Filming historical events that shaped New Zealand
New Zealand is a land of incredible natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, but it’s also seen its share of tragedy. In the past two weeks, Gary visited New Zealand to film six new programs covering various topics. He also had the opportunity to preach at the historic Whanganui Seventh-day Adventist Church, which has a long history dating back to 1900.
One of the episodes filmed is about the 1979 Mount Erebus disaster that claimed 257 lives. It remains the deadliest airline crash in the country’s history. Gary visited a pilot training simulator to tell the story of that flight.
For many New Zealanders, this is sacred ground: Eden Park Stadium. This is the home of the All Blacks, the famous NZ national rugby team. This is where dreams come true, and legends are made. Gary filmed a program on how the All Blacks are the respected ambassadors for New Zealand.
New Zealand is truly a fascinating land with an explosive natural history. It is a land of volcanoes, with Auckland, the largest city, sitting on over 50 of them! Gary filmed at the magnificent Mount Ruapehu, Rotorua’s thermal wonderland on the coastline near White Island, the scene of the devastating volcanic eruption in late 2019.
When New Zealanders aim high, they head for the highest peaks. New Zealand’s most famous person lived in Tuakau near the Waikato River. Sir Edmund Hilary was the first person to climb Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. The Tuakau Museum has a beautiful collection of Hilary memorabilia.
Gary also visited the first mission station established by Samuel Marsden in Rangihoua Bay. A New Zealand Māori chief invited him to bring Christianity to New Zealand, which changed their lives.
In the centre of the North Island is Tangiwai, a place that means ‘river of tears’ or ‘weeping waters’ in Māori. This is where time seemed to stop at 10:21pm on Thursday, 24th December 1953, and it truly became a place of weeping, sorrow and tears when a heart-breaking train crash happened here that shocked the nation of New Zealand.
Sharing the Good News in Whanganui
While in Whanganui, over one hundred people attended a presentation by Gary. He had the opportunity to explain ‘The Incredible Journey’, which aims to share the good news of Jesus through various media channels. Gary himself is particularly interested in biblical archaeology and how recent findings have reinforced the accuracy and trustworthiness of the Bible’s accounts of Jesus’ teachings, healings, and interactions. One of the archaeological findings was the Pool of Siloam in Israel, where excavations have uncovered steps believed to be part of the great pool mentioned in the Bible. Also, Jacob’s Well, which was also previously disputed, was visited by a crew who deemed it the most authentic place associated with Jesus in all of Israel. These findings provide strong evidence to support the Bible’s accounts of Jesus’ teachings and interactions.
The stories captured in New Zealand by Gary and his team are more than just visually captivating; they connect profoundly to biblical narratives, much like how archaeological discoveries support the authenticity of biblical accounts.
