The picturesque East Tākaka Church was constructed in late 1868 for Protestant worship, and is set against a backdrop of established trees, with graves to the north and south. It is a well-preserved and accomplished example of the small timber Gothic Revival churches built across Aotearoa New Zealand from the mid to late nineteenth century, as evidenced by aspects such as the steeply pitched roof, buttresses and pointed arches. East Tākaka Church is historically significant as one of the earliest churches in Mohua (Golden Bay) and is held in high esteem by the local community.

Te Tau Ihu (Nelson-Marlborough) has a long history of Māori settlement over hundreds of years, reflecting successive waves of migration through to the early 1820s-1830s. The region’s rich and layered Māori history is reflected by the eight recognised iwi – Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Apa and Rangitāne (Kurahaupō tribes), Ngāti Toarangatira, Ngāti Koata and Ngāti Rārua (Tainui tribes), and Ngāti Tama and Te Ātiawa (Taranaki tribes). Land purchases commenced from 1839 and a New Zealand Company Settlement was established at Whakatū (Nelson), with the first immigrant ships arriving in 1842. Mohua (Golden Bay) was first settled by Pākehā in late 1842 at Motupipi, close to the Māori pā at the mouth of the Motupipi River, though Tākaka later became the focus of colonial settlement. East Tākaka grew up around farming, hop growing and sawmilling, and in October 1866 the residents held a public meeting to consider the construction of a ‘place of public worship’. Sawmiller and lay-reader William Handcock donated land for the church and associated burial ground, and a subscription list was opened. A Deed of Trust was concluded in July 1868 which provided that the church should hold weekly Church of England services, but would also be available to other Protestant denominations for worship. The first service was reportedly held on 5 November 1868 and the first burials also occurred in 1868. The original architect and builder(s) are unknown though Scottish settler James McDonald is said to have assisted with the church’s construction.

The East Tākaka Church was a small pit-sawn timber Gothic Revival church, oriented east-west. The north and southern walls featured two buttresses, with an angle buttress at each of the four corners. A single lancet leadlight window was placed between each pair of buttresses, each had a simple decorative hood mould. The western end had double doors shaped in a pointed arch with a decorative hood mould and the eastern end featured three lancet windows (above the altar) with green stained glass in a decorative pattern. Both the north and south walls had three circular vents and there was a triangle vent at the east end of the church, with a rectangular vent at the western end; all were high up at eave level. The church had timber piles and a timber frame and was clad with vertical timber battens. The steeply pitched roof was covered with corrugated iron and had short finials and sprockets which formed projecting eaves. The interior of the church featured exposed wall framing and rafters and every third pair of rafters had scissor-bracing. A vestry was added by John Smith to the southern façade of the church in 1899.

Regular Church of England services were held at East Tākaka Church for 118 years, with the last service occurring in December 1986. Both the church and surrounding cemetery have been carefully maintained since the cessation of weekly services. The church has been re-piled, re-roofed and repainted, and it still retains its original pews and other chattels like the hexagonal pulpit (1878) and organ (1917). While no longer a place of divine worship, the East Tākaka Church hosts events such as weddings, funerals and baptisms.