Description

Samuel Marsden was a Yorkshireman serving as the Senior Chaplain to the Penal Colony of New South Wales, who established the first Christian mission in New Zealand a little over 200 years ago in 1814. Marsden had been an Anglican minister in New South Wales since 1794, but he was also interested in taking the Christian Gospel to the South Pacific and New Zealand. Through his providential friendship with Ruatara, a local Ngāpuhi chief, Marsden was able to settle three missionary families in the Bay of Islands arriving there on 22 December 1814. He also preached the first sermon there on Christmas Day to a congregation of over a 1000 Māori. In all, Marsden made 7 visits to New Zealand over the course of the next 20 years until his death in 1838. For most of that period, Marsden directed and supported the mission from his parsonage at Parramatta. The mission faced many difficulties and setbacks, and it was not until 1825 that the first convert was baptised. Yet by the time of Marsden’s last visit in 1837, large numbers of Māori were responding to the Christian message and by 1850 some 90 percent of Māori had converted to the Christian faith.
We invite you to come & discover some of that which makes this nation’s heartbeat. Let Stephen Tyrell, a Minister, who has lived in Northland a great deal of his life, help you discover the way in which Christianity was introduced into New Zealand and how and why it was embraced by Māori. You will also be in awe of the nature and beauty of God’s creative handywork and begin to understand something of the culture of Māori. Today, one in seven New Zealanders identify as Māori and their history, language and traditions are central to New Zealand’s identity.
Call us for your full itinerary for this tour

Includes: Door to door transport, accommodation, breakfasts, dinners and attraction entry fees where stated.

$POA – Call for more details 07 572 4118