To the Point
RTO_1, 2, 3 We start our journey in Manurewa. The photos are of “The Meeting House” on the intersection of Alfriston and Mill Roads. Built in the mid-1880s by Dr and Mrs Bodle assisted by volunteers, originally a a school house in conjunction with the Church of Christ Sunday school. The newly built schoolroom on Dr Bodle’s property became known as the Meeting house. Half-day school was held here from 1885 against the recommendation of the Education Board. The residents affected objected to the closure of the school but the Board would not reconsider its decision. As the school was half-day only the building was able to be used for meetings, Sunday school, Library, dances and social occasions often with fund-raising as an objective. The Papakura Road Board held regular meetings in the building until the construction of the Alfriston Hall in 1904. Use of the building became irregular and eventually the building was sold, becoming a private home.
RTO_4, 5, 6 Not far further up Alfriston Road we pass Christ Church. This Anglican Church was built in 1877 and the first service was conducted by Bishop Cowie on March 18, 1877. The land for the church and cemetery was donated by Richard Middleton and the Church was built for a cost of $292. In 1995 the church room, the fences and the lichgate were completed. The church is registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and has several stained glass windows that have been contributed over the years. Originally the church was serviced by the vicar from Howick but it is now part of the Clevedon Parish.
RTO_7, 9, 10 These three images were inspired by the drive along Alfriston-Ardmore Road. They reflect the rural nature of this area and the variety of farming that takes place in this vicinity.
RTO_11, 12 take us to the busy Ardmore Airfield. This airport was established in 1943 at the request of the US Airforce as an operational base during WW2. Although construction was not completed until 1945 the airport served as an important base for training New Zealand pilots for action in the Pacific and as a training centre for returning servicemen, as part of the demobilisation effort after the war. In 1947 it was used as a Teachers training unit and by the Auckland University School of Engineering. A brief but special time of glory came in 1950 when the facilities were used to accommodate competitors in the Empire Games. In 1952 the Ministry of Transport took control of the operational parts of ardmore for general aviation purposes.Between 1954 and 1962 ardmore hosted annually the NZ International Grand Prix. When passenger flights were shifted to the new airport at Mangere in 1963 the Auckland Aero club was forced to move to Ardmore. It has now become a training and service centre for the aviation industry and is home to about 40 Warbirds aircraft. These historic and classic aircraft are housed in the NX Warbirds Visitor Centre.
RTO_8, 13, 14 take us over the Clevedon-Takanini Road into the Papakura-Clevedon Road and through to the township of Clevedon.
RTO_15,16,17,18 are scenes based on the township of Clevedon. This and the surrounding area is traditionally the territory of the Ngai Tai ki Tamaki people who are descendants of the Tainui waka. They call the area Te Wairoa (the long river). The European settlement of Clevedon was established in 1866. It was named after the English town of Clevedon.
RTO_19, 20 are based on pictures of the Bridge over the Wairoa River and the adjacent wharf. The river is Clevedon village’s raison d’être. The village was once a bustling little community centred on the wharf at the highest navigable point on the river, enabling water-based transportation and export to wider Auckland markets. In more recent decades, as focus has turned to road-based transport, pastoral farming and plantations, the river has been denuded of the native plants and trees along its banks. The Clevedon Wharf Bridge spans the Wairoa River. It was opened in 1966 and replaced the original bridge which existed just down stream of the present structure. This bridge was opened in July 1908 and was one of the first bridges in New Zealand to be constructed of reinforced concrete.
RTO_21 The Mc Nicol homestead was owned by European settlers, Duncan and Maureen McNicol who came to NewZealand in 1853 from the Isle of Arran off the west coast of Scotland after an unsuccessful foray to the Australian gold fields. They initially farmed the valley to the south of the Wairoa River and the McNicol homestead overlooked the Clevedon valley. The kauri built house shifted out of their family in the 1960s and was later gifted to the Manukau City council. It is now run as a museum and houses collections relating to the early settlers.
RTO_22 Horse Shoe country Music
RTO_23, 24 Auckland Polo grounds. The Auckland Polo Club is a historic polo club founded in 1888. It hosts many national and international tournaments. Every year from October to March, the club organises four matches a week. The club has about 200 members, 61 of which are polo players.
RTO_25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 The road now crosses the Wairoa valley and wends its way towards the coast.
RTO_31,32,35,36,37,38,39 These photos are all based on the road from the Ness valley turnoff, to the Oyster Farms on the coast.
RTO_33, 34 As you approach Kauri Bay you pass the Te Tokotoru Tapu Mataitai Church and cemetery. This beautiful building was constructed in 1912 and contains some really interesting carvings and designs.
RTO_40, 41 The road winds along the tidal estuary crosses Luke’s Bridge and gradually climbs past Waitawa Regional Park.
RTO_42, 43, 44, 45 are all scenes taken within the Regional Park.The park was one of Auckland’s first recreational parks, designed specifically for active recreational activities such as mountain biking, horse riding, kayaking and disc golf. One of the beaches is part of the Te Ara Moana Kayak Trail, while another is a home base for marine education.
RTO_46 Leaving the Regional Park we travel toward Kawakawa Bay passing this farm shed and fields .
RTO_47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56 These photos all show aspects of Kawakawa Bay. Known for its recreational and boating activities, this now-popular area on the coast is attracting people seeking the quieter lifestyle. At the turn of the last century most of the land in and around Kawakawa Bay was farmed, but by the 1950’s the bay saw gradual growth with section and basic baches appearing along the foreshore. By the 1970’s the population and number of homes had doubled with subdivisions appearing in the area. At about this time, some of the original beaches were being purchased and developed for permanent residence. According to the locals, four main settlements make up the area - Maori Bay, Main Bay, Snake Gully and Waiti Bay. Today few of the original baches remain. The hall, church and cottage are focal points for the community and where various clubs and groups meet on a regular basis, including the Lionesses, art, gardening, singing and dancing clubs and yoga groups.
RTO_57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64 The road winds along the valley and up Snake Gully and over into the Orere River valley. Slips and road maintenance are a constant reminder of the fragility of this area.
RTO_65, 66, 67, 68, 69 These photos reflect the drive following the Orere River as it wends its way toward the sea.
RTO_70, 71 From the Orere Point, Kaiaua turnoff the road runs through farmland punctuated by a row of pohutukawa which provide a colourful spectacle before Christmas.
RTO72,73,74,75,76 Photos showing various aspects of the Orere river. RTO_76 shows the river falling from the remains of the concrete pad which was used to cross the river before the present bridge was built. This could be quite a scary crossing for a small boy following heavy rain. Manukau County Council constructed a concrete ford on the public road about 1939. This was destroyed or damaged by floods several times over the years. A more substantial public bridge was built in 1963.
RTO_77,78,79,80 Orere Point is a large rural suburb of Manukau City in Auckland. It is located on the Hauraki Gulf just outside the Auckland Metropolitan area. Facilities include a local store, playground, campground, picnic area, parking and limited mobility toilets. Activities include wild life watching, fishing and swimming.
Each of these photos is made up of a number of images merged together to form a feeling of movement. Cocooned inside our cars we barely see the elements and messages that our environment has for us. Messages in the form of road signs, buildings, trees, bridges and other natural features flash past and are barely registered. Look carefully at each of these images and you will see some of these elements displayed in the montages that go together to form these ideas. Each has a personal connection to me as I have travelled this road regularly since 1949. Art falls outside the boundaries of materialism and its spiritual basis because it contains the “soul” of the artist and his ideals and view of the world.
ORERE
Orere Point is a holiday settlement just an hours drive south of Auckland on the Hauraki Gulf. It has a special place in my heart as it was the place I spent my childhood holidays with my family. I grew up there and learnt to appreciate and love the sea, the bush and the beach. It became part of me and taught me to appreciate the outdoors and a way of life so different from the rush of the city. Nowadays it is an easy drive from Auckland , on a sealed road with plenty of time for a coffee stop in Clevedon. As a child the road was gravel all the way from Clevedon to Orere. In the summer it was corrugated and dusty, while in the winter months it was pot-holed and wet. Slips on Snake hill were common and there was always the ford over the Orere River which often dictated when you arrived and left. Everything you needed for the stay was packed into the car as initially there was no shop. Later in the summer holidays cow’s milk was sold to the locals from a house close to the junction of Howard Road and Orere Point Road. My brother and I would walk down to the “shop” and get our billy filled with fresh milk and a Herald for Dad. We thought it was a giant step forward when a grocery van started a weekly delivery service selling fruit, meat and other necessities until the current shop was built. But although the population has increased, newer houses are gradually replacing the early style bachs, and the beach is frequented by an increasing number of visitors, it still retains the charm and magic I experienced as a boy. I still visit there regularly, and the photos in this collection are memories of the times spent on the beach.
Cape Colville. One of the fondest memories was looking across at the Coromandel Peninsula and seeing the rugged terrain stretching out towards Aotea. Te Moehau, often capped by cloud, provided the hand at the end of the protective arm of the Coromandel. Sunrise often provided spectacular displays of light and colour along the cloud shrouded landscape.
Isolated Rock. This little rocky islet with its singular tree clinging to the top is situated just north-west of the boat ramp. At high tide it was surrounded by water but low tide revealed a rocky pathway that at one time joined it to the mainland.
Isolated Rock 2. With the light fading on a summer evening this long exposure reveals the range of colours contained in this eroded rock.
Puatiti Point - This rocky protrusion into the sea at the northern end of the beach was the landform that defined what Orere meant to me. It was always interesting and exciting to walk around the rocks at low tide, scrambling over the saddle to the small beach on the other side and climbing out as far as the tide would let us go. Climbing up to the top and sitting there we were “king of our castle” and all the surrounding area. As the light and weather changed so the landscape was continually changing but that little headland always remained etched in my mind.
Orere Beach - Late afternoon in summer at the western end of the beach. Many afternoons have been spent sitting under the pohutukawa trees and swimming in the sea.
45 -49 Howard Road entrance.
Orere Beach 2 - looking towards Ponui
Orere Beach 3 - long exposure looking towards Pakihi Island
Orere wave
Orere River mouth
Driftwood silhouette in the morning
Coromandel Peninsula
Tarahiki
Cape Colville 2
Bach
Toitoi
Pohutukawa
Lonely sneakers
Orere Beach 4 - looking east
Puatiti Point 2 - through the trees
Bach 2
Boat ramp
Boat ramp 2
Orere Beach 5
Isolated Rock 3
Cloudy river
Orere River mouth 2
Steps
Orere Beach 6 - Wet sand
Orere Beach 7 - Wave
Orere wave 2
Orere Point
Orere Beach 8 - Shadows
Pohutukawa
Orere River
Rocky outcrop
Pohutukawa 2
Rocky outcrop 2
Puatiti Point 3
Isolated Rock 4
Orere Waves 3
Orere Waves 4
Orere Beach 9 - Black stones
Moonlit River
River entrance at night
Tarakihi 2
Tarakihi 3
River Entrance 2
Rocky mist - long exposure
Driftwood in the mist - long exposure
River Entrance 3
Tarakihi 4
Tarakihi 5
Orere Wave 5
Swirling tide
Orere Wave 6
Puatiti Point 4
Hanging in there
Puatiti Point 5
. Pakihi sunset bird
Pakihi Island
Orere River entrance 4
Orere Beach 10 - Sunrise Glow
Orere Beach 11
Orere Beach - Smooth Water
Isolated Rock 5
Tarakihi 6
Orere River entrance 5
Orere River Entrance 6
Orere River Entrance 7
Rippled water
Through the cave
Rocky Outcrop 3
Puatiti Point 6
Going fishing
Lone gull
Seaweed
Puatiti Point 7
Coromandel
Coromandel 2