Volume 2 Issue 9

January – February 2003

The Avondale
Historical Journal
Official Publication of the Avondale-Waterview
Historical Society Incorporated

The Canal That Was Never Dug

Inside this issue: For the better part of 50 years, from the mid 19th century to the dawn of the 20th,
Auckland men of influence seriously considered the benefits and practicality of a canal
The Canal That 1 – 2 linking the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours. As the New Zealand Herald in 1956, a
Was Never century after the first musings on the scheme put it, this was “The Canal That Was
Dug Never Dug.”
Of the two routes, one other discussed as going through the Tamaki Isthmus via Ota-
Growing Up in 3–4 huhu, the Whau River proposal off-and-on occupied the minds of Avondale’s business-
the 1930s and men, land agents and industrialists up until the late 20th century.
1940s
The distance between the
tides of the Waitemata and
Membership 4 Manukau Harbours by this
route was estimated (in
Fees 1903) as being only a mile
and a half, making the
steaming distance from Ka-
raka Bay to Queen St only
12 miles, while from Manu-
kau Heads it was 25 miles.
“If the canal were made it
would be a most pleasant
ending to the sea journey to
Auckland, via the West
Coast, for the Whau River
The 1903 party from the Waitemata-Manukau Canal Pro-
is very pretty in parts, and
motion Scheme, alighting from the steamer at Keane's
when it is utilised as a ca-
Brickworks, during the 1903 inspection of the proposed
nal there would probably
canal route. From The New Zealand Graphic, 25 July
arise a demand for residen-
1903.
tial sites.” (NZH, 1903).
By the early 20th century, whereas businessmen wanted to cut down the cost of carting
grain and agricultural products from the Waikato in the previous century, it was now a
need for the raw products of industrialisation that drove interested financiers and busi-
nessmen to form their committees and seek the easiest route from the south to Auck-
land. By 1903, they wanted better transport for King Coal, both from the Waikato
(Huntly fields alongside the Waikato River) and from the West Coast.
A survey of the suggested line of the Whau canal was undertaken in the late 1850s.
Captain Drury of H.M.S. Pandora then estimated the total cost at one million pounds
(continued on page 2)
sterling. The “only serious engineering difficulty on the route” involved “a cutting of a
third of a mile through the hill, where Manukau blockhouse is situated, and which rises
 The Avondale Historical Journal Volume 2 Issue 9
Official Publication of the Page 2

The Canal That Was Never Dug Manukau entrance to the canal. After a brief inspection of
the geological features of the bay and some further expla-
nations by Mr Atkinson, and also be Mr Hamer, who ap-
over 400 feet above sea level.” (NZH, 11/2/1883). peared to be thoroughly convinced of the practicability of
In 1869, Auckland businessmen were still pressing for the the scheme, the party rejoined the brakes and returned to
scheme, trying to persuade shipping companies to bring town.”
ships direct to Onehunga from Melbourne. “In 1883 the
“Auckland Weekly News” re- In the next few years three shafts
ported a suggestion that instead and a large number of exploratory
of following the Whau, the bores were sunk in the New
route could be moved east to go Lynn-Avondale district, but noth-
through the Avondale flats, per- ing more was done.
haps joining the Waitemata
near the end of Eastdale J. W. Harrison, in a 1905 report,
Road.” (Challenge of the suggested that two locks should
Whau) be constructed. He estimated the
total cost of a canal at £788,00.
In his presidential address to In 1907 a Mr Hamer produced
the Chamber of Commerce in for the Waitemata-Manukau Ca-
1900, Samuel Vaile “deplored nal Promotion Company a fur-
the Government’s apathy about ther set of plans. In 1913 Mr
the canal. ‘It is difficult to un- David Russell proposed a canal
derstand why this important scheme that included a number of
work has been so long ne- locks and pumping stations to-
glected,’ he said. ‘Certain it is gether with some deppening of
that if it were made it would the river and its approaches. He
bring in a large increase of Above: Sketch drawn in 1907 for the "Waitemata- suggested that dredgings could
trade to our port and Manukau Canal Promotion Company", showing a be used to create an artificial is-
city.” (NZH 24/1/1956, on the coastal steamer passing through the biggest cut, 130 land on which could be built
centenary of the Chamber of feet deep, between Karaka Bay and the Whau estu- playing fields and a multi-
Commerce) ary. From NZ Herald, 24 January 1956. storeyed hotel. The total cost of
the project was estimated at over
The New Zealand Herald of £2,000,000. (Challenge of the Whau)
16/7/1903 reported that “The committee and subscribers
to the Waitemata-Manukau Canal scheme, together with a However, when the Main Trunk Railway was opened in
large number of gentlemen interested, made a visit of in- 1908, the canal proposal lost its previous status as a high
spection yesterday along the route of the proposed canal, priority public works project. The last known suggestion
which is intended to link the Manukau and Waitemata to build canals in the Auckland Region, including at the
harbours, and materially shorten the sea distance between Whau, was in 1982, when Auckland City Council’s re-
Auckland and the West Coast ports. sources and organisation committee agreed to reopen dis-
cussion “on the construction of five canals linking the
"The party were taken by the launch Ruru to the mouth of Waitemata, Manukau and Kaipara harbours, and the Wai-
the Whau River and beyond to Archibald’s brickworks, kato River.” (NZH, 10/12/1982)
where Mr Archibald came on board, kindly piloting the
steamer to Keane’s brickworks. Here a landing was ef- Then, it was suggested, the renewed canals proposal
fected. It had been arranged to get up as far as the Whau would provide an alternative to a roading-based transport
River bridge, but the tide was falling when the steamer system (long since the successor to rail, and the cause of
reached Keane’s. Brakes were in waiting at the bridge, many headaches for local politicians in the region). This
and the party were driven as far as Astley’s tannery, idea was probably sparked off by the “Think Big” devel-
where most of them alighted, proceeding on foot over the opment projects of the Sir Robert Muldoon government
selected route to the highest point along it. Here Mr At- era of the
kinson, who was in charge of the party, pointed out the (continued on page 4)
principal engineering difficulties and the cutting which
would have to be made.
"The party then descended through Mr W. H. Smith’s
property at Karaka Bay, where it is proposed to make the
The Avondale Historical Journal Volume 2 Issue 9
Official Publication of the Page 3

Growing Up in the 1930s and 1940s (continued)

by Bruce Spencer
(continued from last issue) my friends had chilblains. The farmer always kept a
We were asked to bring any old lead or copper or can of oil by the gate-post for the hinges, and the kids
brass to school to help the war effort. Dad milked the used to put the oil on their toes to ease the pain. It
cow in the paddock where the Auckland Rifle Club seemed to help. We found bare feet better than boots
had their mounds for shooting from. On Saturday af- in wet weather, because they dried quickly, whereas
ternoon, while Dad milked the cow, I would collect the ones with boots sat all day with cold wet feet.
the cartridge cases. By the time we were asked to take
this metal to school I had seven one-hundred-weight As an apprentice I was fortunate to be able to work-on
boxes of .303 cases and I used to take one box to midget cars from Western Springs, also Philip Lewis'
school at a time on my trolley. Amongst the metal at copper car and his 1924 and 1927 Sunbeams. I did
school was a lead fishing-sinker. I asked for it, and valve grinds on both of those cars.
was refused, as it was wanted for the war effort. A
When I was about four years old Mt Smart was a
week later, I took some old lead wastes to school from
mountain, not a stadium. From the east side It still
a neighbour, and was told to put them in the shelter-
looked like a mountain, although the west side had
shed with the lead, and that was when I got my sinker.
been quarried for many years for ballast for the rail-
Fishing was always something I enjoyed doing, and I ways. About 1935 they started on the east side and we
have been going to Doubtless Bay and Mangonui for watched that mountain disappear, until today we have
fifty-six years, but in those days I used to fish off the Ericson Stadium in its place. It was interesting the
Mangere Bridge and Onehunga wharf, a walk of six way the blasting was done. They would start at 7.30 in
kilometres each way! We would catch kahawai in the the morning, drilling holes and putting the plugs of
August school holidays. If my father arranged a fish- gelignite in, and at 10.00 a.m. they would start blast-
ing trip for the freezing works social club on a Satur- ing - the signal for morning tea. The same procedure
day, we kids would go along too. My father would was followed for lunch, afternoon tea and knock-off.
take an ox liver , tie it on a light rope and poke holes These were the only times blasting was carried out, to
in it, and hang it over the side of the boat. He could give time for any delayed action shots to go off.
not leave it there too long, as it would bring sharks
When our family moved to Remuera at the end of
around. He would pull it up and use it for bait., and
1944 we were near the Orakei Basin, and Dad had
boy did we get some schnapper.
bought me a ten-foot sailing dinghy. I soon found out
In 1942, when the Americans came to New Zealand, about the flounder in the Purewa Creek, beside the
they took over Waikaraka Park, covered it with tents, Orakei Basin. I took the mast out of my boat and
and that is where I saw a snake. It was a green grass- found that it could be rowed successfully, and after
snake that had come in a load of canvas covers being about a year I was able to buy a flounder net with the
brought in from the islands. A serviceman promptly money I had earned delivering groceries for the Self
killed it with a stick. I used to take my trolley down to Help grocery chain, after school and during the holi-
the camp with a kid from down the road, whose days. The net cost £10 and with Dad and my friend
mother used to do washing for the servicemen, and we and his uncle, did we catch some flounder! I don't
would return it a few nights later. The Americans al- think the creek had ever been fished with a net before.
ways looked after us with tips -quarter-dollars-hat We took hundreds of fish out of there over a period of
badges, pocket-knives, sheath-knives, candy chewing nine years, and fed the neighbourhood every summer.
gum, and comics. When I started work I had three (Not many fridges in those days!)
pairs of American overalls and three pairs of suede
Walking across the bridge at the bottom of Orakei
boots, also a couple of Eversharp pencils and pens.
Road I saw about six wheels off cars in the water.
We used to run errands for the Americans while they
People used to steal the wheels to get the tyres, and
were assembling the jeeps. They loved our ice-cream
then dump the wheels. I spoke to a chappie at work
and our Chesdale cheese. We used to buy it in the big
whose father was a blacksmith, and asked if he could
boxes for them. I got six and a penny for an American
(continued on page 4)
dollar. That is sixty-one cents; today an American dol-
make me up a couple of grappling-hooks to get those
lar is worth two dollars seventeen!
wheels, and afterwards I used the grappling-hooks as
We used to go to school barefooted, and take short- anchors for my net. We finished up with seven or
cuts through the paddocks. On a frosty morning two of eight wheels. I took them to work, where we cut the
 Volume 2 Issue 9
Page 4
The 1930s and 1940s (cont) The Canal That Was Never Dug
centres out, and a piece out of the rim and rollers (continued from page 2)
made so we could roll the rims down to twelve-inch 1970s to early 1980s. A Mr L J Johnstone even went so
wheels for midget cars, as you could not buy parts like far as to prepare a 23-page report on the scheme, which
that in New Zealand at the time. did not come to pass.
In the summer, after tea we would go down to the And so, once more, the great canal schemes were allowed
hump-backed bridge on the waterfront road to catch to slide back into history.
kingfish. I bought a very heavy line and lure from
Tisdal's sports shop in Queen Street. The lure cost
about 4/6; today's price is about $60 to $70. With the
tide going out, we would fish the outside of the bridge,
and with the tide coming in we would fish the other
side. I made up a very strong gaff at work, and when Membership Information: Fees
we caught a fish I would work it down to the rocks
and pass the line to my father, while I ran down to the
rocks to pull the fish in, as it was too hard to lift it on Individual $10
to the bridge. Family $15
Group/Corporate $30
In the forties and fifties they used to sell oysters at a
depot round by the Tepid Baths, and as I was an ap- Cheques for membership fees may be made out to:
prentice at the bottom of Albert Street, it took me only “Avondale-Waterview Historical Society”.
a few minutes to get there. At 4/6 for half a sugar-bag
I used to go round nearly every Friday while they A receipt will be provided. Please send all fees to
were in season. You can't do that today! our registered office address:
19 Methuen Road, Avondale.
Thank you.

The Avondale Historical Journal

Published by the Avondale-Waterview Historical Society Inc.
Editor: Lisa J. Truttman, 19 Methuen Road, Avondale, Auckland
Phone: (09) 828-8494, Fax: (09) 828-8497, email: historian@avondale.org.nz
Websites: AWHS site www.geocities.com/avondalehistory
Rimtark www.geocities.com/rimtark/index.html
Earth Settler www.earthsettler.tripod.com/esindex/earthsettlerhome.htm
Archive Room www.geocities.com/archiveroom/

Avondale-Waterview Historical
Printed by Society Inc. Committee 2002/2003:

President Bruce Spencer The Society and editorial

Sec/Treasurer Alison Turner staff thank
Avondale Photo Centre, Historical Avondale Business
1962 Great North Road, Research Officer: Lisa Truttman Association
Committee: for their continued support
Ngaire Bishop and sponsorship of this
Robert Browne publication.
Eileen Browne
Robert Chisholm
Elizabeth Clark
Dorothy Maddock