St John's Lutheran Church

This is the first Lutheran church to be established in New Zealand. Two German missionaries with their two students (one of whom was Johann Wilheim Christoph Heine) arrived in New Zealand in 1842, along with some German settlers. While the other missionaries scattered across the country, Johann Heine stayed behind to pastor the church and to teach at the school he founded (which is now called Ranzau School).The original building was made of mud, and then in 1866 a wooden structure was erected. Only four years later the church was burned down, though it was quickly replaced by another church building. Again, fire also destroyed this building in 1913. Not to be deterred, the foundation of the church that now stands was laid that same year.

Cute old traditional church with services every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month at 11:15am with communion