Ohinemutu's St Faith's Church building is to feature in a new Maori Television series on architecture.
Scotty Productions crews were on site at the church yesterday, filming a service and the inside of the historic building on the shores of Lake Rotorua.
The church, along with buildings from Rotorua's tourist attractions Te
Puia and Whakarewarewa Thermal Village, will be part of the Whare Maori series that will air from April this year.
Production manager Michael Bennett said the series would explore Maori architecture throughout the country "from the arrival of the first waka".
"Whare Maori hunts out Maori architecture through the motu (land), exploring historical buildings from the most humble to the greatest," he said.
Mr Bennett's uncle, Don Bennett, speaks about the history of the "magnificent" Te Arawa church in the programme.
His family has been involved with the church since the early 19th century.
The original chapel was built in 1830 with additions in 1885, followed by the church's whare kai.
Carvings inside the church feature highly on pews, walls and the ceiling. "It's very beautiful and magnificent," Mr Bennett said.
On one of the windows at the northern end of the building is a frosted sketch portraying Jesus that looks as though he is walking on water with Lake Rotorua highlighted through the window.
"What we really want to portray from the bricks and mortar is how unique Maori architecture is and how integral it is to our culture," he said.
"It's not just a building but carries the stories of our tipuna (ancestors) and all who have gone before.
"They are rich with culture, history and narratives. They have incredible beauty."
Of Ngati Pikiao and Ngati Whakaue descent, Mr Bennett made a short film about five years ago about Rotorua called Kerosene Creek. He has also worked on many new Zealand television productions - including writing and directing parts of the popular television series Outrageous Fortunes.
His first feature film, Matariki, was released last November, following its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
Meanwhile, the crew is due to finish filming at Whakarewarewa Thermal Village later this week, where people still live today and use the natural features to cook with and live.
