Onehunga

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For other uses, see Onehunga (disambiguation).

Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located eight kilometres to the south of the city centre, close to the volcanic cone of One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie).

The residential and light-industrial suburb Stretches south from Royal Oak, towards the north shore of the Manukau Harbour. To the east are the areas of Oranga, and Te Papapa, to the west, Hillsborough. On the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and linked to Onehunga by two bridges is the suburb of Mangere Bridge once a separate town.

Contents 1 History of Onehunga 2 Notable Events 3 Notable Buildings 4 External links 5 References

[edit] History of Onehunga

The name Onehunga is Māori and means "burial place" referring to the Māori burial caves in the area, probably among the lava flows issuing from One Tree Hill, Maungakiekie.

During the 19th Century, most shipping between New Zealand and Great Britain came via South Africa and Australia. While some shipping entered the Waitemata and docked at Auckland most entered the Manukau Heads and docked at Onehunga, thus saving several days sailing around North Cape. Onehunga was also the main route south; steamers would leave Onehunga, exit the Manukau Harbour for Whangarei & Wellington, and then to Nelson and the cities of the South Island.

The Manukau Heads contain treacherous shifting sandbars and these, combined with the often heavy weather of the Tasman Sea resulted in many shipwrecks over the years and terrible losses of life. Towards the turn of the century the relatively shallow depth of the Manukau excluded the increasingly larger ships of the period. At the same time the completion of the Main Trunk Railway meant a decline in shipping down the west coast of New Zealand. Well before the First World War Onehunga had ceased to be a port of any importance but it picked up a role as a shopping centre as the town was engulfed by the suburban development of Auckland. Onehunga was amalgamated with Auckland City in 1989.

The Onehunga Railway line opened in 1873 and ran for 100 years before the last passenger service ran in April 1973. Part of line is still used by Owens at the Penrose end. The line has been 'mothballed' between Mays Road and Onehunga wharf. The Campaign for Better Transport are campaigning to reopen the line and received 8000 signatures on a petition in mid 2006. The Onehunga Railway line was one of the first government funded railways in New Zealand.

Queen St [named after Queen Victoria] lead onto the 1920s Mangere Bridge and thence to the town/suburb of the same name. This was one of the main land routes south out of Auckland and the usual route to the airport until the motorway & regional road system in the 1970s diverted the through traffic away from the Onehunga and Mangere Bridge township shops.

[edit] Notable Events

Onehunga had the first zoological gardens in New Zealand, located in Symonds Street, near Royal Oak. The animals were eventually given to the Auckland Zoo when it was founded.

In 1893, Elizabeth Yates became mayor of Onehunga borough, thus becoming the first woman to hold the post of mayor anywhere in the British Empire.

The hit TV show Back Of The Y was filmed in 'Auckland's beautiful Onehunga'.

[edit] Notable Buildings

• Former Post Office, 1902 John Campbell Government Architect. Princes & Queen Streets. One of the earliest examples of the work of this prolific architect.

• Anglican Church of St Peter, Queen & Church Sts. The Selwyn church built in 1848 has been relocated, the existing building dates from the 1980s and incorporates a gothic revival tower from the 1930s. The churchyard contains the graves of many of Onehunga's early settlers.

• The Carnegie Free Library in Princes Street opened in 1912. It was one of several in New Zealand built with funds from the American philanthropist Dale Carnegie. Its services were eventually absorbed into the public library system and the building has recently been renovated as a restaurant.

• Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption Church Street 1889, Thomas Mahoney architect. Once standing in open countryside this is a handsome example of a masonry Gothic church. The cemetery contains the graves of may of Onehunga's early settlers.

• War Memorial Arch, Jellicoe Park, Quadrant Road & Grey Street. Opened in 1923 by the Governor General, Lord Jellicoe, Jellicoe Park is the site of Onehunga's Public Swimming Pools. Near the War Memorial Arch is located the splendid John Park Memorial Fountain which is illuminated on special occasions.

Also located in Jellicoe Park are a collection of buildings illustrating the early history of the area:

• The Blockhouse 1859, A brick building relocated from Princes St.

• Journeys End a replica of a wooden 1850 house relocated here in 1968,

• Laishley House 1859 relocated from Princes St in 1985,

• Selwyn St Settlers Cottage 1850.

Across Grey Street from the park is

• St Peter's Scout Den. This is the 1848 Selwyn Church relocated here in 1980.

Nearby in Selwyn Street is

• the former Onehunga Primary School 1901 now a community centre this building has been recently restored.

[edit] External links

• Onehunga timeline

[edit] References

• The Lively Capital, Auckland 1840-1865. Una Platts. Avon Fine Prints Limited New Zealand 1971.
• Onehunga Art & Heritage Walks, Onehunga Mainstreet Programme 2003.