Volume 2 Issue 9

January – February 2003

The Avondale
Historical Journal
Official Publication of the Avondale-Waterview
Historical Society Incorporated

The Canal That Was Never Dug

Inside this issue: For the better part of 50 years, from the mid 19th century to the dawn of the 20th,
Auckland men of influence seriously considered the benefits and practicality of a canal
The Canal That 1 – 2 linking the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours. As the New Zealand Herald in 1956, a
Was Never century after the first musings on the scheme put it, this was “The Canal That Was
Dug Never Dug.”
Of the two routes, one other discussed as going through the Tamaki Isthmus via Ota-
Growing Up in 3–4 huhu, the Whau River proposal off-and-on occupied the minds of Avondale’s business-
the 1930s and men, land agents and industrialists up until the late 20th century.
1940s
The distance between the
tides of the Waitemata and
Membership 4 Manukau Harbours by this
route was estimated (in
Fees 1903) as being only a mile
and a half, making the
steaming distance from Ka-
raka Bay to Queen St only
12 miles, while from Manu-
kau Heads it was 25 miles.
“If the canal were made it
would be a most pleasant
ending to the sea journey to
Auckland, via the West
Coast, for the Whau River
The 1903 party from the Waitemata-Manukau Canal Pro-
is very pretty in parts, and
motion Scheme, alighting from the steamer at Keane's
when it is utilised as a ca-
Brickworks, during the 1903 inspection of the proposed
nal there would probably
canal route. From The New Zealand Graphic, 25 July
arise a demand for residen-
1903.
tial sites.” (NZH, 1903).
By the early 20th century, whereas businessmen wanted to cut down the cost of carting
grain and agricultural products from the Waikato in the previous century, it was now a
need for the raw products of industrialisation that drove interested financiers and busi-
nessmen to form their committees and seek the easiest route from the south to Auck-
land. By 1903, they wanted better transport for King Coal, both from the Waikato
(Huntly fields alongside the Waikato River) and from the West Coast.
A survey of the suggested line of the Whau canal was undertaken in the late 1850s.
Captain Drury of H.M.S. Pandora then estimated the total cost at one million pounds
(continued on page 2)
sterling. The “only serious engineering difficulty on the route” involved “a cutting of a
third of a mile through the hill, where Manukau blockhouse is situated, and which rises
 The Avondale Historical Journal
Official Publication of the
The Canal That Was Never Dug
over 400 feet above sea level.” (NZH, 11/2/1883).
In 1869, Auckland businessmen were still pressing for the
scheme, trying to persuade shipping companies to bring
ships direct to Onehunga from Melbourne. “In 1883 the
“Auckland Weekly News” re-
ported a suggestion that instead
of following the Whau, the
route could be moved east to go
through the Avondale flats, per-
haps joining the Waitemata
near the end of Eastdale
Road.” (Challenge of the
Whau)
In his presidential address to
the Chamber of Commerce in
1900, Samuel Vaile “deplored
the Government’s apathy about
the canal. ‘It is difficult to un-
derstand why this important
work has been so long ne-
glected,’ he said. ‘Certain it is
that if it were made it would
bring in a large increase of Above: Sketch drawn in 1907 for the "Waitemata-
trade to our port and Manukau Canal Promotion Company", showing a
city.” (NZH 24/1/1956, on the coastal steamer passing through the biggest cut, 130 land on which could be built
centenary of the Chamber of feet deep, between Karaka Bay and the Whau estu-
Commerce) ary. From NZ Herald, 24 January 1956.
The New Zealand Herald of
16/7/1903 reported that “The committee and subscribers
to the Waitemata-Manukau Canal scheme, together with a
large number of gentlemen interested, made a visit of in-
spection yesterday along the route of the proposed canal,
which is intended to link the Manukau and Waitemata
harbours, and materially shorten the sea distance between
Auckland and the West Coast ports.
"The party were taken by the launch Ruru to the mouth of
the Whau River and beyond to Archibald’s brickworks,
where Mr Archibald came on board, kindly piloting the
steamer to Keane’s brickworks. Here a landing was ef-
fected. It had been arranged to get up as far as the Whau
River bridge, but the tide was falling when the steamer
reached Keane’s. Brakes were in waiting at the bridge,
and the party were driven as far as Astley’s tannery,
where most of them alighted, proceeding on foot over the
selected route to the highest point along it. Here Mr At-
kinson, who was in charge of the party, pointed out the
principal engineering difficulties and the cutting which
would have to be made.
"The party then descended through Mr W. H. Smith’s
property at Karaka Bay, where it is proposed to make the
Volume 2 Issue 9
Page 2
Manukau entrance to the canal. After a brief inspection of
the geological features of the bay and some further expla-
nations by Mr Atkinson, and also be Mr Hamer, who ap-
peared to be thoroughly convinced of the practicability of
the scheme, the party rejoined the brakes and returned to
town.”
In the next few years three shafts
and a large number of exploratory
bores were sunk in the New
Lynn-Avondale district, but noth-
ing more was done.
J. W. Harrison, in a 1905 report,
suggested that two locks should
be constructed. He estimated the
total cost of a canal at £788,00.
In 1907 a Mr Hamer produced
for the Waitemata-Manukau Ca-
nal Promotion Company a fur-
ther set of plans. In 1913 Mr
David Russell proposed a canal
scheme that included a number of
locks and pumping stations to-
gether with some deppening of
the river and its approaches. He
suggested that dredgings could
be used to create an artificial is-
playing fields and a multi-
storeyed hotel. The total cost of
the project was estimated at over
£2,000,000. (Challenge of the Whau)
However, when the Main Trunk Railway was opened in
1908, the canal proposal lost its previous status as a high
priority public works project. The last known suggestion
to build canals in the Auckland Region, including at the
Whau, was in 1982, when Auckland City Council’s re-
sources and organisation committee agreed to reopen dis-
cussion “on the construction of five canals linking the
Waitemata, Manukau and Kaipara harbours, and the Wai-
kato River.” (NZH, 10/12/1982)
Then, it was suggested, the renewed canals proposal
would provide an alternative to a roading-based transport
system (long since the successor to rail, and the cause of
many headaches for local politicians in the region). This
idea was probably sparked off by the “Think Big” devel-
opment projects of the Sir Robert Muldoon government
era of the
(continued on page 4)
The Avondale Historical Journal
Official Publication of the
Growing Up in the 1930s and 1940s (continued)
by Bruce Spencer
(continued from last issue)
We were asked to bring any old lead or copper or
brass to school to help the war effort. Dad milked the
cow in the paddock where the Auckland Rifle Club
had their mounds for shooting from. On Saturday af-
ternoon, while Dad milked the cow, I would collect
the cartridge cases. By the time we were asked to take
this metal to school I had seven one-hundred-weight
boxes of .303 cases and I used to take one box to
school at a time on my trolley. Amongst the metal at
school was a lead fishing-sinker. I asked for it, and
was refused, as it was wanted for the war effort. A
week later, I took some old lead wastes to school from
a neighbour, and was told to put them in the shelter-
shed with the lead, and that was when I got my sinker.
Fishing was always something I enjoyed doing, and I
have been going to Doubtless Bay and Mangonui for
fifty-six years, but in those days I used to fish off the
Mangere Bridge and Onehunga wharf, a walk of six
kilometres each way! We would catch kahawai in the
August school holidays. If my father arranged a fish-
ing trip for the freezing works social club on a Satur-
day, we kids would go along too. My father would
take an ox liver , tie it on a light rope and poke holes
in it, and hang it over the side of the boat. He could
not leave it there too long, as it would bring sharks
around. He would pull it up and use it for bait., and
boy did we get some schnapper.
In 1942, when the Americans came to New Zealand,
they took over Waikaraka Park, covered it with tents,
and that is where I saw a snake. It was a green grass-
snake that had come in a load of canvas covers being
brought in from the islands. A serviceman promptly
killed it with a stick. I used to take my trolley down to
the camp with a kid from down the road, whose
mother used to do washing for the servicemen, and we
would return it a few nights later. The Americans al-
ways looked after us with tips -quarter-dollars-hat
badges, pocket-knives, sheath-knives, candy chewing
gum, and comics. When I started work I had three
pairs of American overalls and three pairs of suede
boots, also a couple of Eversharp pencils and pens.
We used to run errands for the Americans while they
were assembling the jeeps. They loved our ice-cream
and our Chesdale cheese. We used to buy it in the big
boxes for them. I got six and a penny for an American
dollar. That is sixty-one cents; today an American dol-
lar is worth two dollars seventeen!
We used to go to school barefooted, and take short-
cuts through the paddocks. On a frosty morning two of
Volume 2 Issue 9
Page 3
my friends had chilblains. The farmer always kept a
can of oil by the gate-post for the hinges, and the kids
used to put the oil on their toes to ease the pain. It
seemed to help. We found bare feet better than boots
in wet weather, because they dried quickly, whereas
the ones with boots sat all day with cold wet feet.
As an apprentice I was fortunate to be able to work-on
midget cars from Western Springs, also Philip Lewis'
copper car and his 1924 and 1927 Sunbeams. I did
valve grinds on both of those cars.
When I was about four years old Mt Smart was a
mountain, not a stadium. From the east side It still
looked like a mountain, although the west side had
been quarried for many years for ballast for the rail-
ways. About 1935 they started on the east side and we
watched that mountain disappear, until today we have
Ericson Stadium in its place. It was interesting the
way the blasting was done. They would start at 7.30 in
the morning, drilling holes and putting the plugs of
gelignite in, and at 10.00 a.m. they would start blast-
ing - the signal for morning tea. The same procedure
was followed for lunch, afternoon tea and knock-off.
These were the only times blasting was carried out, to
give time for any delayed action shots to go off.
When our family moved to Remuera at the end of
1944 we were near the Orakei Basin, and Dad had
bought me a ten-foot sailing dinghy. I soon found out
about the flounder in the Purewa Creek, beside the
Orakei Basin. I took the mast out of my boat and
found that it could be rowed successfully, and after
about a year I was able to buy a flounder net with the
money I had earned delivering groceries for the Self
Help grocery chain, after school and during the holi-
days. The net cost £10 and with Dad and my friend
and his uncle, did we catch some flounder! I don't
think the creek had ever been fished with a net before.
We took hundreds of fish out of there over a period of
nine years, and fed the neighbourhood every summer.
(Not many fridges in those days!)
Walking across the bridge at the bottom of Orakei
Road I saw about six wheels off cars in the water.
People used to steal the wheels to get the tyres, and
then dump the wheels. I spoke to a chappie at work
whose father was a blacksmith, and asked if he could
(continued on page 4)
make me up a couple of grappling-hooks to get those
wheels, and afterwards I used the grappling-hooks as
anchors for my net. We finished up with seven or
eight wheels. I took them to work, where we cut the
 Volume 2 Issue 9
Page 4
The 1930s and 1940s (cont) The Canal That Was Never Dug
centres out, and a piece out of the rim and rollers (continued from page 2)
made so we could roll the rims down to twelve-inch 1970s to early 1980s. A Mr L J Johnstone even went so
wheels for midget cars, as you could not buy parts like far as to prepare a 23-page report on the scheme, which
that in New Zealand at the time. did not come to pass.
In the summer, after tea we would go down to the And so, once more, the great canal schemes were allowed
hump-backed bridge on the waterfront road to catch to slide back into history.
kingfish. I bought a very heavy line and lure from
Tisdal's sports shop in Queen Street. The lure cost
about 4/6; today's price is about $60 to $70. With the
tide going out, we would fish the outside of the bridge,
and with the tide coming in we would fish the other
side. I made up a very strong gaff at work, and when Membership Information: Fees
we caught a fish I would work it down to the rocks
and pass the line to my father, while I ran down to the
rocks to pull the fish in, as it was too hard to lift it on Individual $10
to the bridge. Family $15
Group/Corporate $30
In the forties and fifties they used to sell oysters at a
depot round by the Tepid Baths, and as I was an ap- Cheques for membership fees may be made out to:
prentice at the bottom of Albert Street, it took me only “Avondale-Waterview Historical Society”.
a few minutes to get there. At 4/6 for half a sugar-bag
I used to go round nearly every Friday while they A receipt will be provided. Please send all fees to
were in season. You can't do that today! our registered office address:
19 Methuen Road, Avondale.
Thank you.

The Avondale Historical Journal

Published by the Avondale-Waterview Historical Society Inc.
Editor: Lisa J. Truttman, 19 Methuen Road, Avondale, Auckland
Phone: (09) 828-8494, Fax: (09) 828-8497, email: historian@avondale.org.nz
Websites: AWHS site www.geocities.com/avondalehistory
Rimtark www.geocities.com/rimtark/index.html
Earth Settler www.earthsettler.tripod.com/esindex/earthsettlerhome.htm
Archive Room www.geocities.com/archiveroom/

Avondale-Waterview Historical
Printed by Society Inc. Committee 2002/2003:

President Bruce Spencer The Society and editorial

Sec/Treasurer Alison Turner staff thank
Avondale Photo Centre, Historical Avondale Business
1962 Great North Road, Research Officer: Lisa Truttman Association
Committee: for their continued support
Ngaire Bishop and sponsorship of this
Robert Browne publication.
Eileen Browne
Robert Chisholm
Elizabeth Clark
Dorothy Maddock