Situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo, in the South Island of New Zealand, amongst the natural beauty of the lake and the mountains, the Church of the Good Shepherd was the first church built in the Mackenzie Basin. The foundation stone was laid by H.R.H. the Duke of Gloucester, on January 15th, 1935, and the completed church was dedicated by the Bishop of Christchurch on August 3rd, 1935. Designed by Christchurch architect R.S.D. Harman (1896-1953), and based on sketches by a local artist, Esther Hope (1885-1975), it is arguably one of the most photographed in New Zealand, and features an altar window that frames stunning views of the lake and mountains.
The builders were instructed that the site was to be left undisturbed, and that even the matagouri bushes surrounding the building were to remain. Rocks which happened to be on the wall line were not to be removed. The original roof was of wooden shingles, but had to be replaced with the present slates in 1957. The cupboard in the Vestry is made of wood from the Tekapo Bridge, which was demolished in 1954. Congregations of the three main Churches worship regularly in the Church.
About the stamp
The stamp, depicting a pataka (storehouse), is part of the series Matariki 2013, about which I wrote here.
References
Church of the Good Shepherd - South Canterbury GenWeb
Church of the Good Shepherd - Mackenzie Cooperating Church
Lake Tekapo - Wikipedia
sender: Aaron Howard (direct swap)
sent from Timaru (New Zealand), on 12.08.2013
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