Old St Paul Cathedral in Wellington caught me by surprise. The streets of New Zealand’s capital reflect an active, upbeat, modern city. The general architecture styles are eclectic, contemporary and interesting. Then there is old St Paul Cathedral. Built entirely of native timber, this 19th-century gothic-revival masterpiece is well worth a visit. The high, vaulted ceilings, wooden beams, and stained glass windows seem out of place in such a young country. Built in 1866, it has a feel like many of the much older churches we visited in Europe.
Only a block away sits the new St Paul Cathedral, built in the 1960s. Its massive organ is built from the remnants of the original water organ of the old cathedral. We were lucky enough to stumble upon an organ concert, free to enter with a recommended donation. The photos were shot before the concert – later the seats filled up quite a bit.
Practical Information:
- Old St Paul Cathedral is located at 34 Mulgrave Street. It’s open every day from 9:30 am to 5 pm, except when being used for private functions (it is popular for weddings).
- Hourly guided tours of the older churh are available for $7.50 per person.
- New Cathedral of St Paul is only a block away at the corner of Hill and Molesworth Streets. It is open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm and on Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. There are three Sunday services at 8 am Said Eucharist, 10 am Choral Eucharist, and 5 pm Choral Evensong.
- It serves as the Anglican Diocese of Wellington.
- Both are free to enter, although a donation is requested.
New or Old, which St Paul Cathedral do you prefer? Have you visited either?
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Colourful Photos from Wellington Botanic Garden
Jessica
March 3, 2016 at 7:02 pmI love old churches. But once you’ve seen a few, they all start to look alike. I’m still drawn to them, though.
Rhonda Albom
March 5, 2016 at 11:58 pmThere are so few in New Zealand, I was surprised to see this one.
Claudya
February 29, 2016 at 6:57 amGorgeous. What a treat to hear an organ concert.
Rhonda Albom
March 2, 2016 at 10:31 pmI love when we randomly stumble upon cool things like the organ concert.
Rhonda Albom
February 25, 2016 at 12:27 pmI was surprised to see them in New Zealand 🙂
Michele {Malaysian Meanders}
February 25, 2016 at 7:47 amI rather fancy the Old cathedral over the new one. With all that timber, there’s a feeling of warmth and welcome to it.
Rhonda Albom
February 25, 2016 at 12:29 pmYes, it was very welcoming. I know it is used often for weddings. There is a good feel to the place.
Carraol
February 24, 2016 at 11:15 amNo doubt, the old St Paul is impressive, its timber work, the organ and its atmosphere full of warm and colored light are a visual delight!
Rhonda Albom
February 24, 2016 at 11:19 amI agree. I fell in love with it upon entry.
Grey World Nomads
February 23, 2016 at 9:13 amYou certainly do a lot of work with this blog, your photography and your writing. Chapeau!
Lisa Wood
February 22, 2016 at 7:26 pmOh I love old Buildings – I loved visiting the old churches in England, back when I was 18 {I went there for two months} and castles 🙂
St Paul Cathedral in Wellington looks so beautiful 🙂
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:55 pmI love the old churches in Europe too.
Ruth - Tanama Tales
February 22, 2016 at 2:29 pmI would not imagine a cathedral made of timber. What an unique place! The interior is beautiful and it reminds me of churches in Europe too.
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:54 pmWhat else would they make the old cathedrals out of, if not timber?
Christine E-E
February 22, 2016 at 11:14 amI’ve never been to New Zealand… but I do love visiting OLD churches. There is something peaceful about thinking a building has been visited by so many people (visitors or parishioners)… especially love the stained glass in this church and thinking about how many hours, days, weeks and months creating those objects of art may have taken.
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:54 pmThere are not too many old churches in New Zealand – not much old of anything.
Dara
February 22, 2016 at 10:21 amWhat an absolutely gorgeous church! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:52 pmThanks Dara.
Claudia | ImagesByCW
February 22, 2016 at 9:07 amThat is an amazing building. The old church’s interior reminds me a little of Scandinavian architecture. It is beautiful and I’d definitely prefer the old one.
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:52 pmI have been to Norway and Denmark but would love to see more of Scandinavia sometime – including the churches.
Kathryn Grace
February 22, 2016 at 8:31 amOh, right away, I felt almost a system shock going from the warm photos of the old cathedral to the more austere, cold photos of the newer one. Perhaps, had I seen more of the stained glass of the new one, or a different angle, I might have been just as enthralled with it. I do believe I could sit for hours in the old cathedral.
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:50 pmI think the best part of the new one was the concert taking place.
Jean Marie
February 22, 2016 at 7:44 amIt’s hard to say as each has it’s own charms. I am overwhelmed by the beauty of both, never having seen either.
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:48 pmI hope you get a chance to see both sometime.
Anda
February 22, 2016 at 7:03 amVery interesting combination between old and new. Although I am not a great fan of the new, modern architecture, I sort of like this one. It’s surprisingly cozy and it doesn’t feel inadequate for the exterior.
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:47 pmThe modern exterior of St Paul is really nice.
Trekking with Becky
February 21, 2016 at 11:29 pmHow charming! My favourite shot is of the altar with all the beautiful stained glass windows. 😀 Thanks for posting and hosting! 😀
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:18 pmThanks Becky.
RobRob (@TravelLatte.net)
February 21, 2016 at 4:42 pmI’m usually a Modernist, but wow – the interior of the Old Cathedral is just gorgeous, with all that warm wood and beautiful stained glass. That said, I do like the look of the New Cathedral’s exterior; very grand. #wkendtravelinspiration
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:16 pmYou can always visit them both 🙂
Elaine J. Masters
February 21, 2016 at 11:00 amI’ve been by St. Paul’s but never made it inside. So much to see and study in the details there!
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:15 pmYou really ought to stop in next time you walk by.
Lydia C. Lee
February 21, 2016 at 9:42 amDef the old one – the new one is a little plain
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:15 pmIt’s not really plain, it’s just big.
Comedy Plus
February 21, 2016 at 5:38 amI would visit both, but I’m guessing I would like the old the best. It’s all that history.
Have a fabulous day Rhonda. 🙂
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:13 pmI hope you do get here to visit someday.
Tanja (the Red phone box travels)
February 21, 2016 at 5:20 amOld one looks better 🙂
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:11 pmI think they are both beautiful in their own right, but agree – I do like the old one more.
Lexa Cain
February 21, 2016 at 2:21 amThe pics are great! I love old stone and timber cathedrals. So impressive, and so much more awe-inspiring and spiritual than the updated designs. Have a great weekend! 🙂
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:08 pmThank Lexa. I agree, it was really impressive. Quite a surprise to see something this lovely and old in New Zealand.
Amila @ Leisure and Me
February 20, 2016 at 9:55 pmActually I like the old cathedral and its interior much.The stained glass windows are really beautiful.
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 11:05 pmThe wooden interior was my favourite feature, followed closely by the stained glass.
Hilary
February 20, 2016 at 9:03 pmHi Rhonda – both are lovely buildings aren’t they; the old Cathedral is stunning … while the new one I’m sure has excellent acoustics. Lovely photos … cheers Hilary
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 10:55 pmYou are correct, the new one had great acoustics. We were really lucky to stumble upon a concert.
Corinne
February 20, 2016 at 9:00 pmRhonda, Another great idea for a tour in Wellington…some day!
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 10:54 pmWellington, as you know, is my favourite getaway destination.
Hung Thai
February 20, 2016 at 6:57 pmCool pictures. The stained glass windows remind me of some of the churches in Croatia. I imagine the atmosphere would be really nice when all the seats are filled and the concert is on.
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 10:52 pmI also thought it reminded me of the old European churches. It’s just not that old, build in the mid 1800s.
Paula McInerney
February 20, 2016 at 6:36 pmI like them both, with a slight preference for the old one.
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 10:47 pmYou will love Wellington, when you get here. 🙂
Lyndall
February 20, 2016 at 4:53 pmWhat a beautiful cathedral Rhonda. I love the stained glass windows – just so incredibly beautiful! 🙂
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 10:39 pmAgreed. I love stained glass. I was surprised to see such beautiful windows in New Zealand.
Sally@Toddlers on Tour
February 20, 2016 at 3:58 pmThey both have a charm of their own. The old has such a pretty exterior yet I really like the interior of the new. Wonder if we could make 3rd church and combine all the best elements 🙂
Rhonda Albom
February 22, 2016 at 10:38 pmLOL – They would have to destroy both of these masterpieces to do that.