Ponsonby was one of Auckland’s earliest, and is still the most vibrant inner-city neighbourhood in Auckland. The Great Ponsonby Arthotel is in the heart of Ponsonby and is a great place from which to explore the rest of Auckland.
Maori used to come and gather flax and fish near Cox’s Bay though they had no permanent settlement. Waiatarau, or Freemans Bay, was an important place to camp, fish and trade from. Te To Pa was on the headland overlooking the bay. Streams in the area were sources of food and provided reeds used for bedding. The Ponsonby ridge is known by Maori as Te Rimu Tahi or “The Lone Rimu Tree”. The Rimu was a prominent landmark which stood near the intersection of Ponsonby Road and Karangahape Road.
Ponsonby is part of the Waitemata and Gulf Ward in Auckland City. It is handy to museums, galleries, boutiques, major shopping streets, live theatre, bars, cafes, restaurants, the Zoo, Eden Park, the harbour and the Skytower.
Ponsonby has been home to actors and musicians, lawyers, All Blacks, poets, play writers, romantics, revolutionaries, bishops and brothels. Ponsonby’s unique heritage, as well as its bars, bistros, and galleries create a rich flavour. Some people come just to soak up the ambience, some to shop, sit in a coffee shop and watch the world go by, but the luckiest stay a few days.
Ponsonby’s first name was Dedwood, however that did not last long and it was renamed Ponsonby. Dedwood is a name that never would have been appropriate for Auckland’s liveliest neighbourhood which has never been dead.
REF: A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO NZ
Maori used to come and gather flax and fish near Cox’s Bay though they had no permanent settlement. Waiatarau, or Freemans Bay, was an important place to camp, fish and trade from. Te To Pa was on the headland overlooking the bay. Streams in the area were sources of food and provided reeds used for bedding. The Ponsonby ridge is known by Maori as Te Rimu Tahi or “The Lone Rimu Tree”. The Rimu was a prominent landmark which stood near the intersection of Ponsonby Road and Karangahape Road.
Ponsonby is part of the Waitemata and Gulf Ward in Auckland City. It is handy to museums, galleries, boutiques, major shopping streets, live theatre, bars, cafes, restaurants, the Zoo, Eden Park, the harbour and the Skytower.
Ponsonby has been home to actors and musicians, lawyers, All Blacks, poets, play writers, romantics, revolutionaries, bishops and brothels. Ponsonby’s unique heritage, as well as its bars, bistros, and galleries create a rich flavour. Some people come just to soak up the ambience, some to shop, sit in a coffee shop and watch the world go by, but the luckiest stay a few days.
Ponsonby’s first name was Dedwood, however that did not last long and it was renamed Ponsonby. Dedwood is a name that never would have been appropriate for Auckland’s liveliest neighbourhood which has never been dead.
REF: A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO NZ
BUILDINGS OF NOTE
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In the late 1800s William Leys, who was then the Chairman of the Ponsonby School Committee, was concerned about boys loitering on the street corners, losing the benefit of school education. He had a vision to build a library to encourage recreational reading and learning. The Leys Institute buildings were designed in Edwardian baroque style by architect Robert Martin Watt. William Leys (1852-1899) left money to build the institute; his brother Thomson Wilson Leys (1850-1924) also contributed. Auckland City Council found a suitable site on St Mary's Road and the library opened on 29 March 1905, with the gymnasium following on 4 July 1906. The first children's library in Australasia was established there in 1909. The original aims of the institute were to establish and maintain a free public library and reading room, to promote literary, cultural and technical education and to advance in other ways the intellectual development and social welfare of the community. In 1964 management of the Leys Institute passed to Auckland City Council. It is still used today as a library and meeting venue for the local community. |
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At first Ponsonby made do with a shed and later a wooden building, to house its fire appliances. Architects Goldsbro and Wade designed a new building that opened in May 1903. After 10 years the building was sold to Auckland City Council and by 1937 was housing a tea blending and packing business.
Today the distinctive Dutch gable style pediment remains on the St Marys Road frontage of the building. At some point the main entrance was semi-glassed in with a sunbeam design, while the lower half was fitted with doors. The building was renovated in 1977 and 2004. |
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The building was designed by the Government architect, John Campbell, and built in 1912 in an Edwardian baroque style in the same period as the Auckland Chief Post Office, old Town Hall and Ferry Building. The building's striking clock-tower faced demolition on two occasions and was saved after extensive lobbying by the local community. The tower was gifted by donations from Ponsonby residents who decided a clock tower would be more suitable than an original dome and cupola above the entrance.
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Click on each picture to see a larger view.............
