The following places have been given Heritage Listing under the Auckland City District Plan, Isthmus section.
In the early 1920s, the young women living in or near Blockhouse Bay, formed themselves into a basketball team. In those days each team had nine players, and the game was played on a court divided equally into three sections. Three of the team were defenders and stayed in one of the end thirds of the court. Three were designated centres and stayed in the centre section, and the final three girls were goalies and stayed in the other end of the court. Players were not allowed to move out of their area. Each player had one member of the opposing team to mark.
| Surname | Given name | Rank | Service # | Regiment | Died | Where buried or remembered | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abel | Arthur Howard | 2nd Lieutenant | 22159 | 2nd Batt, Auck. Inf. Reg. | 1/9/1918 | Bancourt British Cemetery, France | |
| Catton | Charles William | Private | 12/4152 | 2nd N.Z. M. Gun Coy | 15/9/1916 | Caterpillar Valley N.Z. Memorial, Somme, France | |
| Catton | John | Private | 12/4153 | Auk. Inf. Batt. | 21/9/1916 | Caterpillar Valley N.Z. Memorial, Somme, France | |
| Flaxman | Reuben | Private | 21244 | 2nd Bat, Auck. Inf. Reg. | 6/6/1917 | Westoff Farm Cemetery, Belgium | |
| Hastie | John Malam | Corporal | 12/122728 | Auck. Inf. Batt. | 4/10/1917 | Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium | |
| Lamb | Edward Thomas | Trooper | 13/201 | Auck. Mtd. Rifles | 27/8/1915 | Hill 60 N.Z. Memorial, Gallipoli, Turkey | |
| Oxenham | Frederick George | Trooper | 13/2235 | Auck. Mtd. Rifles | 14/11/1917 | Ramleh War Cemetery, Isreal | |
| Wyman | Benson Henry | Qtr, Master Sgt. | 75218 | N. Z. Training Unit | 15/11/1918 | Featherston Cemetery, New Zealand |
| Surname | Given name | Rank | Service # | Regiment | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander | George Alfred | Able Seaman | ANF1461 | HMS Pyramus | |||
| Alexander | Henry Charles | Private | 12/3933 | Auck. Inf. Bat. | |||
| Armanasco | William Stefano | Private | 64416 | Otago Inf. Bat. | |||
| Banton | Charles Hamilton | Gunner | 13/2713 | N.Z. Field Art. | |||
| Catton | Alan Leopold | Private | 12/4525 | Auck. Inf. Bat. | |||
| Catton | Thomas Robert | Trooper | 13/2453 | Auck. Mtd. Rifles | |||
| Davoren | John | Gunner | 50541 | N.Z. Field Artillery | |||
| Eady | Sydney Leslie | Corporal | 52038 | Spec. Coy., Signals | |||
| Flaxman | Arthur Edward | Private | 70464 | 35th Reinf., A Coy. | |||
| Gittos | Harold Merlin | Qtr. Master Sgt. | 12/3330 | Auck. Inf. Batt. | |||
| Hastie | Frank | Sergeant | 13/362 | Auck. Mtd. Rifles | |||
| Hastie | George | Qtr. Master Sgt. | 12/755 | Auck. Inf. Batt. | |||
| Henderson | James Alexander | L/Cpl. | 38538 | N.Z. Rifle Brigade | |||
| Ingram | Christopher | Captain | 12/2902 | Auck. Reg. | |||
| March | Henry | Private | 78122 | 39th Reinf., B Coy | |||
| McLeod | Roy Thomas | Private | 70508 | 36th Reinf,. Spec. Com. | |||
| Neeley | William | Private | 56176 | Otago Inf. Bat. | |||
| Uffindell | Frederick | Private | 38772 | 21st Reinf., E Coy. | |||
| Walker | George Henry | Private | 64389 | N.Z. Home Service | |||
| Walker | Harold William | Corporal | 33979 | N.Z.D.C. | |||
| Wyman | Ralph | Major | 13/158 | Main Body |
Around the beginning of the 20th century, families began making the arduous journey over unformed roads, to camp at Blockhouse Bay beach reserve. They camped at both Blockhouse Bay and Sandy Bay and many came back year after year to the same site, where they had built a fireplace and dug ditches for drainage. There was a real community spirit among the campers, and when fishermen returned with large catches, the extra was shared so that all the families had some. The children all played together while the women shared chores and sat and chatted while the men fished or relaxed. After all, it was a holiday.
Saturday, 8th December, 2007, was a perfect day for a Christmas parade. In spite of dire weather forecasts all the previous week, threatening rain and even thunderstorms, the day was perfect. Blue, blue sky, puffy white clouds, a gentle breeze and a record attendance all combined for a very successful event.
With the street closed to traffic, the crowd was able to wander freely between the pavement stalls, and entertainment was provided by a series of groups offering every type of music. The Historic Society’s stall on the Village Green, in front of Armanasco House, again proved very popular offering a wide range of pre-loved goods, and two raffles of a grocery hamper and a doll were also well patronised.
Do you have personal memories of Blockhouse Bay? Or perhaps stories and memories related to you by a family member or a friend?
We would love to hear your memories, if you wish to share them. No detail is too small, as the Society endeavours to record the rich history of the Blockhouse Bay area.
If you have memories you would like to tell the Society about, please contact: Brian Goodwin on 626-5809.
The John Davie Te Whau Performing Arts Centre at Blockhouse Bay Primary School was the venue for this display of historic photos depicting aspects of early life in the Bay. The photos were all from our extensive Archives, and by participating in the Auckland-wide Heritage Festival we were able to provide an opportunity for the wider community to view these.
Many of our members and members of the public took time to visit and browse, and relive memories of times past. it also provided an opportunity to view this new venue in the village.
Auckland City Heritage Week was celebrated all over the city and the Society hosted a number of activities in Blockhouse Bay village.
Armanasco House was opened and featured a photographic display from our archives from 16-17 and 21-24 September. Local residents took advantage of the occasion to visit the House as, although it is used as a meeting venue, it is not normally open to the public. Events were happening all over Auckland, and yet many people came from other suburbs and even out of town.
Aerial veiw of The Block Cafe
Motor mechanic Peter Bainbridge has had a long association with the Bay, and in his years in business has a gained a reputation of giving great service to the local motorists. Peter is retiring, and in July put the 1111 sq m site on the market, this property having a Business – Local Centre Zoning, permitting a broad range of uses and a total building height of 18 m, so some changes may well be coming into the Village.
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