I'm on my way to Blockhouse Bay!

DECEMBER 31st

Massey - Blockhouse Bay

My journey so far!

Dear Diary,

 

Woo! Back on the road again! While all the traffic was heading North, I was heading in the opposite direction. This time I am heading closer to the centre of Auckland to see Rhiann at Blockhouse Bay Library. I can’t wait to spend New Years with the kids in the Bay!

Oh btw, in the Yvonne Morrison story Santa had a tractor for a sleigh and instead of reindeer he had sheep!

Check it out! I’m here!

I was chilling outside waiting for Rhi to get here when a whole HEAP of ducks and pigeons waddled past. Keira was having a picnic with her Granddad on the village green and she let me use a bit of her sandwich to feed the ducklings:

Choice! Kia pai tō rā Keira!

When Rhi arrived, she gave me a big high five, and showed me around the Library. The librarians have been building a mean cardboard castle! We decided to play kings and queens for a bit. I pretended I was a knight dressed in a suit of armour and defended the castle from a GIANT fire-breathing dragon!

Oh yeah! Adventure time at BHB library!
I love using my imagination.

It was thirsty work so Rhi went to get us a smoothie from one of the cafes next to the library. There are so many to choose from! Slurp, slurp, mmmm!

That’s when I spotted Anna and Tane drawing in the castle and they let me join in! When we were finished, we stuck our drawings to the castle walls. Maybe you would like to come in and make some more cool drawings with Rhiann?

 

We went on a bit of a tour around the township and visited the beautiful Armanasco House! It was built when the first settlers came to Blockhouse Bay in the mid 1800s. Phwoar! It’s really old! Look at the beautiful entrance!

Early Settler Stefano Armanasco's home
- he came to New Zealand in 1885

I wanted to learn more about the history of Blockhouse Bay so I put on my thinking cap and checked out the local Blockhouse Bay Historical Society online, then I caught up with Mr Keith Rusden who very happily told me more about the heritage of the area.

Did you know that the Blockhouse was built in 1860 to house military people who were employed to protect the early Pakeha settlers? Twenty years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi things were not going well further down the West Coast in Taranaki. The settlers feared the retaliation of the iwis and prepared themselves incase of fallout from the New Zealand Wars.

On a good day you can see Maunga Taranaki (Mt Egmont) from the Whau area. So it would not take much for sea-faring waka to mount an attack. This caused concern for the new settlers.

In 2010 Blockhouse Bay celebrated 150 years of the 'Blockhouse'
Musket fire to salute the Blockhouse & the unveiling of a mural of soldiers at the Blockhouse.
(Images appear with permission of www.blockhousebayhistoricalsociety)

Another interesting thing about this area is that it was the 'portage' way - the connection between the Waitemata and the mighty Manukau Harbours. It had been a very old passageway for Maori navigators of the time and of particular importance to the Tainui people whose ancestral waka lay further South on the West Coast at Kawhia. 

The mighty Manukau has a lot of scope for discovery with all of its neat little bays. Many enjoy fishing or kayaking here, some even brave the Manukau Bar to reach the Tasman Sea beyond. You can fish for crabs, scallops, mullet and flounder and enjoy squelching around in the mud! Further South you can see the planes take flight from Auckland International Airport and way in the distance you can see the chimney's of the Glenbrook Steel Mill. My travels will come to an end at Waiuku so that's kind of where I'm headed!

Coming back to the future! It was market day in Blockhouse Bay and there were lots of stalls selling yummy things to eat. I chose a great big chocolate muffin and some freshly baked bread for my morning tea!

Rhi needed to pay a visit to Avondale Library so I came along for the road trip! Avondale Library and New Lynn Library are the closest libraries to Blockhouse Bay! They are full of friendly librarians. It’s awesome that there’s so many libraries to visit in Auckland! The best part is that all of them have a special attraction!

finda.co.nz New Lynn Public Library.

Hey, if you look in your grandmother's cupboard you might just find crockery from
Crown Lynn our own famous brand of pottery came from the New Lynn area.
You might also go on a hunt for demolition bricks made in New Lynn,
I found one recently at a pizza place in Mangawhai...
and have also discovered them on Great Barrier!

Hmmm...I just discovered this so I might have to check it out before I reach the city
avondaleheritagewalks available through Auckland Council.

On the way back to the Blockhouse Bay we met Jeremy at the Blockhouse Bay Primary Playground. He wanted to show us his skills on the monkey bars! Here’s me about to give it a go.

We had a great time on the swings too. It was a bit too cold for swimming today but Jeremy said he had a pool key and could go swimming anytime in summer!

What a busy day! I’ve had so much fun –and it’s not over yet! I’m staying here for New Years Eve! We are going to head to Blockhouse Bay Beach and watch the fireworks on the horizon. I hope I can stay awake until midnight!

Auckland City ablaze with fireworks!

I’m heading to visit Mini at Parnell next. I can’t wait to see where this awesome tour takes me! Yipeee!

Loads of Love, and a super New Year's Eve whatever your family chooses to do!

Matatoa, the Little Dude Adventurer aka Tyler.

Oh and my next challenge...If I caught the bus to New Lynn from Blockhouse Bay then the train from New Lynn to Britomart, how much would it cost me?