Heritage et AL

Ref: 4-4589, drawing looking north from Grafton Rd towards the harbour, showing Grafton Road ( foreground), Symonds St, (left), Mount Victoria, North Head & Rangitoto in the distance, c. 1886, Sir George Grey Special Collections One of the themes for the heritage festival is Auckland’s waterways, including the land and sea. The events focused on this theme celebrate water and its many guises in the Auckland region, including as a source of travel, trade, economy, recreation and more. Ref: JTD-05J-03077-2, two women sitting on a swing plank bridge over the Opal Pools Stream, 1942, West Auckland Research Centre Auckland's geography and its waterways have intimately influenced the history of the region. The Auckland isthmus was a rich and desirable location for Māori for many reasons including the rich volcanic soils for gardening and the coastal resources. Ref: B0336, James Stanley Levesque picking tomatoes from the Levesque tomato beds, Birkdale, c. 1920s, from Bir...

Many people would not think of dams as being heritage assets, but there a number of historic but still operational dams in the Auckland region. Ref: JTD-07B-03192, Huia Dam, 1941, West Auckland Research Centre The Waitakere Ranges Water Supply System draws water from the ranges in West Auckland including the Huia, Nihotupu and Waitakere streams. During the 20th century, five large dams were constructed. These created the a series of reservoirs and associated tramways, piping, tunnels and filter stations. The main dams which are still in use include: the Waitakere Dam (1910), Upper Nihotupu Dam (1923), Upper Huia Dam (1929), Lower Nihotupu Dam (1948) and the Lower Huia Dam (1971).