BAYSWATER MARINA CONTEXT REPORT RASHA AL ASSAFI 1529360
The first economic activity in Devonport was farming. By the early 1900s small farms developed and were located along the north side of Bayswater Avenue. Some of these farms supplied milk to the Takapuna Dairy Company in Victoria Road. In addition to the pastoral use of land, small market gardens growing vegetables for local consumption were established. Later other market gardens were started in Bayswater. Farms began to be subdivided for residential sections in 1910 throughout Devonport, Takapuna and Bayswater for the anticipation of the new steam tram providing much needed transport to the city. Some farming did carry on during the 20th century with the last cows being seen on Smale’s farm in the late 1990s.
In the 1880’s horses were used in the delivery of buckets of milk, bread and vegetables. This transport of goods continued up to the 1940’s and the products came from the general store that sold everything for the town. Horses were also used for transport as a mail coach from Devonport to Albany and ran through 3 times a week. The roads were only clay tracks and in wet weather the timetable was hard to keep which made the service too unreliable. The wealthier residents of Takapuna also used horses for general transport. They would drive their horse drawn buggies to the Devonport ferries and leave them at the stables there. They would collect them upon their return. In 1898 a horse drawn coach service would run everyday except Sundays from Bayswater wharf through Takapuna and around the lake. Horsepower progressively gave way to the combustion engine.
The residential subdivisions of the late 1920’s and 1930’s took over many of the small farms, and by the 1950s there was no horticulture or agriculture left. Until the opening of the Harbour Bridge in 1959, transport by ferry to Bayswater and Devonport was the only way to cross the harbour. The early Takapuna ferries ran from Barry’s Point, however the low mudflats of Shoal Bay stopped landings there at low water. Ferries and roads were crucial to the development of the area and the lack of public transport hindered early land development. Some residential blocks were put for sale in the 1860’s. In 1910 a steam tram that connected with the Bayswater ferries and ran from the wharf to Takapuna was introduced. This provided reliable and affordable public transport and led to a large increase in population and suburban development.
In 1909 the Takapuna Tramways and Ferry Company Ltd. was formed to operate a ferry and steam tramway from Auckland to Takapuna via Bayswater. During the First World War, the Company tried to get permission to import upgraded equipment but this failed. Throughout its lifespan it lacked sufficient capital to upgrade to electricity. Investors thought that the ferry and the tram service would open up the wider Takapuna area to commuters and raise the population to make the tram service a paying proposition. The population of the Bayswater, Takapuna and Milford areas increased from around 1,000 residents in 1908 to 6,075 in 1926. However sadly the advance of concreted roads from Devonport northwards beat the company. These new roads allowed motorbuses to take passengers from Devonport, directly to Takapuna and northwards. The last tram on the North Shore ran in April 1927 and was replaced by the buses. Some remnant rails may remain buried on the Bayswater reclamation and under Bayswater Avenue.
The opposition of the steam trams came from the Alison family who owned the Devonport Steam Ferry Co. They wanted to run their buses further north than Belmont but could not due to the licensing act for trams. However buying a fleet of seven-seater Hudson cars allowed them to overcome this. These were not classified as buses and were more comfortable than the tram. They used these to bring passengers to the ferries at Devonport. The Tramways and Ferry Co. Ltd closed in 1927, selling its ferries to the Devonport Steam Ferry Company. The steam trams were discontinued and the bus company used the tram barns at Takapuna until they were demolished in 1964 to become the Takapuna carpark. Buses were faster and more convenient. The road was widened near the cemetery to make room for the buses.
In 1988 Wilkins & Davies Marinas Limited released a proposal of reclamation for Bayswater. The previous reclamation included a boat charter yard, boat sales and a boat-servicing centre. This proposal included 440 berths, 40 pile moorings, 950 metre floating breakwater accessible by public, a ferry terminal and other facilities such as a community café. They were aiming to make the marina not only an attractive place for the boating club but also for the public. This idea of a community café that would encompass wide views of the Waitemata Harbour and Auckland city received particular community support. The reclaimed land was split into sections. Area A provided parking, boat haul out area, service buildings and open space for public access. Area B suggested an area for public recreation with steps connecting to Quinton Park. Area C was a small reclamation required by Takapuna Boating Club. You can see a comparable difference from what was proposed to what was built. A few things were moved around and some were not included but the basic idea remained. The disappointment was the dismissal of the café, which the community really wanted and needed in the area.
PROPOSED RECLAIMED LAND & DEVELOPMENT 1988
SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT 1994-1996
Comparing Princes Wharf between now and back in the 1930’s shows a vast change in built form and use. The 1930’s photos show the wharf before it was developed into higher commercial buildings and the Hilton hotel. The building was originally two to three stories above the wharf with a classical traditional aesthetic. It used to consist of two blocks with a street running up the centre. This cut through the centre showed building frontages and seemed to bring more of a sense of community than the new public parking area that has taken over the area. The new development had promise of public streets and internal public space. However when looking at the development it seems to discourage public use and gives a sense of being on a private driveway. A carpark is seen rather than the regarded “public space”.
In 1890 Rangitoto Island was formed into a Recreation Reserve for the public to enjoy. The development of this reserve was funded through camping sites leased to the public from 1914 and baches leased from 1919. The first baches on Rangitoto were put together from materials that were easy to obtain. As the community developed and become more recognized, professionally built baches began to emerge. By 1937 there were 140 baches in three settlements on Rangitoto Island. The families that lived in the baches formed a strong community that continued through many generations. The baches organized many community events such as dances, film evenings and fishing contests, which allowed the community bond to flourish.
In the late 1800’s Takapuna beach was a popular destination for holidays and day trips. This popularity was aided with the addition of the first landing stage in the 1890’s and the wharf construction a few years later with ferries and trams linking the city with Bayswater and Takapuna. The Land had a few grand houses but most of the shore dwellings were baches close to the beach. These baches attracted writers, it began to be the place to “live and write”. Some people used the land around the baches to grow vegetables. It was far less urban and more remote than it is today. After the opening of the harbor bridge in 1959 the growth of the north shore developed into a suburb of permanent houses, townhouses and apartments. A change from a seasonal holiday resort to a prosperous middle-class community.
Having in mind the idea of baches on the shoreline as a holiday destination. The main issue is the lack of money generated from this for the developer. Looking into achieving both this idea of baches on the shore and generating money for the developer I begin to think of hotels. However I do not want these hotels to implement harshly on the environment such as in Princes Wharf or to contrast with these baches. The idea of a mountain dwelling allows for the land to be formed artificially as a mountain. My idea is to accomplish a gradual decrease of density nearing to the shoreline. The middle with thus provides most of the revenue. Looking into precedents the Jade Mountain in St. Lucia by Nick Troubetzkoy is a resort that reflects what I want to achieve with a more organice nature. The mountain could be split up into sections of both built form and recreational land.