(Advanced) History Tour of Central Auckland

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. 1870 the reclamation of Commercial Bay reached as far as Customs Street East and in the 1880s Quay Street was formed.

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

Waiatarau - 'bay of a thousand reflections'. The bay was filled in and is now Victoria Park.

Important words, names and dates

Taniwha 

Local guardian spirit / creature that lives in water. Examples in central Auckland: Horotiu and Urea

Wai-o-Hua

Ngati Paoa

Ngati Whatua

Tribes with connections to the area


Nga Puhi
A large and powerful confederation of tribes in the north of New Zealand 

Tainui

Arawa

Ancient migratory waka associated with the area

1769 - Cook's arrival in New Zealand
1820s - so-called "Musket" wars
1840-41- The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the establishment of a capital in Auckland
1863 - The invasion of the the Waikato

William Hobson - First Governor of New Zealand
George Grey - Governor of New Zealand
Te Kawau - Ngati Whatua Chief of Auckland 

A Great Surprise

A great surprise 

One day in 2009, me and my friends were playing football as usual when suddenly my father came along and told me that I had to go back home because a friend of him was coming all the way from another city to visit us. Of course that I wasn’t really happy to flunk out the match, but as my dad looked pretty content that I was going to meet his friend, whom he had invited, I just smiled and headed back home. 

After a while, some members of our family started to arrive home but there were no signs of that  mysterious friend that I longed for to see. Because of that, I started asking about who this person was, and why he wanted to meet me if he was just my father’s friend. Furthermore, as I was asking too much, my parents decided that it would be better if I helped my grandma with some cooking stuff instead of wondering even more about the situation. 

Eventually, after probably more than an hour later, I began thinking that this guy probably had put off this meeting because it was a Sunday and he probably had to wake up early the next day. But suddenly, someone appeared,it was my great uncle carrying a suspicious little handmade wooden truck with something covering its trailer, which I immediately told to uncover. As soon as I did that, I came by a little puppy, which my parents told me that was this friend who longer for me. 

Finally, this dog really became my friend and after more than 12 years, I still remember that day as one of the most remarkable ones.

Compare

A Great Surprise 

One day in 2009, my friends and I were playing football as usual when out of the blue my father came along and told me that I had to go back home because a friend of his was coming all the way from another city to visit us. Of course, I wasn’t really happy to dip out the match, but as my dad looked pretty insistent that I was going to meet his friend, whom he had invited,SoI just smiled and headed back home. 

 

After a while, some members of our family started to arrive home,but there were no signs of the mysterious friend that I waiting to see. Because of that, I started asking about who this person was, and why he wanted to meet me if he was just my father’s friend. I suppose I was asking too many questions, so my parents decided that it would be better if I helped my grandma with some cooking stuff,instead of wondering even more about the situation. 

Eventually, after probably more than an hour,I began thinking that this guy probably had put off this meeting because it was a Sunday and he probably had to wake up early the next day. But suddenly, someone appeared. It was my great uncle carrying a suspicious little handmade wooden truck with something covering its trailer, which I was immediately told to uncover. As soon as I did that, I came upon a little puppy, which my parents told me was this friend who had been longing to meet me. 

Finally, this dog really became my friend and after more than 12 years, I still remember that day as one of my most remarkable.