ever seen in my life, its size is so enormous and i am sure they would have had some sort of crane just to lift it into place... standing underneath it and looking up through it is breathtaking!


Another view showing the interior you will see if you look closely that not only are there high backed chairs but also red velvet ones as well..... personally i like the high backed one because they give you a sense of wonderment....



Another view of that glorious chandelier... it is hard to see just how enormous it really is... anyone visiting the Hawkes Bay should take the time to go to this restaurant.... as well as dining inside there is also a conservatory, which you will be able to see off to the side in the first photo and on summer days an outside area with table chairs and umbrellas......your visit if you will excuse the pun will be heavenly!!!

autumn has arrived

We were lucky to go and stay at my favourite place again at the weekend and autumn was so evident here with the beautiful array of coloured carpets of leaves that greeted us.....The colours were amazing....rich golds, reds and browns...


The light filtering through the trees was magical.....there was a quiet calm all around this place.....not a whisper to be heard but the occasional falling leaves let out a gentle swish as they passed you by....


There were so many wonderful spots to take photos through the trees looking back at the buildings beyond forming natures frames....


I tell you these photos have been untouched, no colour added no brightness just nature in its true form.....the beauty for you to see and to touch....


These pin oak branches were nearly bare .... walking under them and through the leaves they let out a loud crunch .....i felt like kicking them high to watch them float then tumble back down to the earth again..


Sitting on the moss covered seats looking back across the lake at the house is one of our favourite spots....here you truly feel the peace that surrounds you ....the calm is reflected in the waters edge but hiding in amongst these leaves are ducks and i gathered quite a few of their beautiful shed feathers to put in my journals...




These two pictures would have to be my favourite....i love the look of the leaves against the building and the furniture......coming away from this place at the weekend where you feel like you have been for days .....you feel refreshed and ready to take on the world again......i will be sad when i can no longer visit but i do treasure the moments i have there and my photos will continually take me on those journeys of discovery and wonder of this amazing place.....

Being Creative

For as long as i can remember i have always been busy with my hands.....whether it was making my own clothes, knitting, crocheting or cross stitch there was something wonderful about looking at something that you had created that wasn't like anyone elses........For the last few years after being inspired when a neighbour gave me a Somerset Studio magazine and being in awe of the fantastic work i decided there and then that this was going to be my new obsession...... i put down my embroidery needle and took up scissors and glue and paper instead...... I joined in some book round robins and this is a page (above) that i did in someones book from England.....their theme was Paris....



Recently i did a little book using my favourite items from the Collections range.....i am really into vintage and this was one of the pages above that i did.....


A very small accordian book i did.....i love working with things that are small as it is a challenge to get it looking just right.....I am lucky to work in a scrapbooking paperart shop....did i say work .....actually its more like fun everyday being creative.....


A slightly bigger accordian book......these are preprinted photos but of course as i tell everyone you can use your own family photos as well.....but not the originals!!! take copies and use them and then give to a family member as a gift......these little books don't just have to be done in the vintage style either you can use brights and use fun pictures of your own children......nothing is hard when you know how.....and what a thrill to receive one of these little booklets as a gift......


This is a collection of atcs which stand for artist trading cards usually they are made to do as swaps and i have hosted swaps with people in England, Australia, USA, Denmark and of course New Zealand....these are todays version of the bubble gum cards that kids used to swap....they are the size of a playing card and are a challenge to do artwork on them....there are now swaps with inches which are an inch square.....i think when you are creative you are always challenging yourself to do better and to come up with new ideas......i love to create and am at present doing an altered book on my new grand daughter.......

Art is a microscope which the artist fixes on the secrets of his soul and shows to other people these secrets which are common to all........Leo Tolstoy

Be aware of wonder, live a balanced life, learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some....(unknown)

Kindness and Love

Recently i came across this little article in a local paper.......it did not say who it was written by ..... but being a lover of words i thought what it had to say was so very true...


Remember there is no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.

Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.

He who feels no compassion will become insane.

What do we live for if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?

Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestation of strength and resolutions.

One can pay back the loan of gold, but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind.

Constant kindness can accomplish much, as the sun melts, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust and hostility to evaporate.


How delightful is the company of generous people, who overlook trifles and keep their minds instinctively fixed on whatever is good and positive in the world around them.

How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.

Don't wait for a funeral to pay a compliment. You may not make it in time.

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.


Wise words indeed, often we think kindly of someone or something they have done but we never actually tell them........remember my first post about what i wanted this blog to bring to people......it read......they may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel and this is what kindness does to people ......ripples travel the world....... be kind to someone today and never look for what we can receive when we help someone, because we receive by the gift in our soul of how we feel when we give and that is something we want to keep and by coincidence that is what we just gave away...

The Land of The Long White Cloud

The cloud were amazing as we travelled back from our favourite place the mount at easter weekend......big thick fluffy clouds that looked like huge balls of cotton wool were everywhere it almost felt like you could reach out and touch them.......
One of my favourite pastimes as a child was laying back in the long cool green grass gazing up at clouds and looking for pictures in them.....often you would see faces and shapes, sometimes they would sweep past you and other times they just sat there......i often wonder if i was on top of the clouds and jumped in would i sink to the bottom or spring to the top....
New Zealand is known as The Land of The Long White cloud and on this day i could see why......there was many of those white clouds amongst the blue of the sky and even some dark ones forming in there too.....aren;t the shapes fascinating.....take time out oneday and lay in the grass and gaze up and see what you can find.....


Above all watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don;t believe in magic will never find it.....(unknown)