The Pompallier Mission, on the Russell waterfront, is the oldest surviving Catholic mission in the Pacific and one of the most evocative historic buildings in New Zealand. The two-storey rammed-earth structure was built between 1841 and 1842 to house a printing press, tannery and bookbindery run by French Marist missionaries under Bishop Jean-Baptiste Pompallier.
A guided tour takes you through each stage of the 19th-century book-making process — preparing the leather, setting the type, printing the sheets and binding the volumes — using the original equipment, much of which still works. The garden and orchard surrounding the building are also worth time, with heritage roses and fruit varieties planted by the missionaries. The mission is run by Heritage New Zealand and is open daily in summer, reduced hours in winter.