Mangere's Relic.

The historic lava-rock Church at Mangere, on Manukau Harbour, is a place with quite a remarkable history. The famous Te Wherowhero Potatau, who became the first Maori King, and his people, built it about eighty years ago, when those Waikatos were regarded as one of the bulwarks of infant Auckland; Sir George Grey and his Government gave them a special grant of land at Mangere. In after years it fell to pakeha page 55 hands, and I remember many years ago attending a service in the picturesque old place, its walls grown over with ivy. But recently, I hear, services for Maoris have been revived there. One hopes that this stone church, one of the sights of interest in a drive around the beautiful Mangere countryside, will be preserved with care and will never be allowed to fall into ruin like the early-days lava-rock chapel near St. John's College at Tamaki, now a mere crumbling pile of stones.