The former Kakanui Presbyterian Church, a modest Carpenter Gothic building designed by renowned Scottish-born Dunedin architect Robert Arthur Lawson, has undergone a significant transformation in recent years thanks to Waimate-based couple Michael Simpson and Anna Miles.
The pair are ecstatic their restoration project has reached category 1 status after working on the former church since they bought it in 2019.
"We are absolutely thrilled and delighted. It’s great news," Mr Simpson said.
Category 1 historic places are of special or outstanding historical or cultural significance or value.
Ms Miles said the church and the area surrounding meant a lot to them and the Kakanui community.
"It’s just a special spot ... the river, the beach, this place.
"So many people came in while we were working on the church and because it was already a notable building and the community had battled to try and save it and fundraise for it when the church still owned it," Mr Simpson said.
Built in 1870, and once the spiritual heart of Kakanui, the timber church had weathered decades of change before its final service in November 2019 in the seaside town.
Mr Simpson and Ms Miles, who attended the last service, said it was "emotional" and embodied the deep connection the Kakanui community had to the church.
Since buying the property, the couple have steadily restored the structure, replacing sub-floor bearing joists, corner studs and weatherboards, improving drainage, restoring windows and repainting the interior. Their restoration has extended to the church’s outbuildings — including the bible class hall added in 1933, two small buildings acquired in 1955 for the growing Sunday school and even a brownies den.
They say they have kept the budget to a minimum by working with original materials "to minimise waste" as much as possible.
They have also strived to keep original details such as original boarding and the iron straps added to the building in 1884 to stop the church from "getting battered by northwest winds", Mr Simpson said.
Mr Simpson, a carpenter with heritage expertise, and Ms Miles, equally hands-on, saw the church as more than just a building and have brought it back to life with community events including a night market and musical gigs, Christmas carols and even a friend’s wedding.
"We’d seen so much loss of heritage and we knew we could work to preserve it ... we see ourselves as stewards of the building".
Mr Lawson (1833-1902), the church’s architect, is well known for many of Oamaru’s classical buildings including the National Bank, the Bank of New South Wales and the Star and Garter Hotel.
Mr Simpson said it was "was super exciting" when they got the listing "to get a stab" at preserving the history of the church.
The couple said initial meetings with Waitaki District Council building advisers and engagement with Heritage New Zealand had been "fantastic".
"The building advisers were so receptive to our ideas ... and Heritage New Zealand assessment adviser Alison Brees who came up and then did a report on it, it was so comprehensive and she was learning, so much," Mr Simpson said.
"She was doing all the research on the social history of Kakanui and what it was a symbol of," Ms Miles said.
After various project ideas the couple opted to stick to the "essence" of the original design of the building.
They have also made some interesting discoveries throughout the restoration of the 154-year-old church including Roman numerals etched into wood behind some of the boards.
"Because this was kit-set, likely built off-site or pre-assembled offsite.
"An intern at Heritage NZ also discovered through old photos that the bent and forked roof was actually for the rope that went up to the bell on the bell tower," Mr Simpson said.
Making the commute from Waimate at any chance they get, they describe the restoration as their "hobby", but the project has taken on new meaning for them as it has progressed.
"We saw it as a building project on day one, but it just keeps turning into something else — having events in the church, and restoring it as well as we can, means that it should have a life beyond us, and that’s what we want." Mr Simpson said.
Originally designed to seat 100 worshippers, the church was constructed in just three months during a period of ambitious development. Hopes were high that the newly built port would turn the coastal settlement into a major export hub. While those dreams faded, the church remained a part of the community’s life for nearly 150 years.
The couple say they have had "so much fun" restoring the former church and have been grateful not to have a set deadline to be able to enjoy the process at their own pace.
Ms Miles said the wider community outreach and public submissions in support of the building to achieve a category 1 historic place had been immense.
"All these people submitted saying they thought it was a great idea. They all got involved; it was amazing," she said.
Mr Simpson said they were told it was a "recent record" for the number of submissions they received.
The couple plan to continue restoration of the church and to celebrate its new-found heritage status with an open day event "to welcome all" in spring.
"If we have a gin at the end of the day sitting in here and looking at the ceiling and thinking how lovely it is, well, what else could you want?" Mr Simpson said.
