Two years of work restoring the former St John's Church in Cromwell is due to be finished by winter. Lynda Van Kempen spoke to its owner, Brendon Urlich, about the project.
The old St John's Presbyterian Church in Cromwell is being restored to its former glory - with bells on.
The painstaking renovation of the 134-year-old stone building is only a few months from completion.
Another milestone in the two-year project was reached this week when the restored bell tower and bell were carefully remounted on the building.
Aucklander Brendon Urlich and his wife Kerry bought the former church in 2004 to convert into a holiday home.
At that time, he was the executive general manager of L'Oreal New Zealand.
The family, which includes two sons, Jaydon (10) and Luka (6), moved to Ho Chi Minh City in July last year as Mr Urlich is now head of L'Oreal in Vietnam.
''It's a fascinating part of the world ... but New Zealand really is important to us so the family travel back a few times a year,'' he said this week.
''The plan was always to have a place that we can always come back to and the old church - I nickname her the Stone Temple - will be that place.''
He is proud of what has been achieved so far and the quality of work carried out by Lifestyle Construction on the former church, which has a Heritage New Zealand category 2 classification.
''I still pinch myself when I visit as it really is an amazing piece of local history.''
The building, on the corner of Inniscort and Sligo Sts, has been earthquake-strengthened, the corrugated iron roof has been replaced, exterior stonework has been repointed, internal framing has been done and insulation is being installed.
The distinctive bell tower on the Gothic-style schist building was removed in July 2013 as a safety measure after an inspection revealed some of the wood was rotten.
It has been restored and a crane was used to lift it into place this week.
Next on the agenda is the installation of a kitchen, new lighting, upgraded plumbing and electrics, along with heating, and the aim is to have the work completed by winter.
Mr Urlich declined to place a figure on his investment in the project so far, saying he was ''a bit scared'' to add up the cost.
''It's fair to say that it certainly would have been a lot cheaper to buy a nice holiday home in Northland, the Coromandel or Wanaka ... However, I justify what Kerry and I have done as really investing in our own part of New Zealand history.
''We were so lucky to be given the opportunity to purchase such an amazing building.
''I know that a lot of people were not happy that she fell into private hands but I hope those folks feel a bit better about it now and know that we really do take our role seriously in preserving her.''
The sale of the church and manse was a controversial decision by Presbyterian Church leaders. Mr Urlich said locals and visitors were curious about the work on the former church.
''In fact, we have a few people walking on to the property, either thinking it's still a church and therefore `public property' or curious people wanting to know what's going on.
''There are people who used to be part of the congregation that pop in and talk about their experiences.
''This summer, I was sitting outside the church when a foreign tourist in a camper van parked outside, jumped over the worksite fencing and walked right into the construction zone while the guys were actively working.
''He was completely oblivious to the fact it was a work site and just said he was curious. Hilarious and a little scary too.''
To satisfy that curiosity, he is considering having some sort of open day once the project is finished, with the entry ''fee'' being a donation to charity.
The couple are already fielding inquiries about whether the building will be available for rent as boutique accommodation or as a wedding venue. They are considering the options.
