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The history of Koru Monastery centres on Jean-Baptiste Rolland born in France 8 December 1834.
After his ordination as a Catholic priest in 1861, he joined the Society of Mary (the Marists).
He emigrated to New Zealand in 1864, and was appointed as chaplain to the Irish Catholic soldiers of the 14th Regiment of Foot stationed at Napier. |
In 1865 the Rev Father Rolland took charge of the parish of New Plymouth which extended all the way to Patea. In visiting the widely scattered families throughout Taranaki he became chaplain (at least unofficially) to the soldiers keeping the uneasy peace in the area after Major General Chute's 1866 campaign around Mt Taranaki. Major von Tempsky, in his report of 21 August 1868, singled out Father Rolland for his exceptional courage under fire tending the wounded on the battle line "...As soon as any man dropped he was by his side; not asking, 'are you a Catholic?' or 'are you a Protestant?' but kneeling, prayed for the soldier's last words."
Rolland was also present when von Tempsky was killed at Te Ngutu-o-te-manu in September. For that story visit Tempsky's Last Stand geocache
On peace being restored, Father Rolland gave his attention to matters back at the New Plymouth end of the district and procured land at Koru, where he erected a house establishing the first Catholic school for boys in Taranaki, and a monastery-style home for bachelor and widowed ex-militia perhaps in the hope of converting them to Marist lay brothers. There seems to have been around twelve of these lay brothers. The only ordained brother was Elias Regis Marin (Br. Ely), an excellent builder, gardener and vinegrower, who died here in 1872 and is buried in the nearby cemetery. In total there are eight or nine unmarked graves here adjacent to the site of the monastery.
At one time he had twelve Marist novices here, some of whom were employed in cultivating the land, whilst others were engaged in instructing the boys, who were sent from various parts of the colony to be educated.
Koru Road was only a rough dirt track in 1869 when timber was cut and sawn on site to build the monastery. Situated parallel to Koru Road, around 60 feet of verandah frontage and 30 feet wide, with a verandah on both sides. The sawn timber planks were laid horizontally overlapping rather than the usual vertical boards and remained unpainted.
The interior consisted of one large common room which doubled as the school room, surrounded by five or six bedrooms, Fr. Rolland's parlour and kitchen. Each of the bedrooms held 3 beds. There was a large river stone fireplace in the eastern wall.
On the eastern side of the monastery was a (dairy) shed and deep well above a steep gully planted in grape vines and an orchard of various fruit trees. Unfortunately the monastery closed before the orchard and vines would've reached productive maturity.
Between 1869 and 1873 Rolland travelled the West Coast goldfields canvassing for funds for the school and the monastery, but the death of the Bishop of Wellington in 1872 and Fr. Rolland's transfer to Westland in 1874 put a finish to them both.
There is no recorded date for the closure of Koru Monastery, rather it was abandoned. It then became the family home to the Mace family. A fire swept through around 1911 that destroyed the picket fences and wooden headstones of the cemetery. In 1915 another fire removed all traces of the Koru Monastery and the first Catholic monastery in New Zealand was no more than a memory.
Father Rolland died in Reefton on 13 July 1903 and in recognition of his military chaplaincy was buried with full military honours.