The Strange Story of the Divided Church
The centre of the island is dominated by a large white church with two separate concrete paths and two entrance archways. One is for the village of Ngatiarua and the other for the neighbouring village of Areroa. The two villages got together and agreed on the design and the builder, but the trouble began after the walls were completed. Neither could agree on the design of the interior, with the result that a wall was built across the middle of the church cutting it into two squares. Each village then completed its side to its own design. But the warfare went on. When one village worshipped, the other played loud games on the field outside.
Finally, a new pastor convinced the two villages that they should worship under one roof at the same time. The centre wall came down, but to this day, the two interior designs remain distinctly apart. One side is white, yellow and red, and the other, pink, yellow and white with white diagrams and circles. The pulpit is placed against the middle wall and each village sits on its own side of the church and each takes turns in singing the Sunday hymns. The pulpit also has a clear line down the middle of its platform and the speaker is expected to have one foot on each side of the line!
