Remember Dedwood? That was Ponsonby’s original name back in 1845. But by 1873, it transformed into the Ponsonby we know today. Ponsonby sits just 2 km west of Auckland CBD. It stretches along a ridge. Ponsonby Road follows this ridge, acting as the suburb’s main street.
Originally, Ponsonby was a working-class area. The 1970s brought change. Gentrification began. Upper-middle-class residents started moving in.
Let’s talk about Three Lamps. It is an area within Ponsonby. It marks the intersection of Ponsonby Road, College Hill, and St Marys Road. The name comes from a 19th-century lamppost.
The Māori name for the ridge is Te Rimu Tahi. It means “The Lone Rimu Tree”. This refers to an ancient tree. It supposedly stood where Ponsonby Road and Karangahape Road meet today.
Back in the 15th century, Māori had fishing and gardening circuits here. In Ponsonby, they harvested Kuta. This happened alongside the Waikuta Stream, which flowed down College Hill.
In 1840, Apihai Te Kawau gifted 3,000 acres to Governor William Hobson. This land included present-day Ponsonby. It was intended to be the new capital of New Zealand. During the 1840s and 1850s, Ponsonby, then known as Dedwood, grew residentially. Sawmills and shipyards supported a small workforce.
Bishop Pompallier played a significant role. In 1853, he bought 40 acres. This became St Mary’s Mount. It led to a large Catholic influx into the area. He moved St Mary’s College for Catechists. It moved from the North Shore to St Mary’s Bay. St Marys School for Boys and a Seminary were built.
Street names reflect this Irish and Catholic heritage. Look for Pompallier Terrace, Curran, and Dublin Streets. Green Street also adds to that vibe.
Ponsonby’s houses continued to multiply in the 1870s. Auckland’s population was growing fast. The Ponsonby Highway Board merged with Auckland City Council in 1882. Horse trams first ran from Queen Street to Ponsonby in 1884. Electric trams replaced them in 1902. This spurred more residential and commercial growth.
Around 1900, concerns arose about housing quality. Ponsonby was considered overcrowded. The Victoria Park Market-City Destructor was built in 1917. It managed the area’s rubbish. It later generated Auckland’s first public electricity.
Ponsonby became a hub for various groups in the 1970s. Artists, civil rights activists, unions, LGBTQ+ groups, environmentalists, and feminists all found a home here. It is also the birthplace of New Zealand Reggae and the Rastafarian Movement in New Zealand. The Polynesian Panthers formed in Ponsonby in 1971.
The Dawn Raids from 1973 to 1979 targeted Pacific families. These immigration raids disproportionately affected Pacific Islanders. Rising fuel prices and rents eventually pushed many Pacific families and students out of Ponsonby.
The New Zealand Muslim Association began building the first mosque in New Zealand in 1979. It was located on Vermont Street.
The Franklin Road Christmas lights display began in 1992. Over 100 houses participate each year.
The Hero Parade moved to Ponsonby Road in 1996. The Auckland Pride Festival Parade returned to Ponsonby in 2013.
The Ponsonby Post Office is an iconic landmark. Designed by John Campbell in Edwardian Baroque style, it opened in 1912. Although originally planned with a clock tower, locals funded and added it later in 1913. Today, it is a bustling gastropub, Hotel Ponsonby.
Ponsonby has many notable buildings. St John’s Church, Ponsonby is a Methodist church dating back to 1882. St Mary’s Old Convent Chapel built in 1866, showcases Edward Mahoney’s design. The Ponsonby Baptist Church, established in 1875, has a rich history. The Bishop’s House, constructed in 1893–1894, stands as part of the Catholic Diocese of Auckland.
The Ponsonby Fire Station was built in 1902. The Leys Institute consists of the Leys Institute Gymnasium and Public Library. Renall Street is a historic area with well-preserved Victorian-era houses.