Memorials - History - Waihi
Revival in New Zealand.
This afternoon, I listened to Kevin DeYoung's preaching on Joshua 4 (see below). His main focus was on the subject of memorials. This is a great way to engage with History, as we question why society commemorates specific people and events and why, in a specifically Christian context, how these Memorials act as reminders for us of what God has done through an individual's life or in a wider community in blessing and deliverance. When I look at my own life, I tend to connect what God has done in my life with the community or place I was occupying at the time. This is also true of revival: how did God move in a specific community or nation, as well as, what influences did the events have, and what can be learned about God for our own lives?
Many ages ago, I lived in the Piako District, firstly, northeast of Matamata and eventually in Te Aroha, where we were part of a church planting team from Hamilton AoG. For this time we lived at the foot of the Kaimai Ranges, initially, not far from the Wairere Falls where Tarore was murdered and her Gospel of Luke travelled over the ranges to the Rotorua area and then south to Otaki, where God's truth transformed the life of Tamihana Te Rauparaha, the son of Wiremu Te Rauparaha, the great Ngati Toa chief and the tribe around Otaki. Tarore's home was Waharoa (just north of Matamata), where missionaries Rev. A.N. Brown and his wife Charlotte had established a Mission in April of 1835. It was through 'the Brown's' faithfulness that a Christian community grew amongst the Maori, and it was here that the first Christian Pa's were established, under the vision of Wiremu Tamihana, who is known as the 'Kingmaker' for his influential role in the establishment of the Kīngitanga Movement. The significance of this played out for us last week with the death of the Maori King.
There are other memorials/memories around Te Aroha, like my love/hate relationship with the Karangahake gorge, which you have to pass through to get to Waihi from Te Aroha, which, in my opinion, is a lovely part of New Zealand. As you follow the Ohinemuri River through the gorge, close to the Paeroa end, you will find the remains of some of the gold mine diggings; from here, you can go through the Train Tunnel and follow the tracks to Waihi (an old steam train still runs these rails today). The hate part of this journey is that it doesn't pay to get distracted as the road is narrow and winding, but once through you are greeted by the quaint town of Waihi, which still has some of its Old World charm. The town still exists because it is on the prime route to Tauranga and the Coromandel and because of its successful commercial gold mine. The same gold has been the town's lifeline since the late 19th century.
Some of you may be asking why I am writing this nice historical travel log around this part of New Zealand. The answer goes back to where I began, revival. When I became interested in the subject of revival, I was reading about what had been happening everywhere else, like the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, Ireland, England, and especially Wales. I began to ask the question, why hasn't my own country not experienced God moving in this way? It was then that I read a single sentence in Eifion Evans' book on the 1904-6 Welsh Revival and its worldwide influence, which indicated that there had been similar to being experienced in Wanganui and Waihi. I am not sure about any incidents in Wanganui at this time (however, there was an incident in the 1870s that I am researching), there was however, a revival in Waihi in 1905 that showed similarities to the Welsh Revival. That was the beginning of a new path for me, the history of revival in New Zealand and the way God broke into the lives of everyday Kiwis (New Zealanders).
Next time, the Waihi Revival of 1905...