The simple little wooden church nestled in the Cardrona Domain beside the old school buildings on the Wanaka side of the Cardrona village has an extraordinary history. It has had no fewer than four name changes, been renovated four times, relocated three times and repurposed twice.

Upper Clutha Historical Records Society (UCHRS) treasurer and historian Ken Allan researched its fascinating history, chatting with locals such as Tim Scurr whose great grandfather, Timothy Enright, had a lot to do with the establishment of the original Roman Catholic church in Cardrona.

Ken published the story of its history in the UCHRS’s recent newsletter and has graciously granted permission to the Wanaka App to republish it.

As you travel through Cardrona on the way to the Crown Range, you will pass, on your right, the original Cardrona School and a small church named The Lady Fatima Church. But that is not its original name nor its original purpose, and nor its original site. It has had a very chequered history. 

Originally it was an annex to the All Nations Hotel and used as a miners recreation hall for dances, weddings and other social gatherings. The hotel, which opened in 1874, was burned down in 1895 and John Willoughby purchased the land, what remained of the hotel and the untouched outbuildings, from the owner Mrs Knowles. 

Tim Enright then arranged to purchase the hall from John for a reported £35 and it was shifted across the road by horse and sledge. 

The Cardrona community got together and raised funds by various means, including concerts, to convert the hall into a church for the Catholic faithful. A Mr Bisset was engaged to convert it and it was reported that “It will be a very beautiful little church when finished. There are leadlights of cathedral glass”. 

It was all completed in 1902 and on 11 May it was opened “in the presence of a very large congregation. The church was dedicated for divine service under the patronage of St Bridget of Ireland... The Cardrona people feel very proud of their little church, and justly so...”, according to the Lake County Press. 

So the Church started its new life with the name “St Bridgets”, but the name must have fallen out of favour as by early 1926 it was known as St Johns as recorded in newspapers of the time, such as the Lake Wakatip Mail. It is not known when or why this change of name occurred or even if it is correct (further research is currently being undertaken) but according to the newspapers it was still the name used in November 1946.

The Cardrona Domain is home to a number of historic wooden buildings including the hall, the old school and a toilet block.

The last reported wedding in the church at Cardrona took place on 20 November 1946 between Johanna Scurr and Harry Miller. Tim Scurr tells me that the name of the church on his aunt and uncle’s marriage certificate is recorded as St Joseph’s – another new name. 

In 1952, the church building was moved to Wanaka where it was known as Our Lady of Fatima Church. At some stage it was plastered with roughcast and was used until about 1985 when it was decided to replace it with a new church building. 

Tim Scurr said he heard on the radio of a proposal to demolish the old building and that builders were preparing it for a fire brigade practice! He jumped in his car and raced to town. An hour later he had bought back the building for about $300 but he only had ten days to remove it. 

With the help of Bob Galvin and the Wanaka Rotary Club, the building was jacked up off the piles ready for transport. Tim organised for John Scannell to transport the building back to Cardrona. Eddie Jones, a builder living at the Cardrona Hotel, organised the paperwork and marked out the foundations in the school grounds. Then with the help of Martin Curtis and others, piles were dug in and Tim’s tractor pulled the building into place and set it down on the tenth day. 

The church was then renovated and the roughcast previously applied in Wanaka was removed. The wood underneath was in a sound condition and in the main, only needing a repaint. This time, the name of the Church stayed the same as was used in Wanaka – Our Lady of Fatima Church. 

It now sits proudly for all to see, in the Cardrona Domain, alongside the old school buildings.

PHOTOS: Supplied