After six years spent researching the life of an early missionary couple, a retired Anglican priest can now breathe a sigh of relief.

Of Superior Stock, the story of George and Margaret Kissling – the first minister of the original St Mary’s Church in Parnell and his wife – was launched on Sunday.

Author Earle Howe, of the Anglican Historical Society, says it is an inspiring tale of two people who worked tirelessly for their community.

"It’s an interesting story of how a German man and an English woman got together and went from one side of the world to the other for a vision they shared," he says.

Mr Howe, a retired priest, embarked on this journey after stumbling upon a book of Mr Kissling’s letters in the Anglican diocese archives.

Mr and Mrs Kissling first worked together as missionaries in Sierra Leone before coming to New Zealand in 1842.

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