Blog

The story behind Craigavon Park

The story behind Craigavon Park and its connection with a founder of a famous Auckland department store.

Craigavon Park is a recreational area in Blockhouse Bay and bordering Green Bay, Auckland. This park with its bush setting with walking tracks, playing areas and children’s playground offers residents of the surrounding area the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors without having to venture far from the Blockhouse Bay main street and shopping area. Named after Lord Craigavon from Ireland (and Marianne’s birthplace), this park was donated by Marianne Caughey (Mrs W. H. Smith) as a gift to Auckland in November 1929.

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Butcher Shop at 533 Blockhouse Bay Road

Butcher Shop at 533 Blockhouse Bay Road

Changes coming in our village mainstreet.

The building at 533 Bockhouse Bay Road is due for demolition, because the old original building was moving on its foundations, and it will be replaced with a new shop, and apartments.

In about 1930, No. 533 was a purpose built butchers shop. It had sawdust on the floor, a huge wooden butcher chopping block, a rail on which carcasses were hung, as well as a cool room at the rear. The front of the shop was distinctive, faced with hygienic looking white tiles, with “Butcher” written in black tiles.

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BHB Primary School Memories During WW2

Memories of Primary School During WW2

A wet afternoon and a box of old photos needing labelling and sorting, but soon I found myself remembering back to the 1940s. One memory led to another and though the photos are still largely unsorted, I had a fascinating afternoon, even going right back to commencing school during the early days of WWII.

Blockhouse Bay Historical Society

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The Blow family seat

The Blow family seat

A Gift To Our Community

From 1939, Helen Blows, with sons Bruce, Keith, Ray and Don, lived at 20 Mitchell Street, and the family were all very involved in Bay life.

After service on the “Leander” in WW2, Bruce Blows, and his wife Billie, bought two acres of land across the road on the corner of Connell and Mitchell Streets and built their home in 1946.

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Blockhouse Bay’s Handweaver Fabric Artist

Blockhouse Bay’s Handweaver Fabric Artist - Ilse von Randow

Alexander Turnbull Library

After having the pleasure of hearing at our April meeting, Tyl von Randow’s talk on his childhood in Shanghai during WW2, this is the story of his Mother’s fame here in Auckland as an artist and contemporary designer of hand woven fabrics.

After the communists came to Shanghai, Ilse von Randow and her two sons, in April 1952, through refugee status, settled in Auckland. When Ilse was living in Shanghai she had designed woven fabrics for textile companies, and when settled here, over the next fourteen years, she became a central figure in the establishment of modernist craft weaving in New Zealand.

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Kauri tree

Kauri tree

Written and researched by Keith Rusden

As far as can be ascertained, the Blockhouse Bay area can boast only one veteran kauri tree. This tree sits precariously on the cliff edge, exposed to the prevailing wind and weather and all the elements.

At my request, Bruce Edwards, the Auckland City arborist, viewed this tree on 17 June 2004 to give an estimate of its age (before this he had been unaware of its existence).

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150th Anniversary Celebrations

On the weekend of 4th and 5th September 2010, the 150th Anniversary of the building of the Blockhouse, after which this district is named, was celebrated.

A large mural of the Blockhouse was placed on the Village Green beside [[Armanasco House]] on 3rd September. An unveiling ceremony was held the following day in the afternoon, and guests were then invited to view a display in Armanasco House showing the history of the Blockhouse.

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Notes on some features of the Manukau coastline

Notes on some features of the Manukau coastline,

from Green Bay to Onehunga

A.W.Glen, November 2006

Green Bay

Green Bay is at the western end of the Blockhouse Bay Historical Society’s bailiwick. The bay is a small indentation in the coastline on the inner channel. This bay was the southern exit of the old Maori portage from the Waitemata to the Manukau, via the Whau River. The route was a direct path from the Kaipara Harbour through the portage to the Waitemata, and then inshore to the entrance to the Whau river between the Te Atatu and Rosebank Peninsulas. A stream from the Whau branched off at New Lynn and followed up on the east side of the present day Portage Road, to near Craigavon Park. Another smaller stream exited from Craigavon Park and flowed to the Manukau on the east side of Green Bay Road. This stream entered the Manukau beside the beach facilities building and its course is a deep gully between the road and Motu Moana Camp, the Scout Association’s property on the east side of the gully. There has been some filling and land reforming for roads and facilities between the Connaught and Kinross Road intersections. The distance between the two streambeds was about 200 yards. The streams, although not large, would have had enough water in them, at most times of the year, to lubricate mudslides so that the canoes only had to be carried a short distance. At the west end, a short distance from the beach is a rock breastwork, part of the sewerage holding tank which is no longer in use, the sewerage being pumped to the Mangere Treatment Plant.

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145th Anniversary Celebration

145th Anniversary Celebration

On Sunday, 24th July 2005, over 900 people attended the display at the Community Centre, to celebrate the 145th Anniversary of the building of the blockhouse that gave the area its name.

A model of the blockhouse was displayed and a booklet telling the story formed part of the display. Lots of photos of the early days of both people and places were displayed and formed talking points for the many visitors. Old friendships were renewed, reunions held and many memories recalled.

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Blockhouse Bay library

Blockhouse Bay library

(Adapted from a talk given by Keith Rusden (President of the Blockhouse Bay Historical Society), at the Blockhouse Bay Library on the 10th Anniversary of the official opening of the library, 25 February 2005.)

Blockhouse Bay for many years was served by a Mobile Library which visited the area two days a week, Local residents were not happy, however, complaining that it could not supply a wide enough range of reading material. The people wanted access to reference books, a wide range of children’s books, and books to cater for all ages.

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