Places
Centre
Fort street
The Maori name for this area is Te One Panea, ‘beach of the heads in line’. It is said the heads of slain enemies were stuck on posts from one end to the other of the foreshore. It was first called Fore Street (completed 1850) and later Fort street.
Commercial Bay
Horotiu Bay was dubbed Commercial Bay by settlers.
Shortland Street was the early
commercial focus, but as Commercial bay was filled in and more
streets formed that focus shifted to Queen Street.
Te Whatu (literally The Rock) was a ledge of rock, now the foot of
Shortland Street, where waka would tie up.
East
Point Britomart
A headland which was known firstly as Flagstaff Hill, and then shortly afterwards, Pt. Britomart. Auckland’s first European fort was established on the point on the site of an old pa, Te Rerenga-oraiti (‘the leap of the survivors’) in 1840. The ancient name describes two similar incidents when attacking Ngati Whatua forces drove their foe off the end of the headland with only few surviving the leap into the Waitemata harbour below.
Official Bay on the other side of Point Britomart was where government officers lived. Te Hororoa (‘the slipping away’) is a place in Official Bay. Prior to the 17th century invasion of Ngati Whatua part of the pa here slipped into the sea with a number of people perishing. This was taken as a bad omen foretelling the invasion from the north-west.
Mechanic’s Bay, further east was home to the first workmen (“mechanics”) who built the city. Te Toangaroa (‘the dragging of waka a long distance’) is the Maori name for the old bay here. The tide went out along way so if one missed the high tide it lead to an arduous and unwanted task to haul waka to the beach at present-day Beach Road.
Constitution Hill
Auckland’s first Parliament Buildings were located just over the brow of this hill, on land behind the extensions to the High Court. Te Reuroa pa, ‘the longer outer palisading’ stood on the Supreme Court site, and also extended to the foreshore.
West
125-129 Queen Street is the site of the Bank of New Zealand (only the facade remains) which opened here in the early 1860s. This was also when the New Zealand Herald was founded. The Herald buildings up the hill have recently been demolished. The 1860s were the time of the invasion of the Waikato (or King Country) by Crown forces, also called the New Zealand wars. Both the BNZ and the Herald played a significant role in the invasion. The former funding it, the latter promoting it.
Until 1883 Swanson Street was known as West Queen Street. A Maori track. Te Tarapounamu, led up Swanson Street to a pa on the ridge, possibly Nga Wharau Tako.
A pa once stood on the old cliff line near the Customhouse corner of Albert Street and Customs Street East. ‘Nga u wera’ means ‘the burnt breasts’ though the origin of the name is disputed.
Brickfield Bay - The Maori name is Te Hika a Rama. Rama lit a fire here to warm his grandchild. This was in a time of conflict and the fire inadvertently alerted his Ngati Whatua enemies across the harbour to his whereabouts whereupon he was attacked and killed.
Halsey and Fanshawe streets
Te Paneiriiri, ‘the head hung up’. It apparently was the scene of a victory ceremony performed by the Ngati Poua
Local guardian spirit / creature that lives in water. Examples in central Auckland: Horotiu and Urea
Tribes with connections to the area
Nga Puhi
A large and powerful confederation of tribes in the north of New Zealand
Nga Puhi
A large and powerful confederation of tribes in the north of New Zealand
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