Te Kōmiti. Does that name spark your curiosity? That’s the traditional Māori name for Bucklands Beach. Today, we’re standing on this very beach. Bucklands Beach is more than just sand and sea. It’s a place with layers of history and stories waiting to be uncovered.
Bucklands Beach is a suburb of Auckland. It sits 13 kilometers east of the city’s central business district. It’s part of the Howick ward, one of Auckland Council’s administrative divisions.
Let’s dive into the past. Long ago, around 1300, the Tainui waka visited this area. The crew’s descendants formed the Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki iwi. They consider Bucklands Beach part of their rohe or tribal area. The mouth of the Tāmaki River was known as Te Wai ō Tāiki. It was named after the ancestor Tāiki. He settled here with his followers. They lived alongside the descendants of Huiārangi. They were from the early iwi Te Tini ō Maruiwi.
Bucklands Beach itself was called Te Kōmiti. It was a strategic location. It offered access to the Tāmaki Strait. It also provided a route to Te Tō Waka. This portage at Ōtāhuhu allowed waka to cross into the Manukau Harbour easily. Māori crafted stone adzes at Te Kōmiti. They used greywacke boulders from Motutapu Island. The area was rich in food. The Tāmaki River’s eastern coast was widely cultivated.
In the 18th century, Ngāriki, a rangatira of Ngāi Tai, built a pā at Te Naupata now Musick Point. It was called Te Waiārohia. This name means “the panoramic views of the area”. Ngāriki often clashed with Ngaromania. He was a rangatira at Te Pupū o Kawau. He demanded tolls from those passing by. From the 1790s, Te Rangitāwhia was the paramount chief of Ngāi Tai. His main homes were at Waiārohia and Ōhuiarangi, also known as Pigeon Mountain.
The Musket Wars in the 1820s had a devastating impact. Te Waiārohia and Bucklands Beach were evacuated. The lands became tapu or sacred to Ngāi Tai. Most Ngāi Tai members fled to Waikato for safety. In 1833, when missionary William Thomas Fairburn visited, the area was mostly empty.
In 1836, Fairburn brokered a land sale with Tāmaki Māori chiefs. This covered much of South Auckland, East Auckland, and the Pōhutukawa Coast. The sale aimed to end conflict. However, it’s unclear what the chiefs fully understood. Māori continued to live here, their lives largely unchanged. In 1854, the New Zealand Land Commission investigated Fairburn’s purchase. A Ngāi Tai reserve was created around the Wairoa River and Umupuia areas. As part of this, Ngāi Tai agreed to leave their western settlements.
European settlement began in 1847. Howick was established as a defensive outpost. It was populated by Fencibles, retired British soldiers, and their families. In 1851, William Mason bought 320 acres from Fairburn. This land is now Bucklands Beach. Mason established a farm growing oats and wheat. He also tended goats. He built a two-story homestead above the beach. It was later demolished in the 1950s. Back then, the area was called Tamaki Landing. A ferry connected Bucklands Beach to Panmure and Point England. It was a major transport route for the isolated Fencible settlement.
In 1861, Mason sold his farm to Alfred Buckland. He was a large agriculturalist. The Buckland family vacationed at the beach. In 1865, they built a wharf for cattle and sheep. From the 1860s to 1879, Little Bucklands Beach became the site of John Granger’s brickworks.
By the 1910s, Bucklands Beach was a popular holiday spot. The Buckland farm was subdivided into the Tamaki Estate in 1916. The Devonport Steamship Company built a second wharf. This allowed passenger services to reach the beach and new settlement. The first post office opened in 1921. In 1923, the neighboring Eastern Beach was subdivided.
During World War II, the Bucklands Beach Home Guard trained at Ōhuiarangi / Pigeon Mountain. In 1942, an air traffic communication center was established at Musick Point. It handled long-range radio transmissions. It was used by American naval forces. In 1949, the Manukau County Council officially changed the name to Bucklands Beach.
Until the 1950s, Bucklands Beach remained mainly a holiday destination. Howick became a borough in 1952. After that, Howick and Bucklands Beach developed rapidly. The Cockle Bay golf course moved to Musick Point in 1954. In 1956, the Buckland and Easter Beaches War Memorial Community Centre opened.
Today, Bucklands Beach offers a rich tapestry of history and recreation. As you enjoy the sun and sand, remember the stories of those who came before. From the early Māori settlers to the European farmers and holidaymakers, Bucklands Beach is a place where the past and present meet.