Cave, South Canterbury, New Zealand
St David's Memorial Church designed by
Herbert W. Hall
An enduring tribute to the Pioneers of the Mackenzie County dominates the hillside.
"The rugged simplicity is intended to symbolise the
faith, hope, and courage of the Mackenzie Country pioneers"
Vance.
This unusual memorial church sits on top of a knoll is named in honour of the patron saint of shepherds. The tower is forty feet high built of local uncut boulders. The roof is slate supported by wood-pegged rafters. The floor is totara. The pews and ceiling are totara and beech. No nails were used in its construction. Most of the furniture has an association with the early days. The baptismal font, rests into a wheel hub of the Burnett family bullock wagon, is a stone mortar found on the McKay property in Sutherlandshire, Scotland. The font rests on a 400lbs greywacke boulder. On the cobblestone porch covered with bird manure hangs a mast lantern from an immigrant ship.
"This porch is erected to the Glory of God and in memory of the sheepmen, shepherds, bullock drivers, shearers, and station hands who pioneered the back country of this province between the years 1855 and 1895" etched in a greywacke slab on the porch wall. The church was erected in remembrance of Andrew and Catherine Burnett, who took up Mount Cook run, May 1864, and in the wildness founded a home. The Burnett's came to Lyttelton on the Royal Stuart in 1861 from Scotland. Catherine reared her children in the high country, a beautiful wilderness, in surroundings where help was spiritual, certainly not material. Catherine's last statement to a son on her death bed was "I trusted in Christ." Inside, bluestone tablets set at intervals in the nave wall list the first and second wave of run holders. One of the stained-glass windows depicts Jesus, Rachel the shepherdess drawing water from the well, ('Christ in the House of St Martha and Mary of Bethany.') This window serves as a memorial to the pioneer women of the Mackenzie. The brass plagues reads: 'To the Glory of God and in honour and in memory of the pioneer women of the Mackenzie Country, who through the Artic winters, and in the wilderness, maintained their homes and kept the faith, these windows are reverently dedicated.' Ordered by Hall in 1929 from Brooks, Robinson and Co. Melbourne.
Site, design, materials and craftsmanship, are sufficiently remarkable to have earned the New Zealand Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 1934, for the architect, Herbert H. Hall, (1880-1939) Canterbury born. Hall moved to Sydney, Australia, to begin working as an architect and on his return to New Zealand settled in Timaru. Judging was by the Jury of Award of the British Institute of British Architects, London. The church was the vision of T.D. Burnett (1877-30 Nov.1941) M.P. for Temuka (1919-1941) and he and his wife Agnes, were the donors. The builders were McBride and Groves (Timaru born.) The actual builders were all British born and many return servicemen. Built of materials familiar to pioneers, uncut local boulders, with adze-hewn timber framing with the nave forty feet by twenty feet with clay-coloured rough thrown plaster similar to cob homes. On each wall is six pairs of lancet stained-glass windows, one for each Apostle with his name and symbol: St Simon, St Bartholomew, St Thomas, St James the Greater, St Matthias, St Jude, St James the Less, St Peter, At Phillip, St John, St Matthew and St Andrew. In the east gable there are three stained-glass memorial windows. The left one depicts Ruth, Jesus, the shepherd, in the center, and to the right David, guardian of the sheep flocks, 'He shall feed his flock like a shepherd.' The preachers chair carved out of an old log is dedicated to early Mackenzie ministers. Hall also designed the Fox Peak ski field hut.
An eloquent Pastoral in stone built without using any nails.This beautiful stone church was built as an interdenominational church but is now primarily used by the Presbyterian community. Has great acoustics for singing and is often used for weddings as it is very picturesque. Opened 22 November 1930 and is located over the hill in a sunny valley beh
ind the township of Cave past the local war memorial at the pass and up Burnetts Road, a side road on the right. Turn left at the gate. The cabbage tree in the foreground is a sign of good land. Now days expect to find the doors locked on both the Cave churches.
Private property with a striking entrance!
A further 400 metres along the road from the church entrance is the Burnett family's down-country home, Strath Naver. This name is taken from the valley (strath) of the Naver River in the Sutherland Highlands. The Burnett Homestead Gates are registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as category 2. Do not enter. The iron gates are flanked by massive stone walls that extend 20m in each direction. Erected about the same time as the church, the gateway bears symbols of the Scottish thistle and New Zealand fern, with the legends: faith, hope, self-reliance, pioneering, toil and sweat. Printed in Gaelic are mottoes which translate as: "We keep the old ways, the good ways" and "What we have, we keep". This farm was one of four owned by the Burnett family trust that were taken over by St Andrew's College, Christchurch, for agricultural teaching purposes. Look for a Celtic cross on a peak above 'Strath Naver'.
St. David's Pioneer Memorial Church : Cave, South Canterbury / D.F. ; [The Trustees]
Edition : 2nd ed. [The Timaru Herald], 1967. Originally published in 1930. Contains dates and names of early runholders. Timaru Library.
Thieves Hit Church
18 February 2006 Timaru Herald
Thieves struck the Cannington district over the holiday season, breaking into the preschool and stealing property from the historic St David's Church. Senior constable Geoff Smith, from the Pleasant Point police, said the thefts were devastating for the normally quiet community over the hill from Cave. Across the road from the preschool the historic St David's Church had also been hit by thieves. An organ stool and a memorial prayer box were taken and a stained glass window was broken.
Back way to Timaru.
Turn right onto Limestone Road and then along and then cut across Timaunga to Craigmore Valley Road where Maori rock art is signposted. Follow Craigmore Valley Road east back to State Highway 32 and come out at Pareora about ten minutes from Timaru.
Mackenzie County Council Briefs: Meeting of 8th November 2005
Local history retained in road naming. Some local history is to be retained in the Cave area, thanks to a submission by local resident Morrell McFetrich. Council had proposed to rename the Cave-Pareora Road as Cannington Road from SH8 to a point near Wisely Road and as Pareora Gorge Road from that point onwards.
However, Mr McFetrich pointed out that the short section of road from the State Highway to the foot of Cave Hill had always been known to the locals as Prohibition Road and produced historic evidence in support of his claim. The road got its name because T D Burnett originally gave the land for the road to be formed to remove temptation from wagon drivers having to pass the local hotel when leaving Cannington and heading up country towards the Mackenzie. The Council accepted his submission and the historic name will remain for that part of the road, with a sign at the State Highway saying to Cannington Road.
All Saints Anglican Church, Cave
Worship in the early days of the Cave district was held in the local school, which stood west of the present Cave hall. For seventy years, services were held there. The school closed in 1937 the building was leased from the Education Board and furnished with altar rails, lectern and prayer desk and became known as the Cave Church School Room. By 1949 the local Guild had £400 in hand so it was decided to build a church on land purchased from the Education Board and donated for that purpose.
The 50th anniversary service was held in the church on All Saints Day, November 3 2002 followed by a luncheon in the Cave hall. Built of local stone, hand picked and carted by many people out of the Te Ngawai riverbed, the church is a living memory of the many people who have worshipped in it since 1952. Many residences still have special memories of this building project. On November 18, 1952, before a congregation of 150 visitors and parishioners Bishop A. K. Warren unveiled the foundation stone as he was unable to be present when the stone was laid. The church has two stained glass windows. One in the sanctuary commemorates Alfred Amyes (1851-1941), Elizabeth Amyes (1852-1928), and their son Alfred C. Amyes (killed at Passchendaele 1917) and their daughter Constance nee Baker who d. 10 Dec. 1947. Donated by Miss Amyes and Arthur Baker, husband of Constance.Otago Witness, 7 June 1905, Page 36
The Presbyterian Church authorities at Pleasant Point are buying a section at the Cave township to build a church on by and-bye. Mr James Shepherd and Mr Robertson are the church managers for this part of the parish.
Land Sales. Mr B. McGrath has sold his farm to Mr Stonyer, of Beaconsfield.Otago Witness, 6 May 1908, Page 39
Church Matters. The Rev. J. White, who has been the Presbyterian minister at Pleasant Point for the last 16 years, preached his farewell sermon to the adherents of the Presbyterian church at Cannington on Sunday, April 26. He reviewed the work done in the charge during his term of office, and stated what had been his ideals while he had been the pastor. His reason for leaving was that he was getting up in years.
Cave - St Monica
Photo credits Olwyn. August 1999
South Canterbury, New ZealandGenWeb Project