May 01, 2015
Hinemihi remains standing
The only Maori meeting house in England has survived a fire that gutted the stately house beside it.
Hinemihi stands in the grounds of Clandon Park in Surrey.
It was originally at Te Wairoa near Rotorua, and it survived the 1186 eruption of Mount Tarawera.
It was bought by then governor general Earl Onslow in 1892 and shipped to his ancestral home.
The three-storey brick mansion was reduced to a shell in the overnight blaze, but a member of Historic England stood by Hinemihi a fire extinguisher to protect it from sparks.
Copyright © 2015, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com