From the rugged shores of North East Point a captivating tale unfolds. North East Point wasn’t always called that. It began life as Rough Point named after Captain David Rough Auckland’s first harbourmaster. Then it became Stokes Point after Captain J L Stokes who surveyed the Waitemata Harbour. Imagine the changes North East Point has witnessed.
For centuries before Europeans arrived North East Point was Onewa Pa a fortified village for the Ngati Tai tribe. They fished in the bays and gathered food from the forests. Life wasn’t easy. The Ngati Tai faced raids from Ngati Whatua and Ngati Paoa. These were fierce battles for survival. Eventually Ngati Whatua conquered the Auckland isthmus driving out the Ngati Tai.
In 1841 the North Shore was sold to the Crown. Onewa Pa passed from Maori ownership. The land was subdivided. Phillip Callan a brickmaker bought some. So did John McGechie a farmer Major Isaac Rhodes Cooper and Colonel Robert Wynyard. Callan established a brickworks near Sulphur Beach. R Clark’s soap and candle works were also established near Sulphur Beach.
North East Point’s history is interwoven with industry. James Reed ran a ferry service. Callan built the North Auckland Hotel to cater to ferry passengers. James Tunny and James Pond tried their hand at sulphur works. Strawberry gardens flourished in the Belle Vue Avenue area. By 1880 much of the Point was subdivided. Many of the villas you see today date from this time.
Major Benton renamed the Stokes Point district Northcote. This was possibly after the British aristocrat Sir Stafford Northcote. Northcote became a borough in 1908. The 1920s saw significant growth a cinema bus barns and a concrete road were built.
The Auckland Harbour Bridge and motorway dramatically altered North East Point. The eastern coastline was almost obliterated. Ferries ceased. Shops closed. Northcote became part of North Shore City in 1989. Then it joined the Auckland supercity in 2010. The landscape may have changed but the stories of North East Point endure. They whisper of battles and industry of resilience and change. They echo the sounds of the past. They are a testament to the rich history of this special place.