Mission Bay streets |
Kohimarama streets |
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Overview
When the original Kohimarama Block was sold into allotments in 1842, the only roads in the area were Orakei Road (now Kepa Road) and part of St Heliers Bay Road. Suburban streets were created when the original farm allotments were subdivided into residential sections. The first subdivision was in 1911 when Selwyn road was formed and 30 sections were created around it. Most streets in Mission Bay were built in 1926 as part of the major subdivision known as Mission Bay Estate. This was developed by the Melanesian Missions Trust Board, and they named most of the roads after prominent members of the Mission. Atkin Ave Part of the Mission Bay Estate, built in 1926. Named after William Atkin, one of the most prominent early settlers in Mission Bay. He owned much of allotment 31 which ran from Pititea Point up to Kepa road, encompassing the present day Selwyn Avenue area. In the late 1840s he built a track up the eastern side of his property. This later became Mains Road, part of which later became Kohimarama Road. The family lived in Mission Bay from 1942 until 1938. Their original house was built in 1845 at what is now 73 Kohimarama Road. That house was replaced with an almost identical one in 1902, which still stands at this site today. Bongard Road Part of the Mission Bay Estate, built in 1926. Named after Captain James Bongard, the captain of the Melanesian Mission’s schooner the “Southern Cross” from 1875. He lived in Mission Bay until 1885 when he moved to Devonport. Codrington Crescent Part of the Mission Bay Estate, built in 1926. Named after Reverend R.H. Codrington, who was associated with the Melanesian Mission. Comins Crescent Part of the Mission Bay Estate, built in 1926. Named after Benjamin Comins, Archdeacon of Northern Melanesia. Cullwick Road Part of the Mission Bay Estate, built in 1926. Named after the Archdeacon of Melanesia, Reverend Thomas Cullwick. Dudley Road Part of the Mission Bay Estate, built in 1926. Named after Benjamin Dudley, Archdeacon of Auckland and active in the Melanesian Mission. Godden Crescent Part of the Mission Bay Estate, built in 1926. Named after the Reverend Charles Godden, a member of the Melanesian Mission. Kempthorne Crescent Named after an early settler Mr Sampson Kempthorne. Kempthorne was an architect who bought allotment 37 of the Kohimarama Block when it was first put up for sale in 1842. Kepa Road Named after Major Kemp (Te Rangihiwinui Kepa) who fought against Te Kooti and others during the land wars. Originally, the portion from today's Orakei Rd to Kupe St was called Winiata St, and the portion from Kupe St to Kohimarama Rd was called Orakei Road. Orakei Road appears to have existed in some form as early as the 1840s. Marau Crescent Part of the Mission Bay Estate, built in 1926. Named after missionary Reverend Clement Marau. Nihill Crescent Part of the Mission Bay Estate, built in 1926. It was named after Reverend William Nihill. Palmer Crescent Part of the Mission Bay Estate, built in 1926. Named after the Reverend John Palmer, Archdeacon of Southern Melanesia. Patteson Ave Part of the Mission Bay Estate, built in 1926. Named after Bishop John Coleridge Patteson, the first Bishop of Melanesa appointed in 1861. He also ran the Melanesian Mission school at Mission Bay. Ronaki Road The first portion of Ronaki Road, known as Bond Street, was built in 1913 as part of the subdivision surrounding Selwyn Avenue. Bond Street ran only from Selwyn Avenue to the present day 28 Ronaki Rd. The rest of Ronaki Road was built in 1926 as part of a larger subdivision of the Mission Bay Estates. At that time, the name Bond St was dropped, and the entire road was known as Raumati Rd. Later, after Mission Bay became part of Auckland City, the name was changed in 1932 to Ronaki Road to avoid confusion with Raumati Road in Remuera. Ronaki is the Maori word for sloping. Selwyn Ave This road was built in 1911 as the core of the first subdivision of the original farm allotments in Mission Bay. The subdivision was undertaken by Edward Murray, a Waikato farmer. It was named after Bishop George Augustus Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand, and who established the Melanesian Mission at Mission Bay. Tagalad Road Part of the Mission Bay Estate, built in 1926. Named after Henry Tagalad, a Deacon in the Anglican Church. Tamaki Drive The Mission Bay portion of Tamaki Drive was built in 1926 as part of the Mission Bay Estates subdivision. It was known as Bice Esplanade. This name was changed to Tamaki Drive in 1932 when the full length of Tamaki Drive was opened. Thatcher St Named after Bishop Selwyn's assistant, Reverend Frederick Thatcher, an architect who later became the first Vicar of St. Matthews. |
Overview
As was the case for Mission Bay, there were almost no roads in Kohimarama except for Kepa Road and St Heliers Bay Road. Long Drive and Kohimarama Road were created from farm access roads and that led to some small developments such as Hanene Street, Towai Street and Tarawera Terrace. There were 4 main waves of subdivision, starting in 1912 with the area around the bottom of Kohimarama Road (originally Mains Road) and Holgate Road. In 1913 there was a major development of the Mains Estate on the western side of Kohimarama which created Eltham, Taranaki, Rawhitiroa and Hawera Roads. In 1921 the Melanesia Trust developed the Kohimarama foreshore, creating Speight Road, Averill Ave, Neligan Ave and Cowie Ave (now Sage Rd). The final major subdivision occurred between 1949 and 1956 when the Melanesian Trust developed most of the remainder of Kohimarama. Further small subdivisions later filled in previously overlooked pockets. You will see that a number of road names were changed in 1932. This is because at that time Kohimarama and Mission Bay were absorbed into Auckland City from the Tamaki Road Board, and a number of road names were changed to avoid confusion with names in other parts of the city. Allum Street This road was built in 1949 as part of the major subdivision of much of Kohimarama. It was named after Sir John Allum, Mayor of Auckland from 1941 to 1953. Aumoe Avenue Aumoe Avenue was constructed in 1924, shortly after Speight Road had been extended to Long Drive. The landowner named the road after his father's launch, the Aumoe. Aumoe is a Maori word which means "relaxed, at ease" Averill Avenue Averill Avenue was originally created in 1921 as part of an early development of 60 sections along the Kohimarama foreshore. Other streets in the development included Speight Road, Neligan Avenue and Cowie Avenue (now Sage Road). The road was named after Bishop Alfred Walter Averill, the second Anglican Archbishop of New Zealand, from 1925 to 1940. Baddeley Avenue Baddeley Avenue was built in 1949 as part of the Melanesian Trust's subdivision of most of Kohimarama. This subdivision created 550 sections between Averill Avenue and Kepa Road. The new road was named after Bishop Walter Baddeley, a British Anglican Bishop who was Bishop of Melanesia from 1932 to 1947. Incidentally, he was consecrated by Bishop Alfred Averill referred to above. Edmund Street This street was originally Edward Street, but renamed to Edmund in 1932. It was apparently named after the English King Edmund who reigned from 939-946. A somewhat obscure connection! Eltham Road Eltham Road was constructed in 1913 as part of the second major subdivision of Kohimarama, which also included Rawhitiroa, Taranaki and Hawera Roads. The roading contractor came from Taranaki and named all the roads after Taranaki locations. Godfrey Place Opened in 1955, this road was named after the Reverend Richard Godfrey, an Anglican Minister with the Melanesian Mission. Hanene Street This street was formed around 1912? and known initially as Bridge Street, then Bayview Road. It was renamed Hanene Street in 1932. Hanene is a Maori word meaning blowing softly, a gentle breeze. Hawera Road Hawera Rd was constructed in 1913 as part of the second major subdivision of Kohimarama, which also included Eltham, Taranaki and Rawhitiroa Roads. The roading contractor came from Taranaki and named all the roads after Taranaki locations. Holgate Road Holgate Road was first formed in 1884 when John Mains, who owned much of Kohimarama, sold the northwest corner of his holdings to Colonel James Reade. Reade built a driveway from Mains Road (now Kohimarama Road) to his new house, and this later became the straight part of Holgate Road. He sold the property in 1906 to Colonel Holgate, the first captain of the Auckland Mounted Rifle Corp. In 1911 the land was sold to J.B.Macfarland and Ernest Yates and subdivided in 1912. At that point the original driveway became Holgate Road. Hopkins Crescent Hopkins Crescent was a small single road subdivision off Allum Street built in 1955. It was named after Reverend Arthur Hopkins of the Melanesian Mission. John Rymer Place John Rymer Place was planned in 1958 when it was intended to be named Gould Street. It was not formed until 1968, at which time its name had changed to John Rymer Place. It was named after the Very Reverend John Rymer, who was Anglican Dean of Auckland from 1970 to 1991. Kohimarama Road Kohimarama Road was one of the very first roads in Kohimarama. The first part was built in the late 1840's by William Atkin to allow him access by dray to Orakei Rd (Now Kepa Rd). It was then extended around 1880 by landowner John Mains as a farm track to provide access from his house on the corner of what are now as Kepa and Kohimarama Roads down to the beach. This was developed into a formal road known as Mains Road. The name was later changed to Kohimarama Road, possibly in 1932. There is some dispute over the meaning of "Kohimarama". The early settlers believed it to mean "focus of light". It is believed that this is the name Maoris used for what is now known as Biddick's Bay, just west of the Tamaki Yacht Club, where the sun would focus through the gap between Bastion Rock (now removed except for just the platform for the yacht club) and the headland. Early residents mistakenly applied this name to all of what is now Mission Bay and Kohimarama. An alternative explanation was that the correct name was "Kohimaramara", meaning "to collect the fragments", and it applied to the Bastion Point headland. In this explanation, in pre-European times peace-making assemblies were held here and they began with a waiata beginning with "Kohi maramara", referring to gathering the remnants of the conquered. Kotiri Street Formed around 1912 along with Hanene Street, it was originally named John Street, named after John Brady, former member of Borough Council. It was renamed in 1932 to Kotiri Street which is Maori for meteor. Long Drive Long Drive was one of the first roads in Kohimarama. It was originally known as Reef Street until the name was changed in 1932 to The Long Drive and then again in 1953 to Long Drive. It's name probably derived from being the longest road in the area at the time. Melanesia Road Melanesia Road has been formed in multiple tranches. The oldest portion of what is today known as Melanesia Road was built in 1921 as part of the development of the Kohimarama foreshore, initially known as Averill Avenue. It was extended to the east in 1949 to connect to the new Allum Street and the rest of the Melanesian Trust's large development of Kohimarama. At that time it was renamed Melanesia Road after the land owner. In 1985 it was extended again to connect to Long Drive. Neligan Avenue Built in 1921 as part of the foreshore development, Neligan Ave was named after Bishop Moore Richard Neligan, the Bishop of Auckland from 1903 to 1910. The Bishop was behind the formation of Kings College, Queen Victoria School and Diocesan School for Girls. The other streets in the development were named after other Bishops of Auckland, Averill and Cowie. Pahaki Street Formed around 1912 along with Hanene and Kotiri Streets and called Short Street. In 1932 it was renamed Pahaki Street, pahaki being the Maori word for "close to" or "a short distance from". Pycroft Place This road was built in 1975 as part of a small subdivision off Edmund St. It was named after the developer, Mr A.T. Pycroft, who had been a long-standing member of the Tamaki West Road Board in the 1920s. Mr Pycroft lived at 4 Pycroft Place for the rest of his life. Rawhitiroa Road The top part of Rawhitiroa Rd off Kohimarama Rd was constructed in 1913 as part of the second major subdivision of Kohimarama, which also included Eltham, Taranaki and Hawera Roads. The roading contractor came from Taranaki and named all the roads after Taranaki locations. It was extended in 1949 to connect to Baddeley Ave as part of the major development of the area. Sage Road Sage Road was originally formed in 1921 as part of the early development of the foreshore, running from the beach to Speight Road. It was named Cowie Avenue at that time. It was extended in 1949 to connect to Melanesia Rd as part of the large development of most of Kohimarama, and renamed Sage Road at that time. Siota Crescent Constructed in 1953 as a cul-de-sac off the extension of Rawhitiroa Road. It was named after one of the Melanesian Mission centres in Melanesia. Speight Road In 1921 the Melanesian Trust Board subdivided and leased the land near the beach. The first road was named Speight Road after the secretary of the Diocesan Board. This ran parallel to the beach, but did not initially extend up the hill at the eastern end of the bay. In 1923, the road was extended to meet up with Elizabeth Street, the short straight road coming off Long Drive. The entire road was then called Speight Road. Sprott Road Built in 1953 and extended in 1955, Sprott Road was named after the Reverend T.H. Sprott, a former Bishop of Wellington. Taranaki Road Taranaki Rd was constructed in 1913 as part of the second major subdivision of Kohimarama, which also included Eltham, Rawhitiroa and Hawera Roads. The roading contractor came from Taranaki and named all the roads after Taranaki locations. Tarawera Terrace Tarawera Terrace was built in 2 stages. The first portion was described as "1/4 mile long, with 6 residences", and as "a small street off Long Drive and overlooking the harbour". This was opened in 1937? and named The Terrace. It was renamed Tarawera Terrace in 1939, and later extended through to Allum St in 1965. It is believed to have been named after Mt Tarawera which had erupted some 60 years earlier. Towai Street This street was built sometime in the late 1920s and was originally named Union Street. It was renamed Towai Street in 1932 after the towai tree. It was later extended to Allum St around 1949. Tulagi Place Opened around 1955, Tulagi Place was named after a locality on Florida Island in the Solomon Islands where the Melanesian Mission had a station. Whytehead Crescent Whytehead Crescent was opened in 1962. It was named after Reverend Thomas Whytehead, an English missionary appointed as chaplain to Bishop Selwyn. He was briefly associated with St John's College but died in 1843 within months of arrival. ... more coming |