A quick walk up the path, and a ring of a doorbell brings a warm greeting from Mother Miriam Joseph, and introductions to Mother Superior Rachel and Mother Mary Joanna. Resplendent in black and white habits – handmade by the mothers themselves – in a world where nuns are no longer a common sight, the trio are the very picture of how a society that rarely sees nuns except in film and popular culture depictions would imagine them. Over a cuppa and a plate of biscuits, the three share their way of life for the net 90 minutes.
Tom Lee/Stuff
The Tyburn Monastery south of Rotorua is home to four nuns and was established in 2009.