The 100th for Auckland Town Hall

Updated 13 September 2024.

The grand old dame of Auckland's CBD, the Town Hall, was recently open to guided tours led by George Farrant, Auckland Council's heritage advisor (and the expert when it comes to the 1994-1997 restoration), plus an open day, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the building's official opening on 14 December 1911.

The apex of land at the junction of Greys Avenue and Queen Street on which the Town Hall sits had been set aside as a reserve right from the period of original Crown Grant land sales in the 1840s, just as the land on the other side of what was to become Grey Street, much later (20th century) Greys Avenue was optimistically declared a Market Reserve. After the filling of the gully through which Te Waihorotiu flowed, that site later became that of the Auckland Market Building, then a carpark, then the Aotea Square. But the apex reserve seemed to be a bit of a cinderella for most of the 19th century.

The apex reserve in the 1860s (centre) with Queen Street in the foreground, and Grey Street heading up the ridge towards Pitt Street. The Army and Naval Hotel can be seen at the far left -- this later became part of the Town Hall's site. Ref. 4-53, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

A pine plantation existed at the apex reserve land from at most the late 1860s to around 1900, along with a fire bell tower from 1871. The site of today’s Auckland Town Hall was once where the proprietors of the Army and Navy Hotel (c.1864-1884) did business, along with Evitt’s Building (c.1864-1908) which became Penzholz’s wickerwork factory before demolition in the 20th century. 

From after 1871 (July 1871 is when the Council decided to erect a firebell tower at the foot of Grey Street, according to the Auckland Star.) The pine plantation is well-established in this image. This could date from 1883. Ref. 4-54, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

The suggestion of the site on the apex between Grey and Queen Street as suitable for a Town Hall was first raised in 1872, and decided upon in 1873. In the early 1880s legislation was passed empowering the Council to purchase land for such a project, so gradually from that time private owners sold their land adjoining the apex site to the Council – and the project was on.

Both images from the Observer, 14 October 1893.

Even so, many alternative sites for the Town Hall were proposed, even as late as 1907, but Council had reaffirmed the choice of the Queen Street-Grey Street site in 1905, and stuck to their guns.

Auckland Weekly News, 21 March 1907. J J and E J Clark's winning design for the Town Hall. Ref. AWNS-19070321-2-2, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

The winning entry in a competition for the building’s design was that of the Melbourne architectural firm of J.J. and E.J. Clark. The building’s design, combined with the location, prompted criticism, one critic describing it as “a deformed wedge of cheese or a decrepit flat-iron”. Nevertheless, critique aside, the contract for the building’s construction was signed in October 1908, and the foundations were completed by 1 April 1909, along with the cellar walls as far as the lower ground floor. 

From Auckland Weekly News, 2 December 1909, looking south towards the Karangahape Road ridge. Queen Street is left, Grey Street to the right. The construction of the Concert Hall (left) and the Great Hall (right) can be seen, along with the brickwork (foreground) of part of the South Light Well area. The future municipal offices and Council Chambers would be in the section directly at the bottom of the image, out of shot. Ref. AWNS_19091202_p001_i002, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

From Auckland Weekly News, 7 April 1910. The Queen Street worksite for construction of the Town Hall. Must have been a heck of a difficult mission travelling up Queen Street past all that! Ref. AWNS-19100407-13-1, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

1910, showing the blocks of Oamaru Stone used as facing for the building being placed above the level of Melbourne basalt. During restoration, Council went to great lengths to match this stone as exactly as possible when replacing exterior ornamentations taken down in preceding years. According to George Farrant, this including a quarry worker in Oamaru abseiling down the face of the quarry, taking samples. 2-V1409, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

The architectural style of the building is a free treatment of the classic. The material used for the facades is "Oamaru" stone with a bluestone base. For the main Queen and Grey streets fronts a columnar method of design has been adopted. These two elevations terminate at the apex formed by the junction of the two streets in a segmental colonnade, surmounted by a tower 18 feet square and 130 feet high, with provision for 9 feet diameter clock dials. In front of this colonnade is a terrace enclosed by a stone balustrade with provision for a statue at the extreme angle. A feature of the construction of the building is the arrangement of the foundations. The great depth of a good rocky stratum necessitated a special treatment. Accordingly concrete piers have been carried down at intervals to the rock and the spaces spanned by concrete beams cairying the walls. All these beams are reinforced with "Kahn" steel bars. This method of piers and beams has been used by the architects, Messrs. Clark, in several important buildings in Australia ...

Progress, 1909.

From Progress, 1 May 1909, showing east and west elevations of the Town Hall.

Auckland Weekly News, 2 February 1911. The dome being carefully hoisted to the top of the clock tower. Ref. AWNS-19110202-12-5, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

The clock in the tower was donated by former mayor Arthur Myers.

The building opened on 14 December 1911, with “the celebrations extending into a week of cultural bacchanalia.” The first public show was by the Huddersfield Bellringers Band, “direct from the London Hippodrome”.

From the Observer, 18 December 1911

The difference in level between Queen and Gray streets, makes an upper and a lower ground floor. The great hall is situated on the lower floor, level with Grey street, and adjacent to it is a large supper room under the small hall, which is on a level with Queen street. These halls are arranged so as to be en suite with the Mayor's rooms for the convenience of public receptions. They have ample escape doors direct into the street. The public staircases and landings throughout will be fireproof. Every convenience has been provided in the way of dressing rooms and lavatories, both for performers and the public, and the retiring and cloak rooms will be most commodious, and there is a large smoke room. In connection with the supper room is a large kitchen and serving room conveniently placed at one end and arranged so as to provide for the largest functions.

Progress 1909

Some sources put the value of the original construction of the Town Hall at around £126,000. If so, in today's terms, that's nearly $20M. (Amusingly, the Auckland City Harbour News of 21 December this year, reporting on the centenary, simply doubled the 1911 figure, changed it to dollars, and then described it as "around half the average price of a house in Auckland today." Another Auckland heritage fallacy is born ...)  The restoration work in 1994-1997 cost around $33M (according to the ACHN), strengthening areas like the floors you see here, applying a special U-shaped truss to the Great Hall, and going a lot of extra miles to try to recreate the same tiling patterns and even carpet designs as they were before alterations and modernising in the mid 20th century.

Up above, impossible to notice with the eye, thin carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer strips were glued to the underside of the concrete slab floors. This strengthened the floors, without significantly adding to the depth.

The main entrance to both halls is in Queen street, a grand staircase 12 feet wide leading down to a large crush room off which are the cloak rooms before mentioned. Above the entrance vestibule is a large promenade and lounge on the level of the galleries. 

 Progress 1909

The flooring was the topic of an anecdote George Farrant told those of us on the 15 December morning tour. Apparently, one kind of brown tile eluded the team while they were trying to find a match for what remained of the original flooring. Then, in a McDonalds of all places, brown tiles were spotted. A piece uplifted carefully from the Town Hall was hurriedly taken to the restaurant, compared, and found to be a match with the one specially made for the restaurant chain. With McDonalds' assistance, the Council were able to source a supplier for the tiles -- and fill in some of the gaps back at the Town Hall.

Through this post, you'll see I've taken photos of windows, especially like these, showing wonderful Art Nouveau patterns. I'd noticed, while walking through the various areas, that each part of the Town Hall had different patterned windows, unique to each chamber or area.

The small hall comprises a ground floor and gallery, accommodating together 800 persons and 150 in the chorus gallery. The galleries of the two halls are constructed on the most up-to-date principles, being carried by steel cantilevers, thus leaving the ends of the halls free from obstruction both for seeing and dancing. 

 Progress 1909

The Concert Hall's windows.

Auckland Weekly News, 21 March 1907. Impression of what the Great Hall might look like, probably from the Clark & Clark  design. Ref. AWNS-19070321-3-1, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

Auckland Weekly News, 2 January 1935. Civic reception in the Great Hall for the visit of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. Ref. AWNS-19350102-41-1, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

The great hall includes a ground floor. balcony and gallery, the whole capable of seating 3000 persons, exclusive of 350 in the chorus and orchestra. The organ space provides for an organ which will be the largest in New Zealand, the electric apparatus of which will be situated in the cellar underneath. The orchestra platform is made to slide under the choir front, thus giving more dancing space on the main floor when required, making a total area of 122 feet by 75.

Progress 1909

The Great Hall was where I was inundated by nostalgic memories. Back at primary and intermediate school, I was a member of school choirs. Now, I am not a great singer. Mainly, I think I was included because, although the musical side of my voice wasn't in anyway magical, I had a lot of lung power, and therefore could control volume. (These days, I don't sing in public, I talk there instead). But -- I did, at least once, perform during a concert of massed choirs from a lot of other schools in the Great Hall here. I think I was standing just to the left of the organ pipes, on one of those wooden steps.

Another time, I was here on a school trip to listen to the Vienna Boys Choir. That time, we were seated up here, in the seats photographed just above.

Two more occasions that came to mind -- sitting down there, listening in 1975, probably November that year, to Robert Muldoon charging up the troops of National Party supporters towards his victory in that year's election. Banners, balloons, a lot of music and noise. His state funeral was held here in 1992.

And in the 1980s, attending PSA union meetings, deciding on what steps to take during government service restructuring. I don't think any other building in the central city, aside from perhaps the library and council archives complex, holds so many memory triggers for me as does the Auckland Town Hall.

16 September 1920. The Great Hall laid out for a meeting of the Auckland Orphan Club (which had the intriguing motto: "All Ye Who Enter Here, Abandon Care." Ref. 4-1796, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

The original 1911 organ was donated by another former mayor, Henry (later Sir Henry) Brett, also well-known as a journalist, as the man behind the Auckland Star, and as a historian in his own right. The organ was largely replaced by a redesign and installation of 4000 new pipes in 1970. The original look of the 1911 organ was restored from 2010, costing around $3.5M.

16 September 1920, apparently taken on the same day as the previous historic image. Ref. 4-1798. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

The rear windows to the Great Hall now blocked off.

A couple of up-close views of the organ.

The north (plain brick) and south (painted brick) lightwells were originally open to the air, to provide ventilation spaces for the performance halls section to the south, and the municipal offices section to the north. During the 1990s restoration, with the installation of air conditioning replacing the need for air ventilators, the lightwells were sealed in.

Up until relatively recently, this was the Council meeting chamber. Another memory of mine, coming here just a few years ago, during the first of John Banks' two terms as Mayor. I'm not sure I recall exactly what the issue was that brought me here, but I remember sitting in the public gallery, listening to the councillors.

A mayoral chair?

The grand building in 1920. Ref. 1093-ALBUM-214-5, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

I'll do another post shortly about some of the objects of interest in the Town Hall.

Sarah Mathew's scrapbook

Caricature of Felton Mathew, Sarah's husband, and first surveyor general of New Zealand, from Sarah's scrapbook, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, ref. no. NZMS 81.

The Sir George Grey Special Collections at Auckland Libraries have digitised the scrapbook of Sarah Mathew. It seems that Sarah, baptised in 1805, kept the scrapbook for most of her long life (she died in 1890). Along the way, she gathered samples of flowers, lithograph prints, sketches, descriptions of the world (there's a bit in there about Hong Kong, 1842), something written by one of those who died at the 1843 Wairau affray -- in all, this is a lovely glimpse into a by-gone time. What interested Sarah so much that she wanted to keep it -- the feathers from a favourite bird, killed by a dog. Sea weed. Flowers from various places. The skeletal remains of leaves.

Worth a look.

A convenience preserved?

Further to A Matter of Convenience -- earlier post on the endangered Rosebank Road loos at Avondale which date from 1942.

It's a bit early to celebrate just yet, but the Whau Local Board decided on 13 December to look into upgrading the building, getting rid of the public toilet facilities at the front, putting a new frontage on, and converting the building's shell into a community facility. It will take a considerable sum of money, including consultant's fees, to do it (whereas demolition is a snip at $30,000 or so) but -- I'm very pleased that folks at Council and on the Local Board have taken my appeals earlier this year on behalf of the Avondale-Waterview Historical on board and considered what might be done to enhance our community with the building, instead of straight out demolish and sell.

The news is a nice Christmas present for Avondale. But, as I said, the chickens can't all be counted yet. If the costs prove too high, compared to the benefits, if a tenant community group can't be found, well -- things will just have to go the way of the wrecking equipment. Next year will be interesting.

Evolving Auckland

Back on 29 November, I was invited to the launch of Evolving Auckland: The City's Engineering Heritage at the Auckland Library. So often there are disappointments when it comes to professionally-produced books about Auckland's local or other history just lately -- but not with this book.

Be under no misapprehension that I've been paid to include good words on this book here on the blog -- I paid for my copy at the due price the night of the launch (just before proceedings, actually, thanks to John La Roche, as there weren't too many copies available at that point), then found a corner of the carpet to plonk myself down on, and started sifting through it. After the first few pages, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with this. Actually, it couldn't be pried from my hands ...

Edited by John La Roche, written in chapters by him and a team of experts in engineering history, this contains a broad range of topics within its 335 pages, so therefore can't be mistaken for any kind of be-all and end-all on any of them. But it will give you a taste of that broad range. In quite a few instances, more a feast than a taste of detail and endeavour. It will give you enough information to appreciate what exists around us today -- and if you're inclined, the lists of resources at the end of the chapters will lead you on for more.

Chapter topics include:

• Auckland's water supply, wastewater and North Shore sewerage
• Development of Auckland's Ports
• Roads and motorways
• Ferries, trams and railways
• Bridges - Auckland Harbour, Grafton, Mangere, Newmarket Viaduct and Tamaki River
• Telecommunications, Musick Point Radio Station, Warkworth Satellite Earth Station and COMPAC Submarine Telephone Cable System
• Walsh Brothers Flying School, and Auckland International Airport
• Albert Barracks Wall, Albert Park Air Raid Shelters, North Head defences, Stony Batter on Waiheke Island, and the Mt Eden CAC Shot Tower
• Auckland Gas Company, City Destructor and Electricity
• Glenbrook steelworks, Chelsea Sugar Works, Winstone's Lunn Avenue Quarry, Kawau Mining, and the Cement Works of Northland
• Heritage Buildings: Auckland Town Hall, High Court, Civic Theatre, War Memorial Museum, Chief Post Office, City Art Gallery, and Sky Tower.

Copies available from Wily Publications.

Jono in the comments below has reminded me of the IPENZ database -- an excellent site for heritage info.

Counting heads: tracing the Shortland Street corbels of Anton Teutenberg

When I see the word corbel, I think of these -- scroll-decorated, garlanded bits of masonry jutting out from the face of buildings. Auckland has, however, a set of very precious corbels, cast away from their original home by demolition in the mid 1930s, and still on somewhat of an odyssey in the city even today.

The first time I saw them was some years ago while visiting the Auckland War Memorial Museum. On display at the ground floor, in behind the Maori Hall, are these:

According to the interpretive panel that is a far distance away from these:

"Heads.

Bishop Selwyn, Gargoyle, Hone Heke, Duke and Duchess of Kent. - stone

Anton Teutenberg carved several portrait heads and corbels to decorate the exterior of the Shortland Street Post Office. Teutenberg is said to have learned to carve wood with a pocket knife during his voyage to New Zealand. The sculptures included members of the English royal family and Maori chiefs and their families as well as colonial administrators."

These days, since finding out more about other exhibits at the Museum like that of Te Toki a Tapiri, I take such information with a grain of salt. These panels are only as good as the information available, after all. But -- I recalled those heads when I came upon these:

On a visit to the Auckland office of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (who very kindly gave me permission to photograph the above heads) -- I came upon Teutenberg's work. Up close, without having to peer through display gallery gloom. The staff at the office confirmed these were Teutenberg heads from off the long-gone post office in Shortland Street. What got to me, though, was the question -- how could they be there, when the Museum had theirs? I did wonder whether I had imagined things at the Museum. So, I emailed the NZHPT for more info as to how they got these two at least. That led to Judy Grieves, Mid Northern Area Coordinator for NZHPT, pulling the file and offering to leave it at the desk for me to have a read. Which I did, yesterday. (My thanks to the staff at the Auckland office, by the way.)

As happens so often around here with a Timespanner topic -- I just kept being more and more intrigued. Asking more questions. Deciding that it was worth tracking between the NZHPT office, the Auckland War Memorial Museum display areas, their Museum Library (my thanks also to the very helpful staff there, who dug up some archive information for me), the Auckland Research Centre at the city central library for the Auckland Scrapbook information and newspaper reels -- and dear old Papers Past here at home.

The story begins with Ferdinand Anton Nicolaus Teutenberg, who arrived here from Westphalia, Germany, in 1866. According to J R Duncan:

Soon after his arrival Teutenberg received a commission to carve heads for the Supreme Court building being erected under the supervision of architect Edward Rumsey. He had carved a piece of filigree woodwork for the captain of the Rob Roy, who had shown this work to Rumsey. For 15s. a day he carved six major heads in stone – a medium he had never before handled – and a number of gargoyles, along with a series of wooden heads for the gallery of the court room. He was next invited to sculpt heads for the post office building in Shortland Street, but now asked and received 20s. a day. He carved 11 heads in stone, five of them Maori, and a line of corbels showing the spread of the British Empire.

There is a slight error there -- for the Shortland Street Post Office, which was Auckland's Central Post Office from 1868 until the Queen Street building took over in 1912, Teutenberg carved ten heads, not eleven. Considering the twists and turns of the saga of the corbel heads which you'll see, though -- I'm not surprised that such a mistake has crept into the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography as well.

From 1905. "Looking west along Shortland Street showing the corner of Queen Street (far left), Victoria Arcade (right) and Shortland Street Post Office (centre), pedestrians, horse and carts, man on horseback," reference 4-2415, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Council Libraries.

I really wish I could have seen this building. The Shortland Street Post Office, actually starting out as a combined government building for both Customs and the post and telegraph services, was begun in 1866, expected to be complete by July 1867, but actually took until around April 1868. But the Southern Cross on 3 January 1868 was extremely positive.

This massive and magnificent building… is approaching completion, and will be ready for occupation in about two months hence. The site is convenient, and occupies about the same area as the new Supreme Court-house. The edifice is constructed on a solid scoria basement of red pressed brick, with stone finishings, and is in the Gothic style of architecture. The front to Fort-street comprises the principal entrance to the Custom-house, and the portion of the building set apart for telegraph offices. On the extreme right and left are entrances leading through to Shortland-street, and from which access is had to the bonded stores, which cover an area of about 4,000 superficial feet. These entrances also give access for the receiving and delivery of foreign letters. The letters are raised by a lift and taken to the sorting-room, and there is a "lift" on the extreme left of the building by which they are lowered into the basement storey. In the basement storey, to the left, are the strong rooms in connection with the Custom-house and Post-office, constructed of solid scoria masonry, the walls being about 2 feet 6 inches in thickness. They are secured with strong iron doors. There is also a bonded store for tobacco … 

The entrance to the Post-office is from Shortland-street. There are three flights of steps leading to a spacious corridor of five arches. The ceiling of the corridor is constructed of kauri, varnished, and is of ornamental design. The terminations of corbels, from which the moulded ribs of ceiling spring, are enriched by foliage and nondescripts … 

The facade fronting this street is in the Gothic style. The ground floor consists of five arches, surmounted in the upper floor with two-light pointed windows. The front is surmounted with an ornamental corbelled parapet. There are a number of finely-carved figure-heads ornamenting the façade, representing the Queen, Prince Albert, Prince of Wales, Empress Alexandra, the Governor, the Bishop of New Zealand, chief Paul, the late chief William Thompson, and another celebrated native chief and his wife. This noble building forms an important and handsome addition to our street architecture, and will be highly ornamental to the part of the city where it stands. It has been erected from designs prepared by Mr. E. Rumsey, architect, and under his superintendence. Mr. Farrow is clerk of works, and Mr U Hurrell, foreman.

Note particularly the part I have made bold. Somehow, when research into the Teutenberg heads was carried out in the following two centuries, no one mentions this Southern Cross article. Even the NZ Herald's report from 4 April 1868 (according to Auckland Museum archives) said:

"... carved corbels representing the faces of illustrious and well known personages as Her Majesty and the late Prince Consort, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Sir George Grey, and the Bishop of New Zealand; the Chiefs Tamihana, and Paora of Orakei, all of which are excellent likenesses."

By 1936, the Auckland Star was guessing who the heads were meant to represent. The article "History in Stone" and its accompanying captioned illustrations which appeared 15 February that year, has influenced identifiers of the Teutenberg corbel heads from the old Post Office ever since -- and not necessarily in the right direction.

This was the first sign that things were going awry. The Star assumed that this was Te Hira Te Kawau, son of Apihai Te Kawau of Ngati Whatua. But -- Te Hira did not succeed his father until the latter died in 1869, a year after the building was completed. 

Both the Southern Cross and the NZ Herald in 1868 identified one of the heads as being a likeness of Wiremu Tamihana ("William Thompson"), also known as the Kingmaker, who was very well-known when Teutenberg prepared his carvings. His death in 1866 would have been a current event at the time.

Wiremu Tamihana Tarapipipi Te Waharoa with a double barreled shot-gun, 1863, Reference Number: 1/2-019840-F, Alexander Turnbull Library. 

According to the NZHPT file, the Trust holds this carving, but they have also misidentified it as that of Te Hira Te Kawau.

This one is correct (apart from the spelling), and is the Maori head currently displayed at the NZHPT Auckland office -- the one that started this hunt for me. Paora Tuhaere, known as "Paul" to the European settlers in 1866-1868, was a prominent Ngati Whatua chief.

Paora Tuhaere, [ca 1875]. Ref 1/2-073329-F. Paora Tuhaere, with a moko, circa 1875. He wears a Maori cloak. Photographer unidentified. Alexander Turnbull Library. 

Another one that hasn't been misidentified. Hard to miss the distinctive features of Governor Sir George Grey. This is held by NZHPT today.

Correct, also. This is on display at the NZHPT Auckland office (see top).

Held at the Auckland Museum, who correctly identify this head as Bishop George Augustus Selwyn, the NZHPT list still identifies it as Edward Gibbon Wakefield. Considering Wakefield's impact on the founding of the Wellington settlement, and Auckland still smarting from 1865 over losing the right to call ourselves the capital of the colony in favour of that southern city -- this was not a good guess on the part of the Star.

Bishop Selwyn, 1875, from Wikipedia.

Correct -- Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, husband to Queen Victoria. This one is at the Museum and is on display -- but they call him the Duke of Kent ...

NZHPT have this one correctly identified, however.

Prince Albert, 1848. From Wikipedia.

Why would the Star have surmised that this was a Duke of Kent (and his wife, the Duchess, below)? The one almost holding that title at the time of the building of the post office was Queen Victoria's son, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (he was Earl of Kent). But if the dashing and famous Prince Alfred had been included, that would have been the name included in the Southern Cross and the Herald in 1868. Late in the 20th century, in a bit of a scramble to make sense of things, it was theorised that this one, and the one below, were Queen Victoria's parents.

But really -- I'd go with what the two newspapers said, contemporary to the completion of the post office: these are of Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and his (then) relatively new bride, Princess Alexandra of Denmark.

Engagement photo, 1862. From Wikipedia.

A younger Alexandra. Notice the ringlets -- a feature Teutenberg tried to capture.

Today, misidentified both by NZHPT and the Museum, the head is on display at the latter.

We are down to the two described by the Southern Cross in 1868 as "another celebrated native chief and his wife."

The Auckland Star identified this one as representing Motire Toha, but for some reason the part about "a celebrated chief and his wife" was missed. As NZHPT also identify this one as Motire Toha (and, with no images yet found, I can't say whether that is correct or not, so I'll accept it for now), this means the tenth corbel head in the set is that of her husband, Kati Takiwaru, younger brother of Potatau Te Wherowhero, the first Maori King. Kati Takiwaru was associated with the Maori settlement at Mangere along with Tamati Ngapora, and is buried there.

A beautiful tombstone has just been completed by Buchanan Bros., stonecutters, to the order of Government, to be erected at Mangere over the grave of Kati Takiwaru, an influential chief who died a few days ago. He was younger brother to Te Wheoro, who is at present so useful in negotiating between the King Natives and Government. The monument has the following inscription : —

"Sacred to the memory of Kati Takiwaru, a chief of the Waikato, and younger brother of Te Wheoro-Wheoro, who, with his children and grandchildren, descendants of Tapene their ancestor, is buried in this tomb. This stone is raised to their memory by the Government of New Zealand, during the administration of George Grey, Premier, and John Sheehan, Native Minister, in the month of September, 1878." 

 Christchurch Star, 15 November 1878

Angas, George French 1822-1886 :Te Werowero, or Potatau the principal chief of all Waikato. Te Waru, principal chief of the Nga Ti Apakura tribe. Te Pakaru, principal chief of the Nga Ti Maniapoto tribe. George French Angas delt & lith. Plate 44. 184

Images of Potatau Te Wherowhero are few and far between. This illustration (seated left, from the Alexander Turnbull Library, ref. PUBL-0014-44) indicates wavy, curly hair as in the Teutenberg head -- but the sculpture could just as easily be his younger brother (for whom there are no available images).

Matire Toha wasn't married to Potatau Te Wherowhero, so that identification isn't correct. She wasn't married to Hone Heke either, but that didn't stop the head being identified as such in the 1960s by NZHPT's Auckland committee.

The list at NZHPT doesn't include the Kati Takiwaru scuplture, but I'd say it may well be in their safe-keeping. They do hold the one identified as Matire Toha, his wife.

The main Teutenberg corbel heads from the Post Office, possibly along with as many of 12 smaller sculptures from the building, had been intended for the Old Colonists' Museum.

"In 12 smaller ones the artist has simply let his fancy run: two are of women in bonnets and the rest mostly of bearded warriors. The remaining four are grotesque animal heads, two having drainpipes issuing from their mouths. In any event it is to be hoped that the rest of the sculptures will be preserved in the Old Colonists' Museum or elsewhere as relics of early Auckland."

 NZ Herald 11 January 1936

The Museum has three gargoyles, NZHPT one (on an uncut block). Above are two of the Museum's gargoyles -- the top misidentified as Hone Heke. Why, I just don't know ... perhaps because of the tongue sticking out? Could just as much be some cheeky larrikin. The identification, without evidence, is dubious.

The Old Colonists' Museum (site of the City Art Gallery today) never received the sculptures. For some reason or other, they ended up stored in the basement of the Auckland Town Hall. This came to the attention of the Auckland Committee of what was then the National Historic Places Trust, who wrote on 29 May 1957 to the Council's Town Clerk enquiring about them. In response, A J Dickson, City Engineer and Director of Works, advised that they would be stored carefully so as not to cause damage, and that the committee could go along to inspect them. This meant shifting the sculptures to a works depot at Freemans Bay. The Committee applied to the Council for them to take over care of the sculptures, and the Council agreed on 19 August that year. The committee immediately entered into discussions with the Supreme Court, to obtain space for the sculptures there.

On 21 November 1960, Basil King, secretary to the committee, wrote to the Council:

... my committee have made arrangements for six stone heads from the City Depot to be mounted in the vestibule of the Supreme Court, the actual work being in the care of Mr E A Lawry, member of the Committee and a registered architect in practice in Auckland.

At its last meeting the Committee considered what might be the best thing to do with the balance of the heads, some of which are not seriously damaged. It was thought that a few could, with advantage, be used in City parks and reserves as it would seem difficult to justify them being deposited in some dump.

It was also thought that after the City had made use of those it required, perhaps the rest might be offered to Citizens of Auckland who might be interested and could use them as garden ornaments.

E A Lawry worked with Draffin & Lawry, architects. The sculptures were worked on by Parkinson's monumental masons.

F J Gwilliam the Town Clerk replied that the Director of Parks viewed them as unsuitable for the City's parks, but that the committee might go ahead on its own behalf with the idea of offering Aucklanders a piece of Teutenberg sculpture (I'm presuming they meant the lesser gargoyle ones) as "garden ornaments."

24 October 1962, the committee wrote to the Registrar of the Supreme Court.

... suitable pedestals are now ready to support eight sculptured heads of European and Maori notable persons of a century ago. They will stand about shoulder high ... A suitable legend explaining these personalities will be attached to each piece of statuary to inform the public of the historical merit of the display. 

The sculptures on display were:
Queen Victoria;
"The Prince Regent" (actually, Albert was correctly the Prince Consort);
Sir George Grey;
"Edward Gibbon Wakefield" (actually, Bishop Selwyn);
"Hira Te Kawau" (actually, Wiremu Tamihana);
Paora Tuhaere;
Potatau Te Wherowhero (actually, more likely his brother Kati Takiwaru);
and Matiri Toha.

If the committee did install "legends" beneath the sculptures, 50% of them would have been in error.

By February 1963, the committee already had the heads on display -- in Milne and Coyce's Queen Street windows (at a time of a Royal Visit). By April, the Supreme Court advised they only had space to display six of the heads. The committee asked if the other four could be stored in the court's basement for the time being. By February 1964, the number to be mounted at the Supreme Court had dropped to five; the committee contacted the Auckland Institute and Museum, asking if they would accept a donation of two of the other heads, "one Maori chief and one Maori woman". These may have been Wiremu Tamihana and Matiri Toha. The Museum apparently accepted -- but access to the court basement was blocked off due to renovations for three months. The committee asked the Museum to wait.

In the end, after the renovations were completed, six heads went up on display at the Supreme Court -- and the Museum ended up obtaining four: "Wakefield" (Bishop Selwyn), Prince Albert, "Duchess of Kent" (Princess Alexandra), Wiremu Tamihana, and Matiri Toha, judging by the images of the six the committee held onto for the Supreme Court display. (Herald, 18 July 1963)  This lasted into at least the early 1970s.

At some point since then, though, the Museum and NZHPT have entered into a 20 year loan agreement for four of the heads and three of the surviving gargoyles to be located at the Museum -- although, with the confusion between "Wakefield" and Bishop Selwyn, it isn't entirely clear from the NZHPT list compiled perhaps much more recently which heads the Museum actually does or doesn't have: the whereabouts of that of Kati Takiwaru (identified publicly as both Potatau Te Wherowhero and Hone Hika by NZHPT in the 20th century) isn't recorded.

I think, perhaps, the sculptures should cease to be so divided between the two institutions, and go to where it was intended that they be: the Auckland Art Gallery, the site of the Old Colonists' Museum, and a place where the set could be together, instead of splitting Queen Victoria from her beloved Albert (she would not be amused at such an arrangement!), and King Edward VII from his Alexandra. The ten heads faced Shortland Street from beside and beneath the entry arches of the old Post Office from 1867-68 until 1936.

I think they should be together again.

With all their correct names. Please.

Miramar Gasworks Tramway

Gas works at Miramar, Wellington, 1920s. The words `Wellington Gas Co Ltd' are upon the gates in the foreground. Photograph taken by Sydney Charles Smith. Ref. 1/1-024844-G, Alexander Turnbull Library.

Andrew sent a link through earlier this month to a great well-illustrated and fact-chocked webpage by Steve Cook on the Miramar Gasworks Tramway in Wellington. Worth checking out.