Avondale Library (93 Rosebank Road)
The first public library in Avondale was opened on 21 May 1873 and resided in the Avondale Public Hall, which appears later in this tour.In 1887, library services in Avondale ceased due to the lack of funding. The Avondale Borough attempted to provide the community with library services again in the 1920s but was unable to find a suitable premise. As a stopgap measure, a mobile library service was recommended. This operated from 1 September 1927 until 27 June 1931, at which point the council opted to open a library once again in the Avondale Public Hall. Even though the Public Hall was over 70 years old at the time, it played host to the library for another 42 years before the library moved to its current location. On 18 September 1973, a brand-new public library opened on Rosebank Road. The new building was 8,000 square feet and quickly became an integral part of the community. In more recent years, a site beside the Avondale Central Reserve has been selected for a new library and community centre, but construction has been postponed to the mid-2020s.Turn left onto Rosebank Road.
Titirangi Lodge and Fearons Building (69 Rosebank Road)
In 1894, the land on which these buildings now stand was transferred to Thomas and Rebecca Grubb, who opened a bakery on the corner site, which operated until 1905. Daniel Robertson bought the land and buildings in 1909 and ran a general store. The corner location was replaced in 1921 with the Fearons Building, which was home to a Farmers Trading Company store from the late 1930s until 1960. It now hosts Subway and Indigo restaurants. The rear of the site originally hosted stables but and was sold to the trustees of the Titirangi Lodge No. 204 of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of New Zealand. The Lodge is believed to have been built between 1912 and 1919. In more recent years, the lodge building has become home to the A. S. R. Baptist Church.Continue to the intersection of Great North Road and look across Rosebank Road.
Greytown Hotel (1875 Great North Road)
We know from early maps of the district in the 1860s that across the Rosebank Road from where you stand now was the site of the Greytown Hotel. Taking advantage of proximity to a natural spring flowing down the hill from what is now the railway station, John and Charles Priestley had a 10pm closing license from April 1862. By October 1863, Henry Denyer was the publican, followed by James Nugent Copland, and David Henderson by 1867, and Edward Thornton by early 1871. The last publican here was James Poppleton. The hotel burned down in December 1872, and the licence was transferred to James Palmer’s Whau Hotel at the Five Roads intersection in 1873.In the 20th century, an old wooden shop stood here but was destroyed by fire. In the early 1950s, the Avondale Business Association used the empty space to put up Christmas trees. The present building dates from the late 1950s.Cross Great North Road at the crossing.
Former Post Office (1864 Great North Road)
This building was the first purpose-built Post Office in Avondale. Prior to 1938, the Post Office had been part of general stores (from 1863), the railway station (until 1912), and was housed in the former Avondale Hotel (1912–1938). The building was officially opened on 19 August 1938 by the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, MP, Attorney General, and Minister of Justice. It was built by the firm of J. A. Penman and Sons, and the architect was Llewellyn Stanley Piper of L. S. Piper and Sons (who also designed the Auckland Electric Power Board building in Newmarket). The siting of the Post Office changed the position of the centre of Avondale to the intersection of Great North Road and Rosebank Road, from the Five-Roads intersection. From that time on, the Avondale shopping centre spread as a strip along the main road.Continue along Rosebank Road.
Avondale Union Parish Church (45 Rosebank Road)
This was once the site of the Avondale Methodist Church, which first opened its doors on 22 May 1904. By 1972, the congregations of the local Methodist and Presbyterian churches had declined so much that they could not individually support themselves. As a result, the Methodists of Avondale, Waterview, and Rosebank began negotiating with Avondale’s Presbyterians, based out of St Ninian’s Church, to form a united parish. On 8 October, the Avondale Union Parish was established, using the old Methodist church as its base while still offering services from its individual churches. In 1984, the structure was demolished and replaced with the current building. The adjacent hall was eventually named the Nafanua Community Hall to represent the large population of Samoan Presbyterians in the parish.Continue along Rosebank Road.
Station Store (25 Rosebank Road)
Architect Hugh Grierson designed the Station Store, built in 1912. A second storey was added by 1913 providing living quarters. It has been a grocers, drapers, and dairy over the years. G. J. Philip ran the store in 1913, advertising “Merchant, Provisions, Grain and Produce”. At the back of the store was a “high door”, with a lifting beam for unloading items delivered by horse and cart. There were stables at the back. The concreting of the Great North Road in 1925 ended any hopes of making this area a major retail centre, but the store itself has survived for over a century as a local grocery and dairy.Continue along Rosebank Road.
Bluck Building (13–19 Rosebank Road)
This block built in 1915 by Frederick Bluck and his son, Frederick Gordon Bluck, was opposite the station on Browne Street. Bluck set up “Fred Bluck & Son” land agents in the block. Fred Bluck’s career included being a Justice of the Peace, Avondale orchardist, clerk of the Avondale Road Board, real estate agent, station master and storekeeper in Waitara, and teacher in South Auckland. The Bluck Buildings represent the old Avondale focal point prior to the widespread use of the motor car. Along with the Station Store, it was intended to take advantage of the foot traffic to and from the railway station.Turn around until reaching Layard Street. Cross Rosebank Road at the protected island and then continue along Layard Street.
Avondale Railway Station
The idea of the North Auckland railway line passing through Whau was first proposed around 1870. Geographic obstacles, a low population in West Auckland, and political interference delayed the identification of the right-of-way until 1876. John Bollard and John Buchanan of the Whau Highway Board offered the Government land for the railway. Construction began in 1878.The railway reached Avondale in March of 1880. In its first year of the operation, 1,485 passenger tickets were issued from the local station. A small building housed the ticket office, waiting room, and, from 1881, the Post Office. On the Rosebank Road side of the track was a large goods shed. Eucalyptus trees planted at the time became a feature of the station for over sixty years.By the early 1900s, the Avondale railway station was used far in excess of other nearby towns. This and the popularity of the nearby Avondale Racecourse led to the incorporation of Avondale as a borough in 1922. The expansion of trolleybus and tramway service throughout the suburb, follows by the adoption of the automobile, led to a decline in passenger service at the station. In 1986, to streamline railway services and cut costs, the Railway Station building was shut down. From then on, passengers had to buy tickets on board the trains.In the 1990s, Auckland began to revive its public transport services and this allowed various upgrades to Avondale Station. The platform was raised in 1993 to meet the needs of new trains. In 1995, the old station building was relocated to Swanson and refurbished value. A new station was constructed in Avondale in 2010, with the line double-tracked westward. Four years later, the platform was extended to support the longer AM-class EMU trains. Passenger use has continued to increase alongside increases in population. Thus, over 140 years after it first opened, Avondale Railway Station is still an important artery that connects local residents to the rest of Auckland.Continue along Layard Street. At Crayford Street W, turn right.
Avondale Primary School (1910–1940 Great North Road)
The Avondale Primary School was opened on its present site on 30 May 1882. Prior to this, classes were held first at St Ninian’s Church (from 1860) and the Public Hall (from 1867). The site was purchased from H. Hassell for £110, and William Price built the original two-classroom school, designed by Mr. Allwright, an architect. Over the years the school was added to and adapted. Just before the First World War, a primers block was built close to Layard Street. The first major change came during 1971-2 when the old standards and primer blocks were demolished and the current school took shape. The administration block was built during 2002-3. Avondale Primary School once served an area extending from Pt Chevalier to Blockhouse Bay and onto New Lynn, Titirangi, and Kelston.Cross Crayford Street W at the crossing and then turn left to return to Layard Street. Continue to St Jude Street and then turn left. Cross St Jude Street at the first protected island.
St Jude’s Church (25–27 St Jude Street)
The first formal Anglican services in Avondale were held in 1874 at the Public Hall. In that year, the congregation committee agreed to accept the offer by Avondale hotelkeeper James Palmer of land bounded by New North Road and Palmer Street (now St Judes and Donegal Streets). Plans were drawn up for the new church in 1882 with amendments submitted in May 1884 by noted Auckland architect Edward Bartley. Work began in August and the foundation stone was laid on 13 September. The first service was held at St Jude’s Church on 23 December 1884. Today, it is the second oldest church in Avondale after St Ninian’s. The founder and original trustee was John Bollard (1839–1915), a man who had a great impact on the early history of Avondale. This site has been identified for its heritage values by Auckland Council and is listed Category 2 by Heritage New Zealand.Turn right along St Jude Street and continue until reaching St Georges Road. Turn left.
Avondale Public Hall (18 St Georges Road)
The Public Hall was built in 1867 by local resident William Forsyth, funded from proceeds of special concerts staged by the Whau Minstrels (a group of workers from the Gittos tannery). It was designed by another local, Mr. Holloway. In 1868, the first district library was set up in the hall. It also served as the second location for the district school until 1882. And it hosted many soirees, town meetings, and Highway District Board meetings. Throughout the 1870s, the cost of hiring the hall for the night was one-pound sterling (about $180 today).The hall was the place of an event that changed the history of Avondale, West Auckland, and the Kaipara District when a meeting of around 50 people, including John Bollard, John Buchanan (Whau District), John Lamb (Riverhead), John McLeod (Henderson’s Mill), Phillip McLeod (Helensville), and Joseph McMullen Dargaville (Provincial Council member) submitted a petition to the Government to direct the planned North Auckland Railway through Avondale.On 27 June 1931, the Avondale Public Library was opened as a branch of Auckland City Libraries in the hall. It remained there until 1973. The hall has also served as a Citizens Advice Bureau and traffic department office.Continue along St Georges Road.
Avondale Town Hall / Hollywood Theatre (20 St Georges Road)
The Public Hall was on this site from 1867 until it was shifted to its present position beside the Town Hall building. This has been a site for community meetings and entertainment continuously since the 19th century.In January 1915, the site was transferred from the Public Hall Trustees to the Avondale Road Board. It was decided to keep the old wooden hall on the site and to build an ornate brick front, complete with imposing columns, wide stairs to the entrance, and a dome on the roof. The architect for this façade and the new offices and meeting rooms was Holman & Moses. Work began around May and was completed in October.Avondale became a borough in 1922. The Borough Council decided in 1923 that Avondale merited a grander town hall than just an impressive frontage with old wooden hall behind. The old hall was shifted, and the rest of the existing building was added, opening on 31 October 1924. After amalgamation with Auckland City in 1927, a succession of cinema managers including the family of Rudall Hayward ran the picture theatre, called the Grosvenor Cinema, from the 1950s. It was later dubbed the Hollywood Cinema in 1966 by Jan Grefstad.Cross St Georges Road at the protected island.
St Ninian’s Church (17-19 St Georges Road)
St Ninian’s Church is Avondale’s oldest building. Construction on the Presbyterian church started on 14 November 1859, and opening services were held on Easter, 8 April 1860. The building was built atop scoria boulders and constructed using hand-hewn kauri planks with kauri pews (bench seats). It served as the Whau District’s first school building (the desks fixed to the wall so they could fold away for Sunday services) and also served as the community’s first public hall until the building was constructed across the road.In the 19th century, the Avondale parish extended as far as Helensville. In July 1873, Rev. David Hamilton died on his way to preach at Whatipu. His grave was the first interred in the little cemetery attached to the church (the cemetery was closed except for family plots in 1914). Other noted people buried in the cemetery include John Neale Bethell (of Bethell’s Beach), William Forsyth (builder of the public hall), and Jessie MacKenzie (the “Danish Princess”).The church was dedicated in 1935 to St Ninian, a 5th century missionary to the Southern Picts of modern-day Scotland and northern England. The church manse (home provided for parish ministers) was built in the 1870s on Blockhouse Bay Road. On 8 October 1972, St Ninian’s merged with three other local Methodist and Presbyterian churches and relocated to the Avondale Union Parish Church on Rosebank Road. In 1984, the church building officially closed and was sold to the Auckland City Council along with the cemetery in 1988. The Saint Ninians Reserve opened shortly afterwards and the former church is now a venue for hire.Turn right and go to the reserve in front of the church.
Avondale Memorial Reserve (2040 Great North Road)
In November 1916, around 100 men from the Avondale district were in active service. By the war’s end, at least 200 men from the district had actively taken part in the war. Local schools, residents, and businesses supported the war effort in various ways. Avondale School regularly came top of the list of schools of those donating to the Dominion Gift Scheme of the Auckland Women’s Patriotic League.In October 1917, proceeds from a patriotic ball went towards the establishment of a Soldier’s Club building, the early beginnings of the local Returned Servicemen’s Association. The Avondale reserve was gifted to Auckland City Council by the Avondale Presbyterian Church as a war memorial area in 1948. A memorial for both World Wars was unveiled here in 1951. In the 1990s, plaques were added recognising New Zealand's involvement in the South African War (1899), Armistice Day (11 November 1918), VE Day (9 May 1945), and VJ Day (15 August 1945). Anzac Day services are held on the reserve each year.Cross Great North Road at the protected island and then turn left along Great North Road.
Avondale Stables (2059–2073 Great North Road)
The site of today’s KFC, Coffee Club, and Domino’s Pizza was once the stables for two important local hotels. In 1873, James Palmer utilised the strategic position of this location at the Five Roads intersection (the modern-day Avondale Roundabout) to establish his hotel. It was the last resting place for weary travellers before heading to Henderson’s Mill. Palmer’s hotel burned down in 1888 and was eventually replaced by a new hotel built by Moss David. His hotel was the heart of central Avondale, the setting for town meetings, a traveller’s rest stop, and even a post office from 1912 to 1938. This second hotel was demolished in 1967, long after Avondale’s business district began its migration north.Turn around and continue along Great North Road to Wingate Street. Cross Wingate Street at the protected island.
Avondale Hotel (2027 Great North Road)
There have been two hotels on this site: James Palmer’s hotel, destroyed by fire (1873–1888), and Moss Davis’ hotel, demolished in 1967. The hotels here were the heart of central Avondale, the site of town meetings, a traveller’s rest stop, and even a Post Office (1912–1938). James Palmer utilised the strategic position of the site at the Five Roads intersection (the modern-day Avondale Roundabout), and the fact that it was the last hotel before weary travellers reached Henderson’s Mill.Continue north along Great North Road.
Page’s Building (2016–2020 Great North Road)
Completed in 1903, and designed by John Currie, this building began as the Avondale branch of the A W Page grocery and supply business based at Kingsland. It was the beginning of the suburb’s first purpose-built modern shopping centre. Edward Wood and Ben Bollard leased the building from Arthur Page in 1906 and set up the Bollard & Wood store until 1922, when Arthur William Frederick Amos set up the “Spot Cash” store there (later operated by his son Vic Amos until 1967). Like the Avondale Hotel, Page’s Store benefited from the location close to the Five Roads intersection and that there was no equivalent service centre for goods and supplies between Avondale and Henderson. Deliveries from the store were made all over West Auckland.Continue north along Great North Road.
Avondale Police Station (2004 Great North Road)
From 1906 to 1996, this was the site of the Avondale Police Station, designed by Charles Ranken Vickerman, the district engineer. Plans for the buildings, the lockup, and a stable were prepared by the Public Works office. The stable and lockup were at the rear of the site, alongside the horse paddocks that were once there for both the police station and the adjacent Page’s Store. Unlike most masonry suburban police stations, this timber building still retains its original kauri exterior.Continue north along Great North Road.
Allely Building (1994–2000 Great North Road)
Robert Joseph Allely purchased the land where this building stands in 1911 from William Hanson Blayney. This is the earliest two-storey retail building in Avondale, and it replaced an earlier timber shop on the site. Allely had his chemist shop at ground level and a dental surgery above. He sold the property in 1912 but remained as a tenant until the early 1920s.During his time in Avondale in the 1910s and early 1920s, Allely was Avondale’s source of general medical help, as well as the dentist. He and his wife set up an influenza hospital on the Avondale Racecourse during the pandemic of 1918, working at all hours to help treat the locals, including those from Blockhouse Bay and West Auckland. For his services during this time, the Avondale Road Board held a special presentation in January 1919. Apparently his work during this time negatively impacted his health causing him to leave Avondale by 1922.Continue north along Great North Road.
Trigg and Danes Coach Builders (1980 Great North Road)
Across Great North Road is the site of Trigg & Danes coach building shop. Charles Alfred Trigg was a bicycle repairer by trade, with sign writing as a side specialty. In 1916, he and Jerome Danes established at this location an early service and repair garage that served horse and cart traffic, as well as early motor vehicles. Trigg had sole ownership by 1920, and by 1926 had one of the first service garages in the area to have a “kerbside benzine pump” on a forecourt, the floor of which is still part of the left-hand side of the existing shops. By 1966, the Avondale Auction House was trading from this site, and added the right-hand side of the present shop in 1970. By the 1980s, the business became known as Avondale Spiders, after the local icon. Avondale Spiders closed down in mid-2006.Continue along Great North Road.
Avondale Spider Sculpture (1975 Great North Road)
In the early 1920s, a type of Australian huntsman spider (Delena cancerides) appeared in Avondale. It was surmised that it must have arrived as a stowaway from Australia and then was transported over the railway to Avondale. As a result, the sub-species is now known as the Avondale spider. The large arachnid can be up to 20 centimetres across when its legs are extended. While some welcomed them into homes since they culled the population of moths, files, cockroaches, and earwigs, others find the creatures frightful.The spider gained international recognition when it became the star of the horror movie Arachnophobia in 1990. The US filmmakers worked in collaboration with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research to produce over 300 spiders for the movie, which was a massive boon for local research into the spider. Seemingly overnight, the Avondale spider had become an iconic local celebrity.When a scripture of the spider’s likeness was spotted in a second-hand store, it was purchased and mounted on top of the Mobil gas station on Great North Road. The spider was affectionately named ‘Dale’. It spans 6 meters, weighs about 550kgs, and is made of stainless steel and fibreglass. In 1999, due to a change in policy by Mobil Australia, Dale had to be removed. Fearing the loss of the sculpture, the Avondale Business Association paid for its removal, refurbishment, and storage until a suitable new home could be found.In 2001, work began on a web for Dale in the Avondale Central Reserve. Grants from the Portage Licensing Trust and the Avondale Community Board, in addition to funding from the Avondale Mainstreet Programme, made the $50,000 project possible. Dale now sits above the reserve, a central symbol for the Avondale community.Continue north along Great North Road and then turn right on Racecourse Parade. Continue to the end of Racecourse Road.
Avondale Racecourse (End of Racecourse Parade)
The Avondale Jockey Club was founded in 1888. In the beginning, the racetrack was not completely fenced, and simple poles were placed at intervals as course markers. The original grandstand was built on the southern side near Wingate Street. In about 1902, the Jockey Club undertook its first major upgrade, moving the grandstand near Ash Street, and the Tussock and gorse in the centre of the course were removed, allowing spectators to have a clear view of the entire track. Additional land near the corner of Rosebank Road and Ash Street was purchased in 1913, possibly to support the track’s use as a military training centre.The Third (Auckland) Mounted Rifles was established as a Territorial unit in 1911 and set up camp at Avondale Racecourse in 1912. Many of those trained here became part of the Second Auckland Mounted Rifles during the First World War. The success of this training camp in 1912 was regarded by many as a symbolic justification for both the Defence Act 1909 and the concept of compulsory military training. Racecourse managers gave army staff the use of all buildings. Hutchinson Bros, the grocery firm, supplied the men with goods at town prices via an on-site canteen.When the Government agreed to form a Māori contingent in September 1914, Avondale’s racecourse was chosen as the site of their training camp. By late October, 500 volunteers were encamped on the racecourse. The Māori name for the Avondale camp was Waiatarua. The First Māori Contingent departed for war in February 1915. That same year in September, the racecourse was accepted as the training camp for the New Zealand Tunnelling Company (made up mainly of engineers and miners). The company of over 400 men left in December. Shortly after the end of the war, a temporary field hospital was setup for victims of the influenza epidemic.Following the war, the Suburbs Rugby Club was formed, and the racecourse became its home grounds. By the 1920s, rugby had become very popular and the eight fields within the racecourse were in regular use. At the same time, changing rules in horse racing almost led to the closure of the racetrack. The Avondale Borough Council wrote to the Minister of Internal Affairs protesting the proposed revocation of the club’s license, explaining that the course provided grounds for all types of sports. These included a tennis, trotting, bowling, and croquet.The racecourse survived the threat of closure and continued to host many events. The Bowling Club Pavilion has been used for many local functions such as weddings, dances, and bird shows. When the Avondale Ladies’ Bowling Club was formed in 1945, a second pavilion was built near Victor Street. The racecourse remains a regular site for races and other sporting events, though there has long been discussion about decommissioning the stadium to make room for housing.Turn around and follow the north side of Racecourse Parade) to Great North Road. Turn left and continue along Great North Road.
Excelsior Chambers (1880–1888 Great North Road)
The New Zealand Herald reported in January 1926 on the planned construction of 'two large blocks of shops' at the Great North–Rosebank Roads intersection—one of these is thought to be Excelsior Chambers. Early businesses in the block included a draper, chemist, solicitor, and confectioner. Additions were made in 1929 and 1937-9. The Excelsior Chambers was the third major block of shops constructed on the Great North Road after the Page’s Store (1903) and Fearons Building (ca 1924). It took advantage of the concreting of Great North Road in 1925, which made Avondale easier to get to from the central city and West Auckland, and heralded the boom years of this area.Continue along Great North Road.
Unity Building (1874–1878 Great North Road)
The Unity Building across the road was completed in 1932, the year that trams came to Avondale, and was intended by the building’s owner, William John Tait, to take full advantage of the proximity of the new tram terminus. It is the only major building in Avondale named as a result of a school competition.Cross Rosebank Road at the crossing, and then continue to the left along Rosebank Road until returning to the Avondale Library.
