A sprawling green expanse greets you. This is Saint Johns in Auckland. But this wasn’t always a residential haven.
Saint Johns owes its name to St John’s College. This religious training college was established in 1844 by Bishop Selwyn. The college sits atop a hill. Once it boasted stunning harbour views. The oldest buildings are from the 1840s. They are the work of Frederick Thatcher. Thatcher’s style is known as Selwyn Style. Think wooden gothic buildings. They are based on Saxon examples like Greensted Church in Essex. Look closely at the pronounced exposed wooden beams. Notice the gabled 60-degree-pitch roofs and lancet windows.
South of Remuera Road lies Waiatarua Reserve. Maps from the 19th century show this area as a lake. It was called Lake Remuera Lake St John or Lake Waiatarua. It was mostly swampy ground though. A sheet of shallow water appeared seasonally. In 1918 133 acres became Waiatarua Reserve. Suburban housing development made this area problematic. The ‘lake’ was picturesque but unreliable. It bred mosquitoes and smouldered creating unpleasant smells. In 1929 a drain was built. This drained the water into a nearby stream feeding into the Ōrākei Basin. That drainage system is still there.
Golf lovers take note. In 1934 50 acres of the reserve were leased to the Remuera Golf Club. A course was laid out. The clubhouse was completed in 1935. The course was redesigned in 1938 and again in 1968 by Harold Babbage. A new clubhouse was built then too.
Much of Saint Johns developed in the 1960s and 70s. It became a popular family area. Selwyn College the local secondary school is here. A small patch of original bush St John’s Bush remains a testament to the area’s past. Today Saint Johns is a vibrant community. It retains a connection to its rich history. It blends the old and the new. This is more than just a suburb. It’s a story waiting to be discovered.