The above photo of the headstone for George Hemus and his second wife Margaret comes from David Hemus, a great-grandnephew of George Hemus, ...

An update from here. The Western Leader published my wee letter. I'll go back to my hole and quit being a pedantic old history buff, f...

The house is nearing completion with restoration and renovation work underway by the new owners. It's almost always intrigued me, and ...

We have next to no comprehension in these days of household letterboxes and business post boxes, where mail is delivered for your convenienc...

For a while, in the first decade of the 20th century, the air close to the mouth of Oakley Creek (near the motorway) was probably full of fe...

Our Great Southern Land is, by definition of the title alone, an Aussie blog and primarily concerning bits of Australian history. But, ther...

An update to earlier post . It began in February 1883, with ... "A public meeting was held on Thursday evening at the Mount Albert ...

François Rayer , New Windsor’s viticulturalist, died in 1883 – tragically before his project’s goal could be realised. As the Weekly News p...

You may wonder why I'm delighted to have found this site, Heritage Help , on the web just now. Well, I like finding NZ local history web...

This is from Heart of the Whau (2003): Oddfellows Lodge: On 30 September 1903, the Avondale Oddfellows Lodge opened and started meeting in ...

On the subject of Whau Bridges and their number ... I've just found again a clipping from the Star of April 1887. I find it remarkable...

Captain Robert James of Mt Albert and New Windsor (see "Fruit from the Scoria" ) donated 60 pinus insignis (Monterey Pine, now p...

Image from DP 192, Land Information of New Zealand records J. T. Diamond in Once the Wilderness termed this part of the Whau River area &qu...

Image from Wikipedia . Elizabeth Yates is best known as the first female mayor of a borough anywhere in the British Empire, in 1893. Elected...

In early November 1918, just as Aucklanders were looking forward to an end to hostilities as far as the First World War to end all wars was ...

I think I must have been asleep when this question was answered ... In yesterday's Western Leader , a brief article was published on the...

The two sets of track are now in place on the west side of Blockhouse Bay Road, between the bridge at Crayford Street at least. Proof of the...

The Battle of Puketutu, from NZETC. Details of the battle at Omapere at the link. I spotted this in the Auckland Star , 17 March 1890. Sold...

On the corner of New North Road and Blockhouse Bay Road, outside the Avondale Baptist Church (now called The Intersection), there is a decor...

Well, despite my quaky trepidations over the past couple of days, I fronted up today before a gathering of 25 at the Pt Chevalier Community ...