Awahuri – History and Landscape

Awahuri is a destination for travellers who want to take cultural history and landscape into account when choosing where to stay. Highden connects architectural history with the history of the Marists; Te Iwa Tekau recalls the Māori history of the area, and ecological connections lead to the Awahuri wetland. If you are weighing a cultural-history focus against a natural-history focus, Awahuri offers concrete points of interest for both.

Highden: Architecture and Marist History

Highden lies south of Awahuri amid farmland and is surrounded by small patches of native bush. The country house was completed around 1897 and designed by Frederick de Jersey Clere as W. W. Johnston’s country residence. The main house is a Queen Anne-style building with a tower. At the same time, Highden combines architectural design elements by Clere and Charles Tilleard Natusch. Highden is listed as a Category 1 Historic Place and was the first permanent Marist novitiate in Oceania.

Chapel and Grotto

Highden’s protected area includes a chapel and the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. The chapel was built in 1956; the grotto was created in 1936. In the grotto, a white statue of Our Lady of Lourdes stands on a raised plinth; it also bears the Marist coat of arms. Compared with the main house, completed around 1897, both religious structures date from considerably later; the grotto predates the chapel.

Te Iwa Tekau and Local History

The large marae Te Iwa Tekau was built for the visit of Māori King Tawhiao, which took place in 1883. The meeting house Te Iwa Tekau stood on the eastern bank of the Oroua River near Awahuri and was destroyed in the great storm of 1936. The 1883 visit explains the reason for its construction; the 1936 storm marks the loss of the building.

Awahuri’s Wetland Landscape

A natural-history perspective focuses on the Awahuri wetland and its fluctuating water levels. Carex sinclairii occurs in Awahuri and is considered regionally rare there. The species’ habitat consists almost exclusively of wetlands with fluctuating water levels. The Awahuri wetland is classified as an area with fluctuating water levels; it existed before the introduction of European agriculture, although its wetland character has been disputed. The presence of Centipeda minima supports the interpretation of the habitat as a temporary wetland. The plants point to different aspects: Carex sinclairii connects Awahuri with a regionally rare species and its habitat, while Centipeda minima supports the interpretation of the wetland.

Directions to Highden

If you are travelling through Awahuri on State Highway 3, turn southwest onto Green Road to reach Highden. The entrance is on the northwest side of Green Road, before the intersection with Taipo Road. A large masonry gate bearing the name Highden marks it. Its position before the intersection and the signposted gate provide two specific landmarks. If you plan to visit Highden, check in advance whether visits are possible.

Discover more destinations: Feilding, Halcombe, Himatangi, Apiti

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