Onehunga - Something Old, Something New

Onehunga is probably my favourite suburb of Auckland. Almost every weekend I jump in my old Toyota and drive from Mount Albert, where I live, along the motorway to this colourful old part of town. I don’t know why - maybe because it has a similar vibe to the old working-class Ponsonby I grew up in.

The name Onehunga is Māori and probably means "burial place", referring to the Māori burial caves in the area. The place has always been in the centre of things, going very far back because it is situated between two very important mountain settlements and the Manukau Harbour. 

In the Early days of Auckland Onehunga was the south port town. You look across the Manukau harbour to Mangere mountain.

When you arrived in New Zealand at Mangere airport, you probably didn’t know the airport is named after this volcano. Mangere means “lazy”, because the sea breeze that comes off the Manukau Harbour made the ancient residents of the mountain lethargic.

In this archival picture you're looking south down the main street and Mangere is in the distant background. The street still has something of this quietly industrious vibe, and unlike many parts of Auckland, many of these buildings are still there.

Like the rest of Auckland, Onehunga is changing. There used to be a fantastic secondhand bookshop there called the Hard To Find Bookshop where you could spend hours. Inside it was a cave with dusty book-filled passageways and room after room with flaking wallpaper. This creaking old shop was metaphor for the pleasure of retreating into the world of books. I loved it best on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. When it closed in Onehunga a few years ago, I was gutted. But it did reopen in another part of the city.

Right next door to where Hard To Find was, and part of the same creaking old set of buildings that line the main street, is Luscious Cafe, where I always by an Americano (black coffee) in a round turquoise cup and one of these cherry pies, heated, with yogurt. I often meet my writer friend Richard there for a coffee and crossword. We especially love the table on the pavement outside, where you can soak up the atmosphere of the street, which is full of characters. Richard loves feeding the sparrows with the crumbs of his cherry pie.

I should be honest and show this less picturesque view. Like everywhere is Auckland, the place is very mercantile and industrial. There are electricity pylons everywhere, including in the harbour itself. The trucks make it a noisy, gritty cacophony, unlike Auckland's other well-known port suburb, the slightly snooty Devonport.

And then there's Dress Smart, a huge mall for outlet stores. People flock here to buy cheap jeans and sports shoes. I'm not a mall person, but this place has its place. It's a fantastic place for people watching.

Looming above Onehunga is Mangakiekie, or One Tree Hill, a vast parkland farm with huge cultural and historical significance. Every part of the mountain has been carved and adapted by human hands going back centuries. Many great Chiefs have lived here. One of the names of this place is Ngā whakairo o Ti Tahi, which means the great carving of Ti Tahi, and ancient chief who based the design of the fortifications on own facial 'moko'.

Recently there was a proposal to extend the motorway which already severs Onehunga from it's shore. It would have made an already inhospitable area even more so. Luckily that's no longer happening and there are now plans to transform the old port and develop a pedestrian waterfront park much like the Wynyard Quarter in the central Auckland waterfront. Bring it on I say!

Onehunga is probably my favourite suburb of Auckland. Almost every weekend I jump in my old Toyota and drive from Mount Albert, where I live, along the motorway to this colourful old part of town. I don’t know why - maybe because it has a similar vibe to the old working-class Ponsonby I grew up in.

The name Onehunga is Māori and probably means "burial place", referring to the Māori burial caves in the area. The place has always been in the centre of things, going very far back because it is situated between two very important mountain settlements and the Manukau Harbour.

In the Early days of Auckland Onehunga was the south port town. You look across the Manukau harbour to Mangere mountain.

When you arrived in New Zeland at Mangere airport, you probably didn’t know the airport is named after this volcano. Mangere means “lazy”, because the sea breeze that comes off the Manukau Harbour made the ancient residents of the mountain lethargic.

In this archival picture you're looking south down the main street and Mangere is in the distant background. The street still has something of this quietly industrious vibe, and unlike many parts of Auckland, many of these buildings are still there.

Like the rest of Auckland, Onehunga is changing. There used to be a fantastic secondhand bookshop there called the Hard To Find Bookshop where you could spend hours. Inside it was a cave with dusty book-filled passageways and room after room with flaking wallpaper. This creaking old shop was metaphor for the pleasure of retreating into the world of books. I loved it best on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. When it closed in Onehunga a few years ago, I was gutted. But it did reopen in another part of the city.

Right next door to where Hard To Find was, and part of the same creaking old set of buildings that line the main street, is Luscious Cafe, where I always by an Americano (black coffee) in a round turquoise cup and one of these cherry pies, heated, with yogurt. I often meet my writer friend Richard there for a coffee and crossword. We especially love the table on the pavement outside, where you can soak up the atmosphere of the street, which is full of characters. Richard loves feeding the sparrows with the crumbs of his cherry pie.

I should be honest and show this less picturesque view. Like everywhere is Auckland, the place is very mercantile and industrial. There are electricity pylons everywhere, including in the harbour itself. The trucks make it a noisy, gritty cacophony, unlike Auckland's other well-known port suburb, the slightly snooty Devonport.

And then there's Dress Smart, a huge mall for outlet stores. People flock here to buy cheap jeans and sports shoes. I'm not a mall person, but this place has its place. It's a fantastic place for people watching.

Looming above Onehunga is Mangakiekie, or One Tree Hill, a vast parkland farm with huge cultural and historical significance. Every part of the mountain has been carved and adapted by human hands going back centuries. Many great Chiefs have lived here. One of the names of this place is Ngā whakairo o Ti Tahi, which means the great carving of Ti Tahi, and ancient chief who based the design of the fortifications on own facial 'moko'.

Recently there was a proposal to extend the motorway which already severs Onehunga from its shore. It would have made an already inhospitable area even more so. Luckily that's no longer happening and there are now plans to transform the old port and develop a pedestrian waterfront park much like the Wynyard Quarter in the central Auckland waterfront. Bring it on I say!

 

Word formation and prepositions

 

Onehunga is probably my favourite suburb ____ Auckland. Almost every weekend I jump ___ my old Toyota and drive from Mount Albert, where I live, along the motorway to this    COLOUR   old part of town. I don’t know why - maybe because it has a similar vibe ____ the old working-class Ponsonby I grew up ____.

The name Onehunga is Māori and probably means "burial place",     REFER    ____ the Māori burial caves ____ the area. The place has always been in the centre of things, going very far back because it is situated _________ two very important mountain      SETTLE     and the Manukau Harbour.

…

In this       ARCHIVE      picture you're looking south down the main street and Mangere is ___ the distant background. The street still has something ____ this quietly     INDUSTRY     vibe, and unlike many parts of Auckland, many of these buildings are still there.

Like the rest of Auckland, Onehunga is changing. There used to be a fantastic secondhand bookshop there called the Hard To Find Bookshop where you could spend hours. Inside it was a cave ____ dusty book-filled passageways and room _____ room with flaking wallpaper. This creaking old shop was metaphor ___ the pleasure of retreating _____ the world of books. I loved it best ___ a    RAIN    Wednesday afternoon. When it closed in Onehunga a few years ago, I was gutted. But it did     OPEN in another part of the city.