Tomb of Memories (Northland) Traditional Geocache
Tomb of Memories (Northland)
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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A small cache in the ever growing unoffical series of caches in Restful Spots. No need to disturb the long term residents.
Less than a decade after the first Christian service was held on the Northern shore of the Bay of Islands on Christmas Day 1814, Reverend Henry Williams and Mrs Williams arrived on August 3rd, 1823 to establish the missionary settlement at Paihia.
On their arrival, Mrs Williams with her three children went to reside in Kerikeri while the Reverend Henry Williams at once set to work to erect temporary buildings at the new station.
On September 15th, Mrs Williams came to join her husband and records in her journal state that, not only was there a storehouse and dwelling, but also a Church, built of raupo, which was opened for Divine Service on Sunday, September 21st, 1823. This was the first Church ever built in New Zealand.
The Reverend William Williams with his wife joined his brother Henry, arriving at Paihia on March 26th, 1826. This gentleman was a classical scholar of Oxford University and also had a considerable medical knowledge which was of the greatest benefit to the Mission.
In the year 1828, the raupo church was replaced with a lath and plaster structure, which served until 1856 when a wooden church was built. This was used until 1874, when it was dismantled and another wooden church erected, incorporating much of the old timber. In 1925 the 1874 church was dismantled in sections and transported to serve at Taumarere. It was moved to make way for the stone Church of St Paul, the fifth to be erected on the site. It was built as a lasting memorial to Henry and William Williams.
The stone came from near Kawakawa and the kauri beams from a forest near Waikare on the southern shores of the Bay.
The Stained Glass Window
The stained glass window was installed on the occasion of the Williams family reunion to commemorate 175 years since CMS missionary brothers Henry and William Williams landed in Paihia. Details and photos can be found in the church.
The Organ
The first organ to be brought to New Zealand was used in Paihia Church. It arrived August 27th 1830, while Henry and Marianne Williams were in residence. It was later moved to Pakaraka and is now in the Wanganui Museum. This old organ possessed a keyboard and was also fitted with a barrel. The present organ is of similar design and vintage and is still in regular use.
The cache is a small pill container containing, logbook,
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
srapr cbfg oruvaq urqtr