Christ Church, Russell

Name: Christ Church
Address: Church Street, Russell, New Zealand
Telephone: +64 9-403 7696

#3 among attractions in Russell

Top attraction, Church

Gallery (1)

Map

Facts and practical information

Christ Church is New Zealand's oldest surviving church. Built in 1835 by Gilbert Mair 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. ()

Completed: 1835 (189 years ago)Coordinates: 35°15'48"S, 174°7'26"E

Address

Church StreetRussell New Zealand

Contact

+64 9-403 7696

Website

Social media

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Russell

Day trips

Christ Church – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Bay Beach Hire, Flagstaff Hill, Pompallier Mission.

2.4 miW
Garden, Historical place, History museum
Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Paihia
61 min walk • The Waitangi Treaty Grounds, nestled in the scenic bay city of Paihia, New Zealand, is a site of monumental historical significance. It is here that the Treaty of Waitangi, considered the founding document of New Zealand, was signed on February 6, 1840.
2.2 miSW
35°17'4"S • 174°5'46"E
Bay Beach Hire, Paihia
55 min walk • Beach, Bike tours, Watersports
0.6 miN
Nature, Natural attraction, Historical place
Flagstaff Hill, Russell
16 min walk • Flagstaff Hill overlooks the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Directly north of the small historical village of Russell, the flagstaff on the hill played a significant role in early relations between the local Māori of the Ngāpuhi iwi and early British colonials.
~830 ftSW
Historical place, Museum, History museum
Pompallier Mission, Russell
5 min walk • Pompallier House is a nineteenth-century building located in Russell, New Zealand which once served as the headquarters to the French Catholic mission to the Western Pacific.
2.6 miW
Memorial
Waitangi Treaty Monument, Waitangi
67 min walk • The Waitangi Treaty Monument, also known as the Te Tii memorial, is registered with Heritage New Zealand as a Category I structure. The monument was built in circa 1880–1881. Its inscription shows the full text in its Māori version of the Treaty of Waitangi.
4.2 miW
35°16'42"S • 174°3'4"E
Haruru Falls, Paihia
109 min walk • Cliff, Natural attraction, Park
5.4 miW
Nature, Natural attraction, Volcano
Te Puke Volcano
137 min walk • Te Puke is a 136 metres high group of basaltic scoria cones, in the Kaikohe-Bay of Islands volcanic field in Northland, New Zealand. It is the easternmost volcano of the field, being located near Waitangi. The three or four small, cratered cones are in a southwest–northeast alignment. The last eruption was 1300 to 1800 years ago.
6.1 miNE
Island
Urupukapuka Island
157 min walk • Urupukapuka Island is the largest island in the Bay of Islands of New Zealand, located about 7.3 km from Paihia. The island is a popular stopover point for tour boats to the Hole in the Rock and is also serviced by ferries for day trips from Paihia and Russell.
1.1 miN
Big-game fishing, Russell and Maori sites
Bay of Islands, Russell
30 min walk • The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for its big-game fishing since American author Zane Grey publicised it in the 1930s.
3.7 miS
Ship
R. Tucker Thompson, Opua
95 min walk • R. Tucker Thompson is a gaff-rigged topsail schooner based in Opua, Bay of Islands, New Zealand. She is operated as a non-for profit charitable trust and owned by the R. Tucker Thompson Sail Training Trust. The mission of the trust is “Learning for Life through the Sea”.
2.6 miS
Town
Okiato
67 min walk • Okiato or Old Russell is a small town in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, 7 kilometres south of present-day Russell. It was founded in 1840 and served as New Zealand's first national capital until 1841, when the seat of government was moved to Auckland.