realestate
September 3, 2014
Mahurangi Matters
27
View a video online localmatters.co.nz
Church bell tower restored After 135 years, the bell tower atop Mahurangi Presbyterian Church, in Warkworth, is getting a $9400 upgrade, thanks to a grant from Auckland Council. Parish manager Roger Mackay says the Category 2 heritage building was inspected last year in an initial earthquake strengthening assessment and the spire was identified as a risk. “It was starting to rust and showing signs of wear and tear,” Roger says. The spire is an original feature of the church and it is the first time significant work has been done on it. The work involves replacing the weatherboards, but the original kauri framework will be retained.
Roger says that although there were no hidden messages left inside the spire, they did find a half-crown and a lot of abandoned bird nests. He says the church is filling up on Sundays and has reached capacity, with about 240 people in regular attendance over two services. “There isn’t room to expand, but we are looking at other options to accommodate the upswing in attendance, but it’s difficult to find suitable land in Warkworth.” The grant for the renovations came from the Council Heritage Building fund and is expected to cover about half of the renovation costs.
The bell was originally recovered from a shipwreck in the 1860s and was installed in the Mahurangi Heads Presbyterian Church. However, the church was demolished after being damaged by Cyclone Bola in 1988 and the bell was stored at the Warkworth Museum. But 15 years ago the bell was installed in the Warkworth tower as its original, larger bell was deemed a safety risk. The original Warkworth bell is now stored at Warkworth Museum. Mahurangi Presbyterian parish manager Roger Mackay says it might be 100 years before anyone gets to enjoy the view from the church bell tower again.