St Columba’s Church

Please note that this article was formed largely from the work of Helen Mathewson and her book, “Building Faith: The Story of St. Columba’s Anglican Church Wanaka 1902-2002”.

Prior to 1900, Pembroke (now Wānaka) fell under the parish of Queenstown. Bishop Samuel Tarratt Nevill, the first Anglican Bishop of Dunedin, formed a new parochial district consisting of Pembroke, Makarora, Hāwea and Tarras. The first Annual General Meeting for the Parish was held on 12 July 1900 in the Pembroke schoolroom.

The Church was opened 5 October 1902 with a Communion at 8am and 11am, and a children’s service at 3pm.[1] The first Baptism was held the same day for Thomas Chiton Alexander MacKay, and the first marriage held was for Theodore Russell and Annie Jane McBride on 18 February 1903.

There is no record as to why the name St Columba’s was chosen. On 30 November 1902, Bishop Nevill dedicated the new church at Pembroke in the name of St Columba.

St Columba’s Church on the right, the original Presbyterian Church can be seen on far left.

A service was held to unveil the Roll of Honour on 28 April 1918 for local men who died in WWI. Prior to this, services were held for individuals who were lost, including a service on 29 July 1917, where a stained-glass window was unveiled in memory of Stanley and Arthur Scaife.

On 24 September 1926, the church committee decided to join the Dunstan Parish. The plan was to supply £70 a year to the Dunstan Parish and the vicar would visit Pembroke six Sundays a year and respond to all urgent calls. The Dunstan Parish consisted of Clyde, Alexandra, Omakau, Cromwell, Pembroke, Hāwea, Makarora and Tarras. In 1928, the vicar reported travelling 3,392 miles in the parish. Local legend had that Rev. Hurd had more speeding tickets than any other driver in Central Otago.

Wānaka left the Dunstan Parish in 1962, starting the new Upper Clutha Parish of Wānaka, Cromwell, Tarras and Makarora. On Christmas Eve, the vicar would visit Makarora (later travelling by plane or helicopter), before returning to Wānaka for a midnight service, visiting Tarras and Cromwell the next morning.[2]

On 9 October 1977, St Columba Church held celebrations for the Seventy-Fifth Jubilee. A Confirmation Service was held at 6pm, followed by dinner at the Wānaka Tourist Hotel.

In 1980, the brass altar cross was stolen from the church and thrown in the lake. It was found the following year by a diver and returned to its home on the altar of St Columba’s.

St Columba’s with St Andrews attached

The Roman Catholics in Wānaka built a new church in 1985, and the Presbyterians did the same shortly after. The Anglicans debated whether they wanted to build a new church or extend St Columba’s. The Presbyterian Church[3] was for sale at $7,000, and it was decided to join St Andrew’s Church to St Columba’s Church. Tim Wallis offered to subsidise the estimated cost of $80,000 by 25%.

The floor of St Andrew’s (made of timber from Makarora)[4] was lifted, the church put on skids and Tim Wallis flew the bell tower off St Andrew’s in his helicopter. On 13 September 1988, St Andrew’s was towed along Brownston Street with a man riding atop to lift power lines out of the way. Much care was taken to retain the character of both churches.

On 21 January 1989, Bishop Peter Mann dedicated the extensions. About 200 attended the service, including many Presbyterians celebrating joining the old St Andrew’s Church to St Columba’s. It was a time of togetherness in the region as the Presbyterians and Anglicans raised money for their respective church buildings. These are the two oldest buildings in Wānaka still in use for their original purpose.

The interior of St Columba’s today

On 31 March 2000, St Columba’s Anglican Church was listed under Category 2 as a building having historical or cultural heritage significance or value.

A Centennial was held for St Columba’s Church on 3 November 2002. During the service, a plaque was dedicated for the ‘St. Columba’s Church Parishioners Memorial Wall’ by Rev. P.A. Jamieson.[5]

St Columba’s continues to be a place of worship in Wānaka. Now, the Diocese leases a section of their land to the Wānaka Community Hub, opened November 2019. This is a 35-year lease for $1 per annum.

[1] The Church opening went ahead without chancel, vestry or porch (Irvine Roxburgh, “Wanaka Story”, 1957. Page 182).
[2] Later, in some years the Wānaka community would swell with tourists and visitors to such an extent that three Christmas services were held to make sure everyone could attend.
[3] The Church was originally called the ‘Pembroke Memorial Church’ to commemorate the work of the late Reverend W. H. Dyer. It was opened 30 December 1905 (Irvine Roxburgh, “Wanaka Story”, 1957. Page 183).
[4] Irving Roxburgh, “Wanaka and Surrounding Districts: A Sequel to Wanaka Story”, 1990. Page 137.
[5] Penny Jamieson was the first woman in the world to be ordained a diocesan bishop of the Anglican Church.