In week 9, our Year 11 students travelled to Akaroa in connection with their Religious Education topic, the beginnings of the Church in Aotearoa.

The day started by establishing the context of the arrival of missionaries in the South Island, exploring the raids of Takapūneke and the tribal warfare escalating in New Zealand in 1830.

The boys then travelled down to the Britomart Monument, which served as a symbol for British sovereignty in Akaroa. The ‘Race for Akaroa’ between British and French forces is an important factor to appreciate what missionaries would have been exposed to in this area.

Afterwards we travelled to the waterfront, where our guide pointed out the setting for the first Mass in the South Island.

Our trip to the museum helped inform us about the city and provided further details to the early missionaries, as we looked at letters from the first Marist Missionaries written in 1841.

The day concluded by heading to St Patrick’s Church, where old boy Fr Geoff Gray (1956-1960) is the Parish Priest. He was very excited to talk about his time at St Bede’s, but also gave the boys a greater understanding of the historical significance of the Church.

Overall, it was an enjoyable day for our tamariki and is hopefully something we can continue in the future.