A beautiful and important book, amply illustrated, well written, and in "as new" condition.

With the arrival of Anglican missionaries to New Zealand in the nineteenth century, Maori were slowly converted to Christianity and recruited to construct our first churches. These early whare karakia (houses of worship) were in a distinctive and arresting new style which combined elements from Maori art and architecture with British ecclesiastical traditions.

Art historian Richard A. Sundt chronicles for the first time this early phase of Maori church building in New Zealand. He traces the emergence of seven large-scale whare-style churches from around the North Island - the last standing, Rangiatea at Otaki, tragically burned down in 1995.

First edition - 2010 - Auckland University Press.