Around a corner in the Whanganui River Rd in Jerusalem, the picture-perfect, red-and-mustard spire of St Joseph’s Church stands tall on a spur of land above a deep river bend. A French Catholic mission led by Suzanne Aubert established the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion here in 1892. Moutoa Island, site of an historic 1864 battle, is just downriver.
The sisters take in bedraggled travellers, offering 20 dorm-style beds (adults $25, children $5, linen $10 extra) and a simple kitchen – book ahead for the privilege.
