Te Whau Point

Blockhouse Bay Surf Lifesaving Club

By Ray Kealey, Kylie Hickey in Clubs

22 November, 2022

Blockhouse Bay Surf Lifesaving Club In the late 1930s, a group of young Blockhouse Bay men formed the Blockhouse Bay Surf Lifesaving Club. They took their training very seriously and were coached by Barney Clews. During the week the club members would train at Blockhouse Bay beach doing exercises on the shore, and swimming across from Te Whau Point to the sandbank and back again. On Friday nights they caught a bus to Karekare, where they stayed in the clubhouse over the weekend and did their surf training, before travelling back to town on Sunday night.

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Notes on some features of the Manukau coastline

By A.W.Glen in Places

1 November, 2006

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.

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Quarantine station at Blockhouse Point

By A.W.Glen in Places

Quarantine station at Blockhouse Point Researched by Bill Glen In the early 1860s the Government was concerned that, although immigrants were checked before boarding ship for New Zealand, some passengers took ill on the voyage. There was a risk of contagious diseases entering the country, putting the public at risk. On 12 January 1864 at Government House in Auckland, quarantine regulations were signed into law by Governor George Grey. These regulations required quarantine stations to be set up at main ports, and described the actions to be taken by ships’ masters, harbour boards and provincial governments, to protect the country from introduced diseases.

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Te Whau Point — the decline of a landmark

in Places

Te Whau Point — the decline of a landmark On early survey maps of the Whau area, now Blockhouse Bay, and charts of the Manukau Harbour, Te Whau Point is clearly marked. Jutting into the sea it acts as a protective arm for the beach. The pine tree-crowned cliff face could clearly be seen when coming up the harbour and made an attractive landmark for boaties. Te Whau Point in the 1880s, showing mangroves in the bay Te Whau Point in the 1880s.

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The Blockhouse Bay sea wall

in Places

The Blockhouse Bay sea wall Before the early 1930s Blockhouse Bay, being typical of the Manukau Harbour, was a muddy tidal exit for two streams. On 23 April 1930 Mr. P. Turner convened the first meeting of the Blockhouse Bay Improvement Association, with a committee of eleven interested local residents. Its first aims were to protect the foreshore and improve the reserves. The Auckland City Council was approached about building a seawall to protect the reserve area from erosion from the sea which was taking place, and improve the reserve.

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