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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

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

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

(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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Four Square Store

Blockhouse Bay Grocery and General Store opened c.1917

Talk by Frances Winchcombe Booker, 1 December 2004

Introduction: From 1917 to 1922 the Store was owned by Percy Fowler, followed by L. & W. Wood; then in 1924 Mr Simons, followed by Mr Walters; 1927 to 1938 it was owned by the McMurray family; and 1943 to 1952 by W. G. Winchcombe & Co.

In 1938 McMurray built and moved into a brand new brick building on the corner of Blockhouse Bay Road and Kinross Street, which consisted of a huge storage basement, a very large shop with living accommodation at the rear, and five bedrooms and bathroom upstairs.

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The Whau Blockhouse

(Adapted from a talk given by Keith Rusden (Blockhouse Bay Historical Society), at the Blockhouse Bay Library during Heritage Week, on 7 September 2004.)

The building which eventually gave our marine suburb its name was constructed in 1860. At this time the Land War in Taranaki was escalating and there were fears it would spread north and so a defence system for Auckland was actioned.

Colonel Thomas Mould of the Royal Engineers was charged with planning the location and type of defence system needed. Although throughout the town of Auckland there were already several stoutly built structures which would require little work to convert for this purpose. such as St Paul’s Church, Colonel Mould in due course drew up a plan showing eleven strategic positions where a blockhouse should be built.

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Pine Ridge — the story of an old house

The story of an old house, presented to the meeting of Blockhouse Bay Historical Group on Wednesday, 4 August 2004, by Eileen (Eades) Rusden

We have been extremely fortunate to trace the history of a house and the families which lived in it, from 1888 to the present day. As to be expected, it has sustained extensive structural alterations in the course of over 100 years, as it was altered to sustain the lifestyles of the families.

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Historic trees in the City Council District Plan, August 2004

There are three categories in the plan:

• a historical / cultural value
• b botanic value
• c visual amenity value

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Another piece of our history disappears – 26 Endeavour Street

This cottage stood on the corner of Gilfillan Street and Endeavour Street.

Ten acres ran down from the corner of Gilfillan Street down Endeavour Street to Kinross Street in 1871 bought by land speculator Stephen Norris and sold on same day to George Foster, a ‘dealer’, who in 1881 sold the land to Margaret Johnson.

On 23 March 1886 Edward Brechon, of Onehunga, purchased the land and being a carpenter we have to assume he built the cottage. Although he does not appear in the next ten years on early directories as living in the Bay, these cottages were often used as holiday homes, the families would pack up and trek out to the Bay and stay for the summer.

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Armanasco House — the historic home on the Village Green

The historic house on the Village Green was built by Stefano and Maria Armanasco, early settlers in Blockhouse Bay. The house was built circa 1890 on their farm facing onto Wynyard Road (now Blockhouse Bay Road), just down from the Medical Centre at 497 Blockhouse Bay Road.

The Armanasco family outside the front of the house on its original site on Wynyard Road, before the verandah was added

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