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Howick Welcome Guide Headlines
Welcome...
History of Howick, Pakuranga and surrounding areas
Historical Places of Interest
Dining, Entertainment & Community Notices
Howick Welcome Guide
Welcome...
Monday, 11 April 2005
WELCOME
to the unique districts of Howick, Pakuranga, Bucklands Beach and surrounds with its beautiful beaches, versatile shopping centres and extensive recreational facilities.
This guide aims at introducing you to a selection of amenities ranging from local schools, clubs and accommodation through to comprehensive services provided by Manukau City Council into whose region the district falls.
There are features on the history of Howick and Pakuranga and surrounding areas, as well as historical places of interest, and the Howick Historical Village.
Printed copies of the Howick and Pakuranga Welcome Guide and the Howick Book are available from key centres such as the Howick Information Centre, libraries, Citizen Advice Bureaux, council offices and similar locations.
For enquiries about the Welcome Book or to order additional copies, telephone Andrea on 09 271 8000.
To book your space in the next edition, please email sales@times.co.nz or telephone 09 271 8020.
HOWICK AND PAKURANGA – AN INTRODUCTION –
The historic town of Howick offers many examples of the development of this region. Howick was settled by the Ngaitai people about 1000 years ago. The Tainui Garden of Memories in Uxbridge Road features a museum and is well worth a visit.
The first European settlers, who arrived in 1847, were retired soldiers from the British Army. Much of this history can be experienced first hand at Howick HistoricalVillage, which is a living museum complete with costumed interpreters who conjure up images of the past.
Nearby you'll find many examples of colonial lifestyle, including Shamrock Cottage – the original 'wet canteen' (a place where alcohol was served). This quaint little cottage is now open for morning and afternoon teas, lunches and dinners.
Lloyd Elsmore Park at Pakuranga is a must for sports enthusiasts, and art lovers should put the te tuhi - the mark (incorporating Fisher Gallery and Pakuranga Community & Cultural Centre) and the Uxbridge Creative Leisure Centre on their itineraries. It is here that you will see ever changing exhibitions of paintings, ceramics and artwork by leading contemporary New Zealand artists.
There are three main shopping centres at Pakuranga, Howick Village and a major new town centre at Botany. Westfield Pakuranga (formerly The Plaza Pakuranga) offers a diverse mall-type shopping environment whilst Howick Mall offers boutique and speciality shopping with pavement cafés and restaurants. The recently completed $185 million Botany Town Centre offers a unique New Zealand shopping experience. If you are looking for something to eat, there are over 70 cafés and restaurants in the Howick and Pakuranga areas. You can sample every type of cuisine in relaxed and pleasant surroundings. There is also a multi-screen cinema should you feel like taking in a movie.
There are many scenic walkways tucked away in this area. You can climb Pigeon Mountain – one of Manukau's volcanic cones, or follow the Fisher Walkway – a charming footpath along the banks of the Tamaki River and Wakaaranga Creek looking out towards Musick Point at the top of Bucklands and Eastern Beaches peninsula. Bucklands Beach, Eastern Beach, Mellons Bay, Howick Beach and Cockle Bay are all safe scenic swimming beaches and aquatic playgrounds. A short drive away are the beautiful beaches of Beachlands and Maraetai.
Last but not least, don't miss a visit to Half Moon Bay Marina – the home of thousands of pleasure craft. It also houses a daily ferry service giving vehicular access toWaiheke and Great Barriers Islands. Many charter boats and tours are available from here.
While still retaining some service and community links with the rural hinterland, Howick is now part of a continuum of suburban development with ties to the developed areas in the west and south. The area is mainly residential in nature with district and neighbourhood commercial centres and a limited industrial area.
The southern part of Howick has recently experienced extreme building activity, which has increased the population of the ward to around 40,000. In general, this new development has catered for relatively expensive housing, and this is reflected in the high proportion of the population that are in professional, managerial and clerical occupations, and are earning some of the highest incomes in Manukau City. The population is also slightly older in Howick. There is increasing ethnic diversity with 17% of the population originating from Asian countries, a feature of recent proactive business immigration policies.
Howick is a vibrant, progressive community where development has embraced the best of the past while moving successfully into the new millennium.
There are homes for all tastes from 100-year-old villas to contemporary mansions. They provide for a diverse cultural population including descendants of early pioneers and Fencibles through to new immigrants. Homes range in price from around $200,000 for a two-bedroom home unit up to $1 million-plus, which attract everyone from young professioansl through to families and retired folk. The suburb is sufficiently divorced from the hustle and bustle of the city to provide a slower pace of life yet it takes but minutes to access the motorway to head north or south. Without doubt, Howick is a sought-after suburb and once settled here it appears to be the ideal place to stay.
PAKURANGA
has been making the news since it was first developed as Auckland’s newest sought-after suburb in the 1960s.
It has been hailed as both an ideal environment for young families and a haven for the retired. It gained “elite” status when the upmarket areas of Sunnyhills and Farm Cove were built and has even been prominent in product advertisements on television.
And it is easy to see why this suburb has remained popular. It is largely bordered by the Tamaki Estuary giving it a unique geographical identity enhanced by its closeness to the sea and safe beaches.
It is also served by excellent primary, intermediate and secondary schools, has a first class, centrally located shopping centre – the newly revamped Westfield Pakuranga – and features extensive sports facilities, many encompassed within Lloyd Elsmore Park off Pakuranga Rd. The district also enjoys generous amenities ranging from public libraries, recreation centre and art gallery, public indoor, heated, swimming pool and many professional services.
Also handy to the nearby commercial and industrial areas of East Tamaki, to the new Botany Town Centre and the marina at Half Moon Bay, Pakuranga has a great deal to recommend it for people seeking a variety of lifestyles.
Importantly it is linked directly to the nearby Southern Motorway by a fast route that crosses the estuary and passes through the industrial area of Carbine Rd, Mt Wellington.
Pakuranga is still a sought-after lifestyle suburb where housing is available to suit a variety of budgets ranging from approximately $200,000 to $1million plus. It is also a suburb where it is possible to buy a family home of the old style “quarter acre” section, or close to it, although recent in-fill housing provides some attractive townhouse options.
We are grateful to Alan La Roche and The Howick & Districts Historical Society for permission to reproduce passages from "The History of Howick and Pakuranga".
