Point Chevalier
Encyclopedia
Point Chevalier is a suburb
and peninsula
in the west of the city of Auckland
in the north of New Zealand
. It is located five kilometres to the west of the city centre on the southern shore of the Waitemata Harbour
.
The suburb stretches from the town centre / shopping area along its southern edge (on Great North Road, and near the SH16 motorway) to the tip of the peninsula in the north. Its postcode is 1022.
and the campus of Unitec New Zealand
and to the west of the suburb of Western Springs
. It is largely sited on the triangular peninsula, which extends north into the harbour for 1800 metres. The soil is mostly clay without the overlay of volcanic material which covers much of the Auckland isthmus; this means the vegetation of the area is less lush than some of the other suburbs of Auckland.
Visible from Coyle Park is Meola Reef
, which is situated to the east of the Point Chevalier peninsula and bordering the suburb of Westmere
. Meola Reef is an outcrop of black basalt rock which extends some distance north into the Waitemata Harbour
. This is the end of the lava flow emanating from Three Kings
, a volcano several miles south of this area. Formerly a landfill site, it has now been rehabilitated as a park and nature reserve. Other parks in the suburb include Walker Park, Eric Armshaw Reserve and Coyle Park. The latter is located at the northern tip of the peninsula.
and other suburbs in West Auckland
. Following the Second World War, the combination of increased car ownership and the Auckland Harbour Bridge
(1959) resulted in a complete reversal of this activity. The once crowded beach was deserted, and the various businesses that had prospered on the summer trade closed down or relocated. Whilst the tramlines were removed during the 1950s, the broadness of Point Chevalier Road - otherwise atypical for a fairly small suburb - and the paved-over roundabout terminus near Coyle Park both remain as evidence of their presence.
, which gives the suburb an interesting pre-war atmosphere. Rising real estate values have spurred gentrification and subdivision in recent years, particularly north of Meola Road and in locations near to the water. Towards the northern end of the peninsula there are many houses from the postwar period, and a number of larger architect-designed homes have recently appeared close to Point Chevalier Beach.
There is a certain amount of light industry located in the area, especially close to Great North Road.
There is a retirement community Selwyn Village on the western side, overlooking the Waitemata Harbour. This community is run by an Anglican Church Trust and includes self-contained houses and apartments, bed-sits, a hospital, and a chapel.
The main shopping area at the intersection of Point Chevalier Road and Great North Road was developed during the interwar period; the most notable of the buildings here are;
.
. Many students also attend Auckland Girls Grammar School or Mount Albert Grammar School
(co-ed). Roman Catholic students attend St Pauls' College
(boys) or Saint Mary's College
(girls).
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
and peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
in the west of the city of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
in the north of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is located five kilometres to the west of the city centre on the southern shore of the Waitemata Harbour
Waitemata Harbour
The quite famous Waitemata Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is only one of two harbours surrounding the city, and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The Waitemata forms the north...
.
The suburb stretches from the town centre / shopping area along its southern edge (on Great North Road, and near the SH16 motorway) to the tip of the peninsula in the north. Its postcode is 1022.
Geography
The suburb is situated to the north of State Highway 16New Zealand State Highway network
The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
and the campus of Unitec New Zealand
Unitec New Zealand
Unitec Institute of Technology is the largest institute of technology in Auckland, New Zealand with over 23,800 students in 2010....
and to the west of the suburb of Western Springs
Western Springs
Western Springs is a residential suburb and park in the west of the city of Auckland in the north of New Zealand. It is located four kilometres to the west of the city centre, situated to the north of State Highway 16....
. It is largely sited on the triangular peninsula, which extends north into the harbour for 1800 metres. The soil is mostly clay without the overlay of volcanic material which covers much of the Auckland isthmus; this means the vegetation of the area is less lush than some of the other suburbs of Auckland.
Visible from Coyle Park is Meola Reef
Meola Reef
The Meola Reef, or Te Tokaroa Reef in Māori is a lava flow forming a reef peninsula across part of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour, New Zealand. It was formed 20,000 years ago from the final portion of a 10 kilometer long lava flow that originated from the distant Three Kings volcano...
, which is situated to the east of the Point Chevalier peninsula and bordering the suburb of Westmere
Westmere, New Zealand
Westmere is a residential suburb of Auckland City, New Zealand. Westmere is under the local governance of the Auckland City Council. The suburb was originally a working-class area, containing some state houses; mostly private housing originating from housing development in the 1920s.It is known...
. Meola Reef is an outcrop of black basalt rock which extends some distance north into the Waitemata Harbour
Waitemata Harbour
The quite famous Waitemata Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is only one of two harbours surrounding the city, and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The Waitemata forms the north...
. This is the end of the lava flow emanating from Three Kings
Three Kings, New Zealand
Three Kings refers to both a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, and the three-peaked volcano that it is named after. Three Kings should not be confused with the Three Kings Islands, located off the northern tip of New Zealand's North Island.- Suburb :...
, a volcano several miles south of this area. Formerly a landfill site, it has now been rehabilitated as a park and nature reserve. Other parks in the suburb include Walker Park, Eric Armshaw Reserve and Coyle Park. The latter is located at the northern tip of the peninsula.
Early European settlement
Point Chevalier lies on what was the main land route out of Auckland; the Great North Road. Because of this, a military encampment was located here during the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s. The name 'Point Chevalier' comes from Captain George Robert Chevalier (1825 - 1871), a musketry instructor serving in the 65th Regiment, stationed at this camp. The area had a largely rural character up until the period between the two World Wars. On the corner of Alberta Street and Point Chevalier Road is "the old homestead", a 19th-century farmhouse now used as a community centre.As summer destination
Coyle Park and Point Chevalier Beach were popular destinations for family outings during the interwar period, particularly in summer. Tramlines ran down Point Chevalier Road to Coyle Park, near the beach; during summer, special trams were laid on during summer to transport people from Grey Lynn, while buses brought others from Mount AlbertMount Albert, New Zealand
Mount Albert is a volcanic peak and suburban area in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb was Auckland's second, after Remuera, and was mostly settled by well-off families in the late 1800s and early 1900s...
and other suburbs in West Auckland
West Auckland
West Auckland is a village in County Durham, in North East England. It is situated to the west of Bishop Auckland, on the A688 road.It is not known exactly when West Auckland was first inhabited, but there is evidence of Auckland West in the history of St. Cuthbert in the 11th century...
. Following the Second World War, the combination of increased car ownership and the Auckland Harbour Bridge
Auckland Harbour Bridge
The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane box truss motorway bridge over the Waitemata Harbour, joining St Marys Bay in Auckland with Northcote in North Shore City, New Zealand. The bridge is part of State Highway 1 and the Auckland Northern Motorway...
(1959) resulted in a complete reversal of this activity. The once crowded beach was deserted, and the various businesses that had prospered on the summer trade closed down or relocated. Whilst the tramlines were removed during the 1950s, the broadness of Point Chevalier Road - otherwise atypical for a fairly small suburb - and the paved-over roundabout terminus near Coyle Park both remain as evidence of their presence.
Architecture and landmarks
The houses of the area are predominantly 1920s Californian Bungalows and 1930s & 1940s Art DecoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
, which gives the suburb an interesting pre-war atmosphere. Rising real estate values have spurred gentrification and subdivision in recent years, particularly north of Meola Road and in locations near to the water. Towards the northern end of the peninsula there are many houses from the postwar period, and a number of larger architect-designed homes have recently appeared close to Point Chevalier Beach.
There is a certain amount of light industry located in the area, especially close to Great North Road.
There is a retirement community Selwyn Village on the western side, overlooking the Waitemata Harbour. This community is run by an Anglican Church Trust and includes self-contained houses and apartments, bed-sits, a hospital, and a chapel.
The main shopping area at the intersection of Point Chevalier Road and Great North Road was developed during the interwar period; the most notable of the buildings here are;
- The former cinema, (1920s designed by Sinclair O'Connor) later known as the 'Ambassador' theatre (currently the Ambassador Bar).
- ASB Bank: Great North Road. This small neo-classical building is one of the many buildings commissioned by the Auckland Savings Bank from the architect Daniel B. Patterson. Similar buildings appear in Auckland suburban centres and in provincial towns throughout the Auckland Province.
- The current Point Chevalier Public Library was opened nearby in 1989.
- The former Whau Lunatic AsylumWhau Lunatic AsylumWhau Lunatic Asylum was a psychiatric hospital on the Oakley Farm Estate in Point Chevalier, Auckland, New...
. To the south of Great North Road, across State Highway 16New Zealand State Highway networkThe New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
, lies the former psychiatric hospitalPsychiatric hospitalPsychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
. This imposing brick Italianate/Romanesque structure was the largest building in the colony when it was built. Construction began in 1865, supervised by James Wrigley using plans from Great Britain. Dr Pollen's brickworks supplied the bricks. Following a fire in 1877, the reconstruction and extension of the hospital was supervised by Philip Herepath. Notorious as the "Oakley Mental Hospital" and "Carrington Hospital", it was decommissioned during the early 1990s. The buildings are now used as a school, part of the campus of Unitec New ZealandUnitec New ZealandUnitec Institute of Technology is the largest institute of technology in Auckland, New Zealand with over 23,800 students in 2010....
.
Association football
Point Chevalier is home to Western Springs AFC who compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2
The Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2 is a New Zealand Association football semi-professional status league competition that is run by the Auckland Football Federation and includes soccer clubs located in the northern part of the North Island, New Zealand. It is open to clubs from the Northland,...
.
Education
Pt Chevalier is served by a large co-ed State secondary school, Western Springs CollegeWestern Springs College
Western Springs College is a co-educational state secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches students from years 9 to 13 and is located near both Western Springs Park and Auckland Zoo...
. Many students also attend Auckland Girls Grammar School or Mount Albert Grammar School
Mount Albert Grammar School
Mount Albert Grammar School, or MAGS, is a co-educational secondary school in Central Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches from year 9 to year 13. Mount Albert Grammar is one of the largest secondary schools in the country...
(co-ed). Roman Catholic students attend St Pauls' College
St. Paul's College, Auckland
St Paul's College is a college for year 7 to 13 boys and offers a Catholic education to its students. It is located in the central Auckland suburb of Ponsonby. The school originates from 1903 when the Marist Brothers opened Sacred Heart College, Auckland on the site...
(boys) or Saint Mary's College
Saint Mary's College Auckland
St Mary's College is a year 7 - 13 integrated Catholic girls' high school situated at 11 New Street, Ponsonby, Auckland.-History:St Mary’s College is the oldest existing secondary school for girls in Auckland and one of the oldest existing schools in New Zealand...
(girls).
External links
- The Point Chevalier Hub (a private, nonprofit website about Point Chevalier)