Whare Ra - Whare Ra and The Stella Matutina in New Zealand

Whare Ra and The Stella Matutina in New Zealand

The foundations for the Order in New Zealand were laid by Reginald Gardiner, born in New South Wales, Australia, son of an Anglican vicar and brother of the Anglican vicar of St Luke's Church, Havelock North, who finally settled in New Zealand in 1907, settling in the village of Havelock North. He formed about him an artistic, cultural and spiritual group whose activities became known as the "Havelock Work", and produced a publication called “The Forerunner”. The Havelock Work grew and in time the group became known as the Society of the Southern Cross.

In 1910, Revd. Father J. Fitzgerald travelled to New Zealand on Church business, and was introduced to the group. He was suitably impressed, and prior to his return to Britain, promised to stay in touch and to do what he could to help. In due course he wrote that if further progress were to be made, that certain people of his acquaintance would need to come out from England. In 1912 Dr. Robert Felkin, Chief of the Order of the Stella Matutina, arrived, assisted by his appointment as Inspector of the Australasian Colleges of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia by William Wynn Westcott, one of the original Chiefs of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Supreme Magus of the S.R.I.A.

Travelling with his wife and daughter, he initiated a group of members into the Order. A sizeable piece of land was donated, and a home for the Order constructed, which they named “Whare Ra”, or House of the Sun. It was in the basement of this house, that the large Temple was built. During their three month stay, sufficient members had been initiated to make a beginning, a trust had been set up to manage the monetary affairs of the Order, and the building commissioned and sufficiently advanced to enable its Consecration. Before leaving New Zealand to return to England, a Warrant was issued establishing the Smaragdum Thallasses Temple No. 49 of the Order of the Stella Matutina.

In 1916, at the invitation of the members of the New Zealand branch, and with the offer of life tenancy of “Whare Ra”, Dr Felkin and his family returned to New Zealand for good. He issued a new constitution for the Order of the Stella Matutina in the same year, informing members that the Mother Temple of the Order was now in New Zealand. The Order, governed by three ruling Chiefs, prospered under their leadership. By the time of the death of Dr Felkin in 1926, it had a very active membership and was well established – its membership included bishops, senior ranking military officers, members of Parliament, and local dignitaries and officials.

Mr Gardiner replaced Dr Felkin as a Greatly Honoured Chief of the Order, and with Mrs and Miss Felkin, ruled for a further stable period of 33 years. It was during this time that the Temple distanced itself from the affairs of the Stella Matutina in Britain, and renamed itself simply the Order of Smaragdum Thallasses. In 1959 Mr Gardiner and Mrs Felkin died, followed by Miss Felkin three years later.

By 1978 it was clear that Whare Ra was a spent force. On 24 August 1978 a letter was circulated to members announcing the closure:

"Dear Fratres and Sorores,

This letter is addressed to all members of the Order of S.T., including members of the Second Order.

It is with great great regret that we write to inform you that the Temple is closing and there will be no Vernal Equinox Ceremony.

Those of you who have been present at recent Equinox Ceremonies will surely have been aware, not only of the lack of numbers, but also the lack of power, in the Temple. Those who have read their annual reports can scarcely have failed to notice that no new members have been admitted since 1975. Indeed there have been no grade ceremonies at all for the last two years or more. ..."

Much to the regret of many esoteric historians they burnt most of the group's regalia, Temple furnishings and records. Fortunately some things survived, including the Temple's pillars, the two sphinxes which flanked either side of the dais steps, and many copies of the rituals and lectures were passed on and preserved.

Whare Ra is now in private hands, and has been registered as a category "I" protected building by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.