Ross Fletcher (left), the grandson of the Rev H.J. Fletcher, with Matthew Laity of Northlit Develoments outside the historic church, which is now being restored.
Ross Fletcher (left), the grandson of the Rev H.J. Fletcher, with Matthew Laity of Northlit Develoments outside the historic church, which is now being restored.
He was a man of strength and warmth, hard-working, dedicated to the cause, fluent in te reo and determined to improve life for Māori living in the Taupō district.
He was the Reverend Henry James Fletcher, a Presbyterian missionary who came to Taupō in 1895 to become a spiritual leaderin the area.
Originally, his church services were held in the one-room school which still stands at Taupō Primary. But in 1913, Fletcher realised his goal of opening a church in Taupō - which became appropriately dubbed First Church.
Fast-forward 108 years and the First Church, which later became known as the Fletcher Church, has been moved three times and is now undergoing a massive restoration.
It stands on the corner of Huka Falls Rd and The Boulevard on the edge of a 3ha parcel of land recently purchased by Northlit Developments. Northlit's managing director, Matthew Laity, has applied for resource consent to develop a retirement community on the site and along with those plans is restoring the church with the vision of it becoming a cafe and boutique grocer.
But aware of the church's history, Matthew first met with Rev H.J. Fletcher's grandson Ross Fletcher to seek the Fletcher family's approval of his plans.
Northlit plans to fully restore the church, reroof it, add insulation and give it a fresh paint job. Matthew says the painting alone has proved "intense" because the church had an estimated dozen or so coats of paint on its native wood exterior which had to be stripped back.
Inside, the floors and walls will be sanded and polished, a heating system installed, the windows reglazed, doors replaced and new decks and landscaping added.
A photograph of the Fletcher Church in its early days on the corner of Tamamutu St and Titiraupenga St, where the Chevron Motel stands now. Photo / Supplied
We'll keep the inside completely original and on the outside we're trying to keep all the same colours and keep as much of the history of the church as possible," Matthew explains. "All the plaques and items like that will stay and there's some photographs that will be displayed."
After that the church will become a temporary sales office - but longer-term, Matthew intends to lease it out as part of a cafe operation.
"More than likely it will be tenanted and there will be a new playground as well so I think it will become a bit of a hub for the residents and local community."
Ross Fletcher says his grandfather designed and built the church from local timber along with the pews and pulpit, with the assistance of two local Māori. The foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister William Massey and it was called the First Church for many years. Later it was renamed St Paul's and when it was replaced by St Paul's Union Church in 1977, became known as the Fletcher Church.
Inside, the spiral panels were drawn by Tom Ryan, skipper of the Tongariro steamer which plied the lake and a noted local artist, and painted by a local schoolboy, whose name is only recorded as Ngamotu. Ryan and Fletcher were apparently great friends, with Ryan also helping Fletcher erect the church's steeple.
Matthew Laity (left) and Ross Fletcher inspecting the interior of the church. Photo / Laurilee McMichael
The church originally stood on the corner of Titiraupenga and Tamamutu Sts and then in 1961 was moved to the site where St Paul's Union Church stands today. In 1953 it was donated to the European congregation by the Māori synod.
When the new St Paul's church was built, the Fletcher Church moved again, to Huka Village where it was used for weddings and events. It was originally part of the historic village but its third move was to the corner of The Boulevard and Huka Falls Rd in 2000 where it became a popular wedding venue, with 72 weddings recorded one year.
Accounts from the time of Rev Fletcher's missionary work showed he had tremendous energy, visiting every papakainga on Lake Taupō's shores by rowboat, and those near Taupō on foot. It was a huge parish and he would travel by horseback, gig or coach and later by bicycle, regularly cycling to Tokaanu or to Mokai to take services, carrying his bike across the many streams as there were no bridges.
Reverend Henry James Fletcher was a pioneer Presbyterian missionary in the Taupō area from 1895 to 1925. Photo / Supplied
He spoke te reo Māori fluently and is said to have once had Christmas dinner with Te Kooti. He was also a force behind the establishment of the Turakina Māori Girls' College, a Presbyterian boarding school which operated from 1905 to 2016. HJ Fletcher died in 1933 in New Plymouth and has six surviving grandchildren.
Ross says as a boy growing up, the family were always aware of the Taupō connection. He says as far as the Fletcher family is concerned, having the church preserved is a good outcome.
"I've been to church services here, weddings and funerals, it just has a sense of history."
Matthew says he was put in touch with the Fletcher family through a mutual contact and it's been good to talk them through his plans for the church, hear its history and have their blessing for the work on something their grandfather was so closely connected with.
