St Hilda in the Wood Church, Ngamatapouri, Waitotara Valley Road

---

Memories of visiting St Hilda in the Woods Church at Ngamatapouri many decades ago convinced me I should travel over New Zealand's longest no-exit road to see it again. After turning off at Waitotara, onto the Waitotara Valley Road, we came across a sign warning us of wandering stock. The sign is there for a good reason. We had to dodge stock and wild goats all the way.

The road roughly follows the Waitotara River and is sealed until you reach Ngamatapouri. We worked out we needed to keep going for another few kilometres in order to find the church.

Seeing the church again was lovely. I remembered how beautiful it is inside. However, like churches all over NZ, it was locked and we couldn't find any contact details so were unable to find anyone to let us go inside. However, we were very pleased to see there is a toilet available. We weren't so pleased when we realised we couldn't use it as there is no water in it or in the tap outside.

While we stood and enjoyed the tranquility, we found ourselves surrounded by fantails. Then screeching rosellas tore past us, spoiling the peace and quiet.

On our way home, we stopped at the Ngamatapouri School and Hall and decided we needed to check out the Settlers Park. This amused us as the Rugby Park has goalposts and sheep. Only in NZ!

This is not a road trip I would recommend to most visitors. However, if you are staying in the area, it is worth spending an afternoon up the valley as the scenery is fantastic and there are plenty of places to stop to take photos. It really shows just how rugged NZ is. I wouldn't do it if I was travelling with someone who is prone to being carsick.

---

Photos

The toilet
Don't use the toilet as there is no water in it.