Christ Church
Christ Church
4.5
About
Nau mai, haere and welcome to Christ Church, New Zealand's oldest existing church and cemetery. A digital walk can be downloaded from the App stores from Hikoi Tahi Walking Tours which share the fascinating stories of some of the people buried here. Enjoy visiting our cemetery and do visit our beautiful church.
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4.5
375 reviews
Excellent
187
Very good
157
Average
27
Poor
4
Terrible
0
PBPG
Yorkshire, UK8,486 contributions
Oct 2022
Christ Church is New Zealand's oldest surviving church. Built in 1835 by Gilbert Mair in the village of Russell, the Anglican church originally held services in both English and Māori.. On 30 January 1840, it was the site of Captain William Hobson's proclamation that New Zealand would be ruled through New South Wales and that he would serve as Lieutenant Governor of New Zealand. The cost of its construction was contributed to by Charles Darwin in 1863. The church was visited by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1963. There are still musket holes in the chuch form the battle of Kororareka, if local legend is to be believed.
Written 20 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James B
Wentworth Falls, Australia26 contributions
A nice little wooden church surrounded by graves. The church is Anglican and fairly simple inside. Apparently the Church was hit by bullets and there are holes in some of the timber. It’s a interesting and a short walk from the main shopping area. The church asks for a donation to keep the church open and the are some small books on the history of the church for a few dollars.
Written 17 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lorraine M
Russell, New Zealand159 contributions
Dec 2019
Christ Church is the oldest church in New Zealand. Some of the gravestones are from the mid-1800's and represent both Maori and European members of the community. A fun game with youngster is to find the oldest gravestone. Plenty of off street parking next to the church and lovely gardens in the rear of the church and the church hall.
Written 1 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
santo t
Auckland, New Zealand7,404 contributions
Jun 2020
It is the oldest existing church in NZ today, and the oldest building still used for its original purpose. The missionaries purchased land in 1834 from Maori chiefs and the building build by 1835 with the first service was on 3 January 1836 and a burial ground around the church in 1839 and used by Captain William Hobson in 1840 to make proclamations. It is old beautiful historical small church building at the town centre of a famous small town, Russell. Have a look to admire the beauty and learn a bit about history of this church, all for free.
Written 6 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shelley M
Albany, New Zealand917 contributions
Mar 2022
It is work a quick stop to look around and check out the bullet holes and cemetery. Gosh so many died here very young, really makes you sad. Well looked after and grounds kept up to look really respected. Well worth a look around if you are in Russell.
Written 12 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Murray P
Porirua, New Zealand515 contributions
Mar 2021 • Couples
Beautifully maintained and an interesting cemetery. Certainly worth the visit. Nice to see it is still a working church.
Written 10 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BruceSheree W
Brisbane, Australia191 contributions
Mar 2020
A great church, well looked after with lots of history. You can see the bullet holes in the church wall. The locals have taken a lot of pride in their church with hand made cushions on the pews depicting family history. The cemetery was also very interesting. Well worth looking at
Written 30 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stefano M
Penang Island, Malaysia225 contributions
Feb 2020
The church interioor is fairly plain. The churchyard, full of flowering bushes and impeccably kept, shows the history of Russell - Kororareka from its tumultuous violent beginnins to gentility.
Written 16 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CalellaDePalafrugell
Loughborough, UK510 contributions
Nov 2019
We enjoyed walking round Russell, and found this pretty lttle Church. It's worth spending a little time learning abouts its history.
Written 6 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charles A
Owosso, MI22 contributions
Nov 2016 • Couples
A good location for scenery and a historical attraction in the Russell area. I would recommend this location to anyone who appreciates history and who may appreciate the beauty of New Zealand..
Written 12 November 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bevsymes
Taihape, New Zealand
I am going to visit Christ Church soon. I believe there is a Dr Shepard buried here who is my childrens Grandfather 5 generations back. Is is correct?
Written 1 October 2017
Sorry I don't know the answer You could google it
Written 3 November 2017
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