St Johns Church is located at 130 Edward Street in Wakefield. It is the oldest church in the South Island of New Zealand and the oldest church in New Zealand in continuous use.

The church holds a Category 1 Rating with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. This determines the church building to be of “outstanding historical significance.”

The church was designed by New Zealand’s first woman architect, Marianne Reay, and was built in 1846 by the early settlers.

Locally felled and milled totara trees and kahikatea were used for the construction.

As the timber was drying, a cat with muddy paws walked across the planks leaving a trail behind. You can see these cat prints on an area of the ceiling inside the church!