Te Takutai taketake o Tāmaki Makaurau Tāmaki o taketake Takutai Te
Discover Auckland’s Original Foreshore Original Auckland’s Discover 13
Foreshore Heritage Walk Heritage Foreshore You are at site at are You
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Foreshore Heritage Walk Discover Auckland’s Original Foreshore Follow the Foreshore Heritage Walk Te Takutai taketake o Tāmaki Makaurau Whāia Te Ara Takutai
Sites of significance Swanson Street Queen Street The walking route between Point Erin Park and Parnell Baths
Māori knew this beautiful coastline as Tāmaki The high land here defines the inner limits of Queen Street was formed along the banks of Makaurau (“Tāmaki of the many lovers”), a place so Commercial or Store Bay and was the first area of Waihorotiu, a creek that ran down the Queen Street Waitematā Harbour
bountiful that many tribal wars were fought for its European settlement in 1840. gully. In the absence of good infrastructure in the THE T W
possession. The area’s fertile gardening soils, abundant Originally known as West Queen Street, the lane was named Swanson settlement’s early years, waste was disposed fishing stocks and headlands offering vantage points Street in 1883, after Hon. William Swanson (1819-1903). He was a of into the creek which emptied into the Point Erin 2 made Tāmaki, as it still is today, the centre of the prominent colonial businessman, timber miller, MP for Newton 1871-1884 Waitematā Harbour. 1 E E T EET and member of the Legislative Council. T EET largest Māori population in the world. By the early 1850s, brick walls lined the sides of the creek and it BE T The intersecting Mills Lane was named after Thornton, Smith and Firth’s T EET became known as Ligar’s Canal. Footbridges were built to cross the E T EET St Mary’s Bay T flour mill nearby. Josiah Clifton Firth (1826-1897) became a prominent T T EET WE T Point Britomart Point Stanley 15 “canal” in several places. T EET 12 T EE E
businessman and landowner. 3 P E H T EET EE T T EET E T H Commercial Bay Nga Wharau a Tako T Flooding and collapses were common until the canal was completely Offical Bay Campbell’s Point HE BE H 16 4 13 T EET Brickfield Bay F T T EET T E On the ridge in the vicinity of where you are standing stood a pā covered and transformed into the Queen Street sewer in the 1870s. Point Fisher 9 BE T EET E E F H WE T EET W T EET 14 H T H Point Resolution A 1930 map of the Auckland waterfront showing the original extent of the coastline in 1841. 5 11 (fortified village) known as Nga Wharau a Tako (“Tako’s Reed Huts”). This served as Auckland’s main sewer until the Ōrākei Scheme of the Point Dunlop 23 Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, NZ Map 5711. EW T EET 10 St Barnabas Point 17 Taurarua Judges Bay E ET 25 early twentieth century. St George’s Bay 22 24 Freeman’s Bay E T EET 7 E T THE T T EET T T EET WE T E T EET 6 T T EET WE T TE E T H B T E 20 T E The road surface in Queen Street was paved in asphalt in 1902, by BE T E E E E H FE E T EET THE T 8 T 21 B Te Tarapounamu Looking northwest along Queen 18 Mechanics Bay which time the area was a commercial hub. WE E E T EET WE T Street in 1857, showing the Ligar B E E T EET E T EET P B P
Canal and Greyhound Inn (right). T EET 19 Te Tarapounamu was the Māori name for the track that led up what is T EET P E E Sir George Grey Special Collections, THE T W Looking south in the 1880s down the west side of Queen Street from Customs Street to Swanson Street, showing Auckland Libraries, 4-387. EPHE E E WE E E T EET T T EET now Swanson Street from Queen Street to Nga Wharau a Tako pā on the the premises of Thornton, Smith and Firth, the Wharf Hotel, the Mutual Life Association, M Levy and Company, F T T Shera Brothers, New Zealand Insurance Company and buildings south to Milne and Choyce Limited, 1880s. T EET WE T T EET EE ridge in the vicinity of where you are standing. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-787. You are at site This was most likely the pā known as Nga Wharau a Tako (“Tako’s Reed and area re eclai ation area Waitematā Harbour ean High Water ark Huts”). Foreshore Heritage Walk m m m m km 13 Te Tarakaraihi A journey through change and time The walk At the foot of Te Tarapounamu (now Swanson Street) lay a canoe The place where you are standing is part of a journey through The Foreshore Heritage Walk is designed to landing called Te Tarakaraihi. change and time - from a once-tranquil world of sleepy tidal inlets be followed as a comfortable half-day’s walk. and forested headlands to the rush and hum of a 21st-century city. It can also be enjoyed in segments or as individual The corner of Queen Street and Swanson Street in 1910. panels describing local points of interest. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19101201-6-2. Extending for five kilometres through inner-city and downtown Auckland from Te Whatu Point Erin Park in the west to Taurarua Judges Bay in the east, the Foreshore The walk traverses a diverse section of the Heritage Walk follows the line of the original shoreline that Māori and the first central city, including parks and reserves, busy Opposite Te Tarakaraihi was a site named Te Whatu (“The Rock”). This European settlers of Auckland knew. thoroughfares, notable landmarks and quiet rock ledge, at the foot of what is now Shortland St, was where canoes residential quarters. Vantage points along the were moored and Māori ceremonies performed. It was a vastly different place from the city we are familiar with today. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, extensive land reclamation altered much of way allow walkers to survey the city as it is now, the shoreline beyond recognition. The building of railways and the construction and to visualise how it once must have been. Looking north down the east side of Queen Street in the 1860s, showing a large portion of the Ligar Canal of the Auckland Harbour Bridge and motorway system in the 1950s and ‘60s Waihorotiu or Horotiu Creek which had collapsed after heavy rain. A group of men inspect the damage outside the Metropolitan Hotel Provision has been made for the walk to link with other on the corner of Fort Street. changed things even more. walkways and reserve developments in the future. A constricted thoroughfare. Looking down Swanson Looking east from Albert Street down Swanson Street in Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-400. Waihorotiu or Horotiu Creek, was a creek that flowed down that gulley Street in 1909. 1963, with Shortland Street in the distance. Sir George Some of the sites of the 25 interpretation panels on the Foreshore Heritage Walk The 25 interpretation panels on the Foreshore Heritage that became Queen St. The creek, whose name means “babbling current”, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 580-7791. AWNS-19090902-16-4. were originally under the sea. Others were once deep inside vanished headlands, Walk are able to convey a snapshot of the past. However, was named after Horotiu Pa on the hill where Albert Park is today. Inset: An 1860s view from the corner of Swanson Street along the west side of Albert Street, showing the premises of Vickery and Masefield and the Clanricarde Hotel on the corner of Wyndham Street. now quarried away to make room for the city’s expansion. Still others, on the extent of Mana Whenua’s knowledge, cultural values Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-250. seemingly unremarkable street corners, reveal rich and colourful histories. and traditions go far beyond what can be conveyed here.
Te Roukai Looking south along Lower Queen Street, c.1920, with crowds watching a parade. The buildings from The Foreshore Heritage Walk is an initiative from the Waiatemā Local Board. Content has been sourced by the Auckland Council Heritage Te Roukai (“The Food Gathering”) was a pipi (shellfish) bank situated ta The same corner in 1865, showing (left to right) Gundry’s Chemist, the Royal Oak Hotel and the Victoria Hotel. right to left include Hugh Wright’s, Winstone’s, Vaile’s, Alliance Assurance Company, New Zealand Unit and developed in consultation with the iwi of Tāmaki Makaurau. All material incorporates the latest available knowledge as of 2016. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-414. Insurance and the New Zealand Herald. the mouth of Horotiu Creek. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 36-P1.
FOLD Delve deeper into the history of Auckland’s Brochures and walking maps can also be foreshore and discover other great city walks. downloaded from: You can download the free Walk Auckland app aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/heritagewalks to your smartphone, or scan the QR code to gain access.
Te Takutai taketake o Tāmaki Makaurau Tāmaki o taketake Takutai Te
Discover Auckland’s Original Foreshore Original Auckland’s Discover 14
Foreshore Heritage Walk Heritage Foreshore You are at site at are You
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Foreshore Heritage Walk Discover Auckland’s Original Foreshore Follow the Foreshore Heritage Walk Te Takutai taketake o Tāmaki Makaurau Whāia Te Ara Takutai
Commercial Bay & Fort Street Land Reclamations Jean Batten The walking route between Point Erin Park and Parnell Baths
Where you are standing was originally part of the Felton Mathew’s 1841 plan of Auckland provided for allotments of This street was named Jean Batten Place in 1936, in shoreline of Commercial Bay. Fort Street, originally reclaimed land to be developed in Commercial Bay. But land reclamation honour of Jean Batten. She was an already famous in Auckland was not without controversy, even in the 1840s, as this 1846 Waitematā Harbour
known as “Fore” Street, was a trade and transport letter to the Editor of the New Zealander shows: aviator, known for successful long-distance solo flights, THE T W hub and an important landing point during the early “The Government Sale of some few Town Allotments last week, has more when she became the first person to fly solo from settlement of Auckland. particularly drawn my attention to the absurdities, and prospective difficulties England to New Zealand in October 1936. Point Erin 2 that will arise from the sale, on the plan now proposed, of the land in Commercial The Fort Street area played a crucial role in Auckland’s early economy, 1 E E T EET Bay ... But, according to the plan of Government, Fort-Street will be without At a civic reception at the Town Hall on her return to Auckland, Mayor T EET which centred on gum, timber, flax and livestock. any access to the sea ... so that, in fact, the Reserve for the Native Market-place Ernest Davis announced the decision to name the new connecting street
BE T It is also a place of cultural significance to Mana Whenua (local iwi). between Shortland Street and Fort Street “Jean Batten Place”. T EET
will, if Government continue the sale of these water allotments, be completely E T EET St Mary’s Bay T T T EET WE T Point Britomart The Māori name for the area is Onepanea meaning “beach of the Point Stanley 15 inaccessible for the Canoes ... Now, Sir, what can be more absurd than thus to T EET 12 T EE In her reply, she stated that she hoped Jean Batten Place would be an E
3 P E H T EET EE T T EET E T H Commercial Bay heads in line”. prevent the convenient access of those, on whom the Town of Auckland is so inspiration to the people of Auckland. A plaque commemorating her T Offical Bay Campbell’s Point HE BE H 16 dependent for its daily supplies of food.” achievement was installed on the street in 1938. 4 13 T EET Brickfield Bay F T T EET T E Point Fisher Nearby Shortland Crescent (renamed Shortland Street in 1870) was 9 BE T EET E E F H WE T EET W T EET 14 H T H Point Resolution 5 11 Auckland’s first main street. Te Whatu (“The Rock”) was a place at the Land reclamations began in the late 1850s, and 3.6 hectares of the Point Dunlop 23 EW T EET 10 St Barnabas Point 17 Taurarua Judges Bay foreshore between Fore (Fort) Street and Customhouse (Customs) Street E ET 25 foot of Shortland Street where waka (canoes) could be moored to a St George’s Bay 22 24 Freeman’s Bay E T EET 7 E T THE T T EET was reclaimed in the 1860s. T T EET WE T E T EET rocky ledge. For the first 20 years of European settlement much trade 6 T T EET WE T TE E T H B T E 20 T E BE T E E E E H FE E T EET THE T 8 T 21 B came by way of waka as Māori supplied the settler market with all A surge in immigration saw the population of Auckland grow rapidly 18 Mechanics Bay WE E E T EET WE T B E E T EET E T EET P B manner of produce including exotic fruits, flour, coal and flax. After P in the 1870s and 1880s, reaching 33,000 people by 1886.Commercial T EET 19 A photographic copy of Felton Mathew’s original plan of Auckland, 1841. T EET P E E THE T W the land reclamations in the 1860s, Queen Street began to overtake expansion and further land reclamations continued, and by the 1920s this Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, NZ Map 2664. EPHE E E WE E E T EET T T EET F T T
Shortland Crescent as the main street. area was a commercial hub with substantial masonry buildings occupied T EET
Looking east from Smale’s Point in 1844 across Commercial Bay towards Point Britomart (at left), EE WE T T EET showing Fort Britomart and St Paul’s Church (on skyline). Shortland Street runs diagonally up the by banks, insurance companies, land agents and various commercial hill at centre and Fort Street runs along the foreshore. You are at site Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 7-A2779. offices. and area re eclai ation area Waitematā Harbour ean High Water ark Foreshore Heritage Walk m m m m km
A journey through change and time The walk 14 The place where you are standing is part of a journey through The Foreshore Heritage Walk is designed to change and time - from a once-tranquil world of sleepy tidal inlets be followed as a comfortable half-day’s walk. and forested headlands to the rush and hum of a 21st-century city. It can also be enjoyed in segments or as individual Extending for five kilometres through inner-city and downtown Auckland from panels describing local points of interest. Point Erin Park in the west to Taurarua Judges Bay in the east, the Foreshore The walk traverses a diverse section of the Heritage Walk follows the line of the original shoreline that Māori and the first central city, including parks and reserves, busy European settlers of Auckland knew. thoroughfares, notable landmarks and quiet It was a vastly different place from the city we are familiar with today. residential quarters. Vantage points along the An 1844 engraving of Commercial Bay, Auckland. Ref: 1/2-119231-F. An 1852 drawing looking west from Point Britomart, showing Commercial Bay with Gore Street Jetty way allow walkers to survey the city as it is now, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22343849 In the 19th and early 20th centuries, extensive land reclamation altered much of in the foreground, Fort Street (on the foreshore) and Smale’s Point (right). . Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-502. the shoreline beyond recognition. The building of railways and the construction and to visualise how it once must have been of the Auckland Harbour Bridge and motorway system in the 1950s and ‘60s Provision has been made for the walk to link with other changed things even more. walkways and reserve developments in the future. Auckland’s first wooden building Some of the sites of the 25 interpretation panels on the Foreshore Heritage Walk The 25 interpretation panels on the Foreshore Heritage Māori war parties camped in this area in the 1820s. When were originally under the sea. Others were once deep inside vanished headlands, Walk are able to convey a snapshot of the past. However, An 1840s engraving of Commercial Bay, Auckland. Ref: 1/2-119231-F. Early days in Commercial Bay and Shortland Street, 1841. The housing is a mixture of buildings and tents. An 1850 painting by Charles Heaphy of the Auckland waterfront, looking southeast from Queen Street Wharf now quarried away to make room for the city’s expansion. Still others, on the extent of Mana Whenua’s knowledge, cultural values Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22343849 Construction timbers are laid on the foreshore. Note the bullock cart. Europeans arrived in 1840 they also set up camps here and towards St Paul’s Church on Britomart Point (left). Note the jetties extending into the bay from Fort Street. A mixed population Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-9089. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-508A. seemingly unremarkable street corners, reveal rich and colourful histories. and traditions go far beyond what can be conveyed here. established a Government Store. It is thought to be the first Auckland’s population in 1841 was about 2,000 people. wooden building constructed in Auckland. It included Māori, European settlers relocating from the Bay The Foreshore Heritage Walk is an initiative from the Waiatemā Local Board. Content has been sourced by the Auckland Council Heritage By 1844 the building had become a market and was replaced of Islands and immigrants from Australia and Great Britain. Miss Jean Batten arrives in triumph from her England to New Zealand solo flight, 21 October 1936. Unit and developed in consultation with the iwi of Tāmaki Makaurau. All material incorporates the latest available knowledge as of 2016. with a post office in the 1860s. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19361021-43-1.
FOLD Delve deeper into the history of Auckland’s Brochures and walking maps can also be foreshore and discover other great city walks. downloaded from: You can download the free Walk Auckland app aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/heritagewalks to your smartphone, or scan the QR code to gain access.
Te Takutai taketake o Tāmaki Makaurau Tāmaki o taketake Takutai Te
Discover Auckland’s Original Foreshore Original Auckland’s Discover 15
Foreshore Heritage Walk Heritage Foreshore You are at site at are You
FOLD
Foreshore Heritage Walk Discover Auckland’s Original Foreshore Follow the Foreshore Heritage Walk Te Takutai taketake o Tāmaki Makaurau Whāia Te Ara Takutai
Te Rerenga O Raiti Point Britomart Fort Britomart Ngāti Pāoa expedition to Auckland The walking route between Point Erin Park and Parnell Baths
You are standing on what was once a headland Following European settlement, this headland was first Auckland’s first European fort was established on the On 15 April 1851, the Ngāti Pāoa leader Te Hoera was A fleet of about 6 large waka (canoes) and 25 smaller waka gathered at that protruded into the Waitematā Harbour. known as Flagstaff Hill. It was soon renamed Point headland on the site of the old pā on Point Britomart. wrongfully taken into police custody for obstructing an Waiheke, consisting of about 250-300 men. The waka landed at Mechanics Bay on 17 April 1851. They were met by Waitematā Harbour
Britomart, after the HMS Britomart - a Royal Navy arrest. Although he was released after a few hours and THE T W The headland, known by Māori as Te Rerenga Barracks to house the soldiers were built on the site in 1841. Steps from the Commissioner of Police, Thomas Beckham, who relayed a message O Raiti (also spelt Te Terengaoraiti), meaning gunship that completed the first detailed survey of the Fort St led up the hill to Britomart Barracks. cleared of any offence, a call had already gone out to from Governor George Grey (who had been pre-warned of their arrival) “The Leap of the Survivors”, later became Point Waitematā Harbour in 1841. St Paul’s Anglican Church was located nearby in Emily Place. It was known Ngāti Pāoa, Ngati Whanaunga and Ngai Tai to descend that they had to return within two hours. Point Erin 2 as the “soldiers’ church”, attended by the regiments at nearby on Auckland to restore the leader’s “mana” (power and With troops in place above the beach and the HMS Fly positioned nearby, Britomart 1 E E T EET Fort Britomart and the Albert Barracks in Albert Park. Te Hoera’s supporters were exposed militarily and had to return at low T EET The name describes two similar incidents, one in Kawharu’s time authority). tide, dragging their canoes across the mud flats. BE T T EET (1680 AD) and another during a Nga Puhi raid in 1822, where we E T EET St Mary’s Bay T T T EET WE T Point Britomart Point Stanley 15 assume survivors ‘leaped’ to escape an attack by rival tribes. T EET 12 T EE E
3 P E H T EET EE T T EET E T H Commercial Bay T
Offical Bay Campbell’s Point HE BE H 16 The pā (fortified settlement) on the site was Tangihanga Pūkāea, 4 13 T EET Brickfield Bay F T T EET T E A c.1850 painting of Point Britomart from the Waitematā Harbour with a Māori waka (canoe) in the foreground. Point Fisher 9 BE T EET meaning “The Blowing of the War Trumpet”. E E Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-7130. F H WE T EET W T EET 14 H T H Point Resolution 5 11 Point Dunlop 23 EW T EET 10 St Barnabas Point 17 Taurarua Judges Bay E ET 25 St George’s Bay 22 24 Freeman’s Bay E T EET 7 E T THE T T EET T T EET WE T E T EET 6 T T EET WE T TE E T H B T E 20 T E BE T E E E E H FE E T EET THE T 8 T 21 B 18 Mechanics Bay WE E E T EET WE T B E E T EET E T EET P B P
Te Hororoa T EET 19 T EET P E E THE T W EPHE E E
WE E E T EET T T EET F T T
T EET
WE T T EET EE To the east of the headland was Te Hororoa, “The Long Land Slip”. You are at site and area re eclai ation area Waitematā Harbour ean High Water ark Foreshore Heritage Walk m m m m km While Parerautoroa was leader, the pā front slipped away and
many people perished. It was said to have been a “tohu” or omen A 1840 drawing looking southwest from the harbour showing Mechanics Bay, (left of centre), of coming disaster. Point Britomart (right of centre), Commercial Bay (right) and tents of first settlers. 15 Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-620. An 1841 lithograph, probably by Joseph Merrett, looking east from Smale’s Point showing A journey through change and time The walk The land slip rapidly washed away and formed a cave known as Te Commercial Bay, Shortland Crescent (later Shortland Street) and the barracks at Point Britomart. Copy of an 1852 oil painting by Samuel Stuart showing the Auckland waterfront with Mount Eden (far left Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-1428. distance), Mechanics Bay (far left), Official Bay and St Andrew’s Church (centre left), Point Britomart (centre), The place where you are standing is part of a journey through The Foreshore Heritage Walk is designed to Ahurutanga, a sheltering place for canoes. Commercial Bay and Smale’s Point (right). The paddle steamer at right is Governor Wynyard. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-509.. change and time - from a once-tranquil world of sleepy tidal inlets be followed as a comfortable half-day’s walk.
A 1851 painting looking northeast from Point and forested headlands to the rush and hum of a 21st-century city. It can also be enjoyed in segments or as individual Britomart showing Mechanics Bay and the invasion panels describing local points of interest. of Auckland by the Ngati Pāoa tribe. Extending for five kilometres through inner-city and downtown Auckland from
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Point Erin Park in the west to Taurarua Judges Bay in the east, the Foreshore The walk traverses a diverse section of the Auckland Libraries, 4-424. Heritage Walk follows the line of the original shoreline that Māori and the first central city, including parks and reserves, busy European settlers of Auckland knew. thoroughfares, notable landmarks and quiet It was a vastly different place from the city we are familiar with today. residential quarters. Vantage points along the In the 19th and early 20th centuries, extensive land reclamation altered much of way allow walkers to survey the city as it is now, the shoreline beyond recognition. The building of railways and the construction and to visualise how it once must have been. of the Auckland Harbour Bridge and motorway system in the 1950s and ‘60s Provision has been made for the walk to link with other changed things even more. walkways and reserve developments in the future. Some of the sites of the 25 interpretation panels on the Foreshore Heritage Walk The 25 interpretation panels on the Foreshore Heritage Nga one maru o Te Huatau were originally under the sea. Others were once deep inside vanished headlands, Walk are able to convey a snapshot of the past. However, now quarried away to make room for the city’s expansion. Still others, on the extent of Mana Whenua’s knowledge, cultural values The Māori name for the foreshore between Judges seemingly unremarkable street corners, reveal rich and colourful histories. and traditions go far beyond what can be conveyed here. Bay in the east to the foot of the Harbour Bridge in the west is “Nga one maru o Te Huatau”. The Foreshore Heritage Walk is an initiative from the Waiatemā Local Board. Content has been sourced by the Auckland Council Heritage An 1841 hydrographic map of the Waitematā Harbour, with the upper harbour described as “Sandy Bay”. It shows the proposed site of Auckland and includes a cross-section of the An 1842 drawing looking north, showing Point Britomart with the Looking north across the harbour in 1869, showing Fort Britomart with soldiers on the parade ground. Moored in Unit and developed in consultation with the iwi of Tāmaki Makaurau. All material incorporates the latest available knowledge as of 2016. “Northern Entrance to Waitematā Harbour” Barracks, the Waitematā Harbour and the North Shore. the harbour are HMS Blanche, HMS Challenger and HMS Charybdis. Copy negative by Richardson, 1869, from a Huatau is the son of Huakaiwaka, the founding Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, NZ Map 3566. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-1182. drawing by Samuel Stuart. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-8994. chief of Waiohua.
FOLD Delve deeper into the history of Auckland’s Brochures and walking maps can also be foreshore and discover other great city walks. downloaded from: You can download the free Walk Auckland app aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/heritagewalks to your smartphone, or scan the QR code to gain access.
Te Takutai taketake o Tāmaki Makaurau Tāmaki o taketake Takutai Te
Discover Auckland’s Original Foreshore Original Auckland’s Discover 15
Foreshore Heritage Walk Heritage Foreshore You are at site at are You
FOLD
Foreshore Heritage Walk Discover Auckland’s Original Foreshore Follow the Foreshore Heritage Walk Te Takutai taketake o Tāmaki Makaurau Whāia Te Ara Takutai
Queen’s Wharf Demolition of Point Britomart Britomart Place Wharf Police Station The walking route between Point Erin Park and Parnell Baths
Before the construction of jetties and wharves, landing in Auckland was The demolition of Point Britomart began in the mid- Originally Breakwater Road, this road was renamed The Wharf Police, established in the 1890s, were based difficult, as a sailor recalls in early 1846: 1870s, with spoil from the works being used for Britomart Place in 1932. The name was taken from at Queen’s Wharf until 1960. “All our boats were employed disembarking the troops. Waitematā Harbour
harbour reclamations. the demolished Point Britomart. Their station was then moved to the brick building at 102 Quay Street on THE T W We had to land them up to their waists in water, there being the corner of Britomart Place. This brick building, built in 1903, was the no convenience in the shape of a wharf or quay available for This was labour-intensive and time consuming work, as the spoil was former offices of the Colonial Sugar Company. this purpose except at high water” moved entirely by horse and cart. Point Erin 2 It was used as the Wharf Police Station until 1994. The building was later A jetty was built at the end of Queen Street in the mid-1840s. It quickly Land reclamation from Customs Street to Quay Street took place from 1 E E T EET restored and became the Brew on Quay pub. T EET became insufficient for the expanding settlement and by 1852 the 1879-1886, earmarked for a railway station.
construction of Queen’s Wharf was completed. Described as a “solid filling BE T T EET
The southern end of Queen Street Wharf was dismantled during the E T EET St Mary’s Bay confined by timber and stone”, it was essentially an extension of Queen T T T EET WE T Point Britomart Point Stanley 15 reclamation process. T EET 12 T EE Street, which then terminated at Fore (now Fort) Street. E
3 P E H T EET EE T T EET E T H Commercial Bay T
Offical Bay Campbell’s Point In 1854 the wharf was extended to 244m in length. Further extensions in HE BE H 16 4 13 T EET Brickfield Bay F T T EET T E Point Fisher 9 1871 increased the size to 474m long and 12m wide. BE T EET E E F H WE T EET W T EET 14 H T H Point Resolution 5 11 Looking east from Queen’s Wharf in 1876 showing the demolition of Point Britomart in progress. Point Dunlop 23 EW T EET 10 St Barnabas Point 17 Taurarua Judges Bay The Auckland Harbour Board made several more extensions to the wharf in E ET Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-576A. 25 St George’s Bay 22 24 Freeman’s Bay E T EET 7 E the 1880s, but the wharf was replaced in the early twentieth century with THE T T T EET T T EET WE T E T EET 6 T T EET WE T TE E T H B T E 20 T E BE T E E E E H FE E T EET THE T a new, reinforced-concrete Queen’s Wharf completed and opened in 1913. 8 T 21 B 18 Mechanics Bay WE E E T EET WE T B E E T EET E T EET P B P
T EET 19 T EET P E E THE T W EPHE E E
WE E E T EET T T EET F T T
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You are at site and area re eclai ation area Waitematā Harbour ean High Water ark Foreshore Heritage Walk m m m m km
A January 1921 view of Britomart Place. Anzac Avenue extends up the hill. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1-W1750. A journey through change and time The walk 15 Point Britomart, c.1875, before the reclamations. Several wooden houses can be seen partway up the point, and a rickety fence and the rooflines of two houses on the top. In the foreground is a jetty with a yacht at its base. The place where you are standing is part of a journey through The Foreshore Heritage Walk is designed to Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 932-4. Inset: The Wharf Police Station in Quay Street East, c.1970. The building was previously the offices of the Colonial Sugar Company. change and time - from a once-tranquil world of sleepy tidal inlets be followed as a comfortable half-day’s walk. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 435-A5-41 and forested headlands to the rush and hum of a 21st-century city. It can also be enjoyed in segments or as individual Part of a c.1855 birds-eye map of the Waitematā Harbour showing Point Britomart and St Paul’s Church. panels describing local points of interest. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-8489. Extending for five kilometres through inner-city and downtown Auckland from Point Erin Park in the west to Taurarua Judges Bay in the east, the Foreshore The walk traverses a diverse section of the Men working on the cutting and carting of spoil during the demolition of Point Britomart, 1875. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-2699. Heritage Walk follows the line of the original shoreline that Māori and the first central city, including parks and reserves, busy European settlers of Auckland knew. thoroughfares, notable landmarks and quiet
A view southeast in 1885 from the reclamations between Customs Street East and Quay Street East with the It was a vastly different place from the city we are familiar with today. residential quarters. Vantage points along the demolition of Point Britomart still underway. St Paul’s Church is at centre. Princes Street is at top right. way allow walkers to survey the city as it is now, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 7-A4999. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, extensive land reclamation altered much of the shoreline beyond recognition. The building of railways and the construction and to visualise how it once must have been. of the Auckland Harbour Bridge and motorway system in the 1950s and ‘60s Provision has been made for the walk to link with other changed things even more. walkways and reserve developments in the future. Some of the sites of the 25 interpretation panels on the Foreshore Heritage Walk The 25 interpretation panels on the Foreshore Heritage A 1920 Auckland City Council plan of allotments fronting Beach Road, Anzac Avenue were originally under the sea. Others were once deep inside vanished headlands, Walk are able to convey a snapshot of the past. However, and other streets in central Auckland. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, NZ Map 4655. now quarried away to make room for the city’s expansion. Still others, on the extent of Mana Whenua’s knowledge, cultural values seemingly unremarkable street corners, reveal rich and colourful histories. and traditions go far beyond what can be conveyed here. A busy harbour During 1852, more than 700 ships and 2,000 The Foreshore Heritage Walk is an initiative from the Waiatemā Local Board. Content has been sourced by the Auckland Council Heritage An 1876 drawing by A Hutchison showing Queen Street Wharf leading to Queen Street and ships on the Waitemata Harbour. canoes used the harbour. Looking south over Britomart Place in 1912 from the masthead of the barque Rona at Railway Wharf. Unit and developed in consultation with the iwi of Tāmaki Makaurau. All material incorporates the latest available knowledge as of 2016. From a sketch by T M Hammett, chromo-lithographed by W C Wilson, published by G T Chapman. Workmen and onlookers atop Point Britomart at the beginning of its demolition, c.1875. Workmen removing spoil by horse and cart from the base of Point Britomart, c.1875. Emily Place is at centre left, with Princes Street behind. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-705. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 932-7. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 932-2 and 932-3 Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1-W1282.
FOLD Delve deeper into the history of Auckland’s Brochures and walking maps can also be foreshore and discover other great city walks. downloaded from: You can download the free Walk Auckland app aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/heritagewalks to your smartphone, or scan the QR code to gain access.