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July 2005 Newsletter

True Beach Haven - Ray Johanson

TO KEEP OUR PRICES DOWN NO MEALS
Are ever Included in our trips.

Have you any early photos of this area, we would love to scan them,
for storing on our computer at the Museum. If so please contact
COLLEEN DURHAM ph 483-4001

Trip Report – Central Auckland
16th April 2005

On 16 April 34 members headed across the bridge for our Central Auckland Tour. This tour, guided by Brian Potter, focused on the 1840 – 1865 period as period between the founding of Auckland and the transfer of the capital to Wellington. It’s hard to believe from a glance but if one knows where to look there are a fair number of relics and shape of the land left from those times.

Brian handed out copies of old sketches, which we referred to link up the commentary with the past.

After picking up our guest Lisa Truttman at the Britomart Station we swept up Shortland St and started the tour at the harbour end of Princes St which has the shortened end of the former Pt Britomart, as well as the memorial obelisk to the first vicar of St Paul’s Church, James Churton.

We all imagined what the stone mason may have uttered when, after chiseling the inscription into stone, found he had missed a letter and had to add it with a ‘caret’ mark. Our next highlight was the old Government House followed by the Supreme Court and the Old Parliament site.

We learned that the true site of Mechanics Bay was at the foot of Stanley St and not where the flying boats used to land and drove down Anzac Ave and eventually into Queen St. Here traffic conditions prevented our parking and walking so we used the ‘on bus’ commentary instead.

Our next “debus” was at the University Library in Alfred St where we examined the well preserved fragment of the Albert Barracks wall, and then off to the Domain for lunch through the old village of Parnell

After lunch we journeyed out through Newmarket (named after the New Market [stock market]) to the village of Epsom, which was one of Auckland’s earliest outlying villages and then up Mt Eden on a beautiful weather afternoon when it seemed one could see forever.

The return trip saw us venturing west via Karangahape Road to Pt Chevalier where we traveled to “the point”, and finally home through Ponsonby and Freemans Bay.

A very enjoyable trip.

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