Walk Details
NZ Walking Routes > Taranaki > New Plymouth > St Luke's Biblical Garden and Labyrinth
St Luke's Biblical Garden and Labyrinth
- Location
- Going north from New Plymouth, you will find the site on your left, just beyond the shopping area in Bell Block. Look for the lychgate, which provides entry to the area. Free access, 168 hours per week.
- Description
A place for peaceful meditation is the purpose of a Labyrinth recently completed at Bell Block Cemetery New Plymouth. It is sited in grounds that include a vista of Mount Taranaki and surrounding farmlands; and is within an environment where there has been deliberate planting of trees and shrubs mentioned in the Bible. Once there was a small wooden Church that stood where the Labyrinth has been built. Local history is represented in the graves nearby. In time, further development is planned at this cemetery to enhance and recognise the sacred and community history in the area by providing a biblical garden, a peaceful environment and a contemplative walking space in the form of the Labyrinth already in place.
The Labyrinth is based on the 800 year old creation in Chartres Cathedral France and is 15 metres in diameter. The pathway is marked out in concrete pavers with edging in a charcoal contrast. Several thousand dollars were raised to make all this possible and a service of blessing was carried out by Bishop Philip Richardson, Bishop in Taranaki, in February 2005.
A gravestone in the cemetery stands testimony to one man's forward thinking. It marks the resting place of William Hulke, who walked Taranaki's first jersey cow all the way from Marton!
- Level
- Easy
- Amenities
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- Historical
- Source
- www.labyrinths.co.nz
- Discussion
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