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Howick as it was

Picton Street circa 1900

HO-ICK as it was pronounced by the early settlers, is named after the Northumberland seat of Earl Grey who was the Secretary of State of the colonies in the 1840s. He was also the instigator of the Fencible scheme. His property in Northumberland was inherited by his eldest son, Viscount Howick and is still the family seat.

The tangata-whenua (people of this land) were the Ngai Tai people of Tainui descent. They had lived here for more than 1000 years with pa (fortified villages) at Ohuia Rangi (Pigeon Mountain), Te Waiarohia (Musick Point) and Tuwakamana (Cockle Bay). Maori called Howick Owairoa and the district was called Paparoa.

The Howick, Pakuranga and Whitford areas were once part of the Fairburn claim. William Thomas Fairburn, with his wife and family, established a Church Missionary Society Mission Station at Maraetai in 1837. The local Maori insisted they buy the 40,000 acres between the Tamaki and Wairoa Rivers to prevent attack by the Thames and Waikato tribes.

In 1840, following the Treaty of Waitangi, the Government took 36,000 acres for the use of the Howick and Otahuhu Fencible settlements. Most of the remaining land was sold to settlers. The Government also paid Maori and returned most of the Wairoa Valley to William Fairburn.

Howick was the largest of the four Fencible villages which included Otahuhu, Onehunga, and Panmure. They were planned in 1846 to form a defence chain across the Auckland isthmus. The Howick contingent of soldier veterans from the Imperial Army arrived in the Waitemata Harbour in three ships, the “Sir George Seymour,” the “Minerva”, and the “Sir Robert Sale”. A government brig brought them from Auckland to Howick where they landed on the beach on November 15, 1847.

The now famous All Saints Church in Howick was built in readiness for the first Fencibles and held its first service on November 21, 6 days after the soldiers arrived.

The first settlers were met with hillsides covered in native grasses and little else. This meant that farming could start immediately but little accessible timber resulted in a lack of firewood. Until the area’s own timber supply was established, Maori supplied firewood from Waiheke Island and peat and cow pats also provided some households with raw energy for heating and cooking.

Because of its isolation, Howick grew very slowly and remained a village much longer than Otahuhu, Panmure and Onehunga. Telephone lines were laid in the area in 1909. By 1915, approximately 200 people lived in Howick with 60 registered ratepayers on the borough books. Eleven houses had telephone connections. The village boasted the Catholic Church, All Saints Anglican Church, Hardy’s Haberdashery, the Marine Hotel and the Post Office. In 1922 it had a population of 502 and the village was gazetted as a town district. By 1927 the population had crept up to 545, in 1931 it reached 700 and in 1943 it was 850.

In 1925, electric power came to Howick and in 1931 a new concrete road was completed from Panmure. When this road was constructed it broke every rule in the book according to modern roading technology but after more than 40 years was still sound although the concrete portion was too narrow for modern transport needs.

It wasn’t until the mid 1960s that Auckland spread, extending through the Pakuranga swamp to join the village with the city.

Howick is now a ward of Auckland City and encompasses neighbouring areas such as Bucklands Beach, Pakuranga and Botany.

HISTORICAL PLACES OF INTEREST

The region’s history brings with it much character. Howick’s Maori history and pioneering past is well documented and remnants of both form places of interest today. Some sites visitors may enjoy are:

ALL SAINTS CHURCH is considered to be one of New Zealand’s outstanding early buildings. Designed by the Rev F Thatcher, it was pre-fabricated at St John’s College in Auckland and brought to Howick by sea. Completed in November 1847, it was the first building to be erected in Howick, and is one of the oldest churches in New Zealand.

THE GARDEN OF MEMORIES in Uxbridge Road was land originally bequeathed to the council by the late Miss E M Nixon. Today it is used as a memorial to the Tainui Maori of the district and the early European settlers.

SHAMROCK COTTAGE in Selwyn Road, just down from the village, was Howick’s first inn, called “The Royal Hotel”. Built in 1848, it is thought to be the second oldest building in the village, having originally been built as a “wet canteen” (liquor store) for the Fencible soldiers. The cottage was purchased in 1894 by Captain William C Daldy. He gave it its present name, after his first command, the schooner “Shamrock”. This unique building is now used as a restaurant.

HOWICK HISTORICAL VILLAGE. Visitors just love the chance to step back in time and experience the past at this wonderful Fencible settlement located within the boundaries of Lloyd Elsmore Park next to the Pakuranga United Rugby Club. Walk around the seven-acre (2.8ha) site and explore gardens and buildings from the 1840 to 1880 period. There are more than 30 original colonial buildings collected on-site, including schools, a church, forge and general store. Chat to costumed staff in this living museum, or take a break to savour home-style food and real coffee in the neighbouring cafe. The museum, cafe and shop are open 7 days from 10am to 4pm. Closed Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday and Anzac Day.

MUSICK POINT beyond Bucklands Beach on the promontory at the end of Tamaki Estuary was a Maori stronghold until 1821, when the Ngapuhi tribe from the North descended upon the district and decimated the local population. The radio station situated on the point is named after pioneer aviator Captain Edwin C Musick. The point provides spectacular views of the harbour.

STOCKADE HILL, overlooking Howick, has panoramic district and sea views. Women and children slept here at night for several weeks in 1863 when there was fear of Maori attack during the NZ Wars and Bavarian mercenaries, stationed here in 1863, erected a Christmas tree, believed to be one of the first in New Zealand. Howick’s War Memorial stands on Stockade Hill today.

HOWICK BEACH was the landing for the first soldiersettlers. Soon after their arrival, a short wharf was erected by the 58th Regiment for use at high tide only. A longer wharf was built in 1896, when sea transport was still preferable to the rough roads. It was demolished in 1936.

Howick Beach 1910.

Photos courtesy Howick & Districts Historical Society