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.

Kauri tree

By Keith Rusden in Places

1 August, 2017

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).

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. 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.

Historic trees

By ACC in Places

1 January, 2004

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

The trees	Category	Location
Pohutukawa	b, c	186 Blockhouse Bay Road
Pines (20)	c	572–576 Blockhouse Bay Road
Puriri	b, c	615 Blockhouse Bay Road
Pohutukawa (2)	b, c	43 Puketea Street
Pohutukawa, Southern Red Oak	b, c	75–81 Taunton Terrace
Stand of native trees: totara,
rimu, kahikatea, kauri, tanekaha,
kahikatea, kauri, tanekaha,
kawaka, puriri, kohekohe, etc.	b, c	2–43 Windermere Crescent

Blockhouse Bay WW1 Honours Board 1914 - 1918

in People, Places

Blockhouse Bay WW1 Honours Board 1914 - 1918

Those who died

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

Those who returned

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

Based on the list published in the Society newsletter Number 65, April 2015.

Peter Bainbridge Motors & The Block Cafe

in Places

Peter Bainbridge Motors & The Block Cafe

568-570 Blockhouse Bay Road

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.

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.

Sandy Bay

in Places

Sandy Bay

Almost at the beach end of Blockhouse Bay Road, just on the edge of the beach Reserve, is the pathway to Sandy Bay. There is no car access which adds to the charm of this beautiful little bay. The path cuts back and down on an angle from the main road, bounded on the road side by a stone wall, ending in a stone seat. This was once keenly sought after by courting couples. Then the pathway plunges steeply down towards the shore.

South Whau blockhouse

By Truttman in Places

South Whau blockhouse

19th century newspapers are an excellent source for stories on our area and also the early settlers.

Weekly News, 17 February 1883

South Whau blockhouse derelict

At present South Whau looks, as many of our townships have done, an expanse of fern.

The Blockhouse, a relic of the Waikato war of 1863, stands in ruins on the crest of the hill (with its loop-holed embrasures and half-filled trenches), dominating the country for miles around, and at the time of our visit the other day, only the haunt of nomadic gum diggers, who prowl over the adjacent Crown lands for gum. Nothing of a warlike character now remains to remind one of the dark days of civil war, but the empty bottles of “Three Dagger” rum and “Battle Axe” rum strewn in the trenches.