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| The Birdcage |
The pub was originally named the Rob Roy after a ship with
the original owner being William Reegan who was a teetotaller.
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| Rupa Delicatessen |
The impressive building was built in 1884 at Freemans Bay
when the area was industrial and where we were stood was originally the shore
line. The original bay was lost due to reclamation works and was filled with
debris, rubbish and night soil from the “Destructor” which was the city rubbish
incinerator in the 1870s, now better known as the Victoria Market.
This area was one of the most notorious parts of Auckland
to live in as well as being home to the gasworks, an abattoir, glassworks,
ironworks, shipyards and the city morgue.
 |
| Western Park |
Paul made an excellent narrator as we warmed up and made
our way to Western park passing the Rupa delicatessen, formally the Rupa Dairy on Wellington Street. Originally
the park would have run down to the sea but after land reclamation it’s now a
fair distance from the waters edge. The Tuna Mau stream used to flow right
through the park where you could once catch the most enormous Orea (eels)
according to Paul.
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| Mosiac Ponsonby Road |
The park is steep in some places so our poles came in handy
as we trudged through; this park is considered to be the oldest in Auckland and
dates back to the mid 19 century. The park has some interesting features and some
of the furniture was designed by a local artist Matthew
von Sturmer in a striking
art nouveau fashion.
 |
| John Radford's Sculptures |
On reaching Ponsonby Road we stopped to admire some of
the sculptures designed by John
Radford. They look like the remains of demolished houses
and Paul explained that these were placed as a form of protest to the
demolition of some of Auckland’s historical buildings during the building boom
in the 1980s. It’s a slightly eerie
sensation walking past these sculptures, almost like the ground has opened up
and swallowed them leaving just the top of the building protruding from the
ground.
 |
| Chapel Bar & Bistro |
We clattered our way along Ponsonby Road stopping briefly
at the corner of Hepburn Street and Ponsonby Road to look downhill at the
views. Continuing along Ponsonby Road we
stopped at the corner of Anglesea Street and chatted about the Chapel Bar & Bistro which is a very popular place to eat.
 |
| Ponsonby Road |
This area was originally known as Dedwood and named after
a Captain in the NZ Army, the name being changed to Ponsonby in 1873. This area
is a very popular place to live now but in the 70s due to the clearance of
slums and the motorway development the prices of rents dropped drastically and
attracted low income earners. During the mid 80s the area underwent a
huge urban transformation as more Pakeha moved into the area and it very soon
became a middle to upper class place to live in.
 |
| Film Crew - Trivial Pursuits Kiwi TV series |
We then moved off to the old Britannia Theatre or the
Three Lamps as it is known now. The Britannia was built in 1910 as a roller skating
rink and Paul said it was very popular. It later changed to a cinema in the
1920s before being converted into the Three Lamps shopping Plaza in 1982. Apparently
in the 1800s large gas lamps would have been placed in the middle of the roads,
which then would have been dirt tracks, hence the name the Three Lamps. I’ve
also been told that Vogel's Bread was first baked in Ponsonby Road!
 |
| Historic Ponsonby - Heritage Walk |
Continuing along we crossed over to the Former Ponsonby Post Office at
the top of St Marys Bay Road. Designed by John Campbell a
government architect and built in 1911 this is a great example of Edwardian
Baroque Style.
 |
| Leys Institute - Ponsonby Community Library |
 |
| Walkway Alongside the Motorway |
We continued to make our way
along to St Marys Bay walkway that runs adjacent to the motorway and made our
way across to West Haven Marina. We didn’t
use Jacobs Ladder
to the new footbridge as the panels have delayed the opening, but cheerily
walked to Billfish
for a coffee and quiz. It’s a fabulous
venue with outstanding views of the marina and city.
 |
| Quiz and Coffee at Billfish |
After sustenance we made our way
back along the marina towards the city crossing at Fanshawe Street and walked
across Victoria Park. June pointed out the coloured spots on the concrete
motorway posts. These apparently were
done by a Miriam van Wezel entitled 'Colours of Our History’ it
represents the change and uses of colour throughout the history of settlement
in New Zealand, from ancient Maori through to modern day. These huge circles of
colour painted onto the beams of the viaduct echo the shape of the concrete
columns, turning from beam to beam, rising and falling, to represent the
movement of the planets and tides.
Victoria Park as Paul mentioned
in his dialogue was literally made from a dump, he told us that much of this
had to be removed as it was contaminated, and it was made clear for this new
park and area.
 |
| New footbridge over the motoway |
We walked through the park
passing Victoria Market and back towards Franklin Road. The Feature walk took just
under two hours and to be honest I could have spent more time looking and
researching the area. This most historic
place in Auckland has much more to explore and investigate.
Thanks to June and Paul for a
great morning.
Information and Sources:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10670092http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemans_Bay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Park,_Auckland
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/victoria-park-tunnel/heritage.html
http://www.ponsonbyroad.co.nz/websites/johnradford/index.htm
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/places/parks/westernpark.asp
http://www.bossleyarchitects.co.nz/blog/?tag=/Miriam+Van+Wezel
http://www.bossleyarchitects.co.nz/blog/?tag=/Miriam+Van+Wezel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_history_of_Ponsonby,_Three_Lamps_and_Freemans_Bay
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