Object description

Christ Church is New Zealand's oldest surviving church. Built in 1835 in the village of Russell, the Anglican church originally held services in both English and Māori. It was also occasionally used as the local courthouse. On 30 January 1840, it was the site of Captain William Hobson's proclamation that New Zealand would be ruled through New South Wales and that he would serve as Lieutenant Governor of New Zealand. The cost of its construction was contributed to by Charles Darwin in 1863. The church was visited by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1963. The New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange and the country's Governor-General Sir Paul Reeves visited the church on its 150th anniversary in 1986. After a restoration in 2000, it was made into a tourist attraction.