St Mary's Church - Tikitiki

St Mary's church in Tikitiki serves as a memorial to the Māori men from the East Coast between Paritū (south of Gisborne) and Tarakeha/Torere (east of Ōpōtiki) who fought and died in the First World War.
St Mary's was built in the 1920's at the instigation of Ngati Porou leader Sir Āpirana Ngata. An early example of Ngata's efforts to revive traditional Māori arts and crafts. The church has a Māori architectural design and wonderful carvings and tukutuku (woven panels) inside, it is regarded as one of the most beautiful Māori churches in New Zealand.
This is an active place of worship that is also regarded as one of the icons of the entire East Cape journey.

Image credit: NZ PocketGuide