A Trip Down Memory Lane in the Tauranga CBD

Guest article by John Green.

Back in the 1960s I was a schoolboy with a bicycle and loved to explore downtown Tauranga. There were a large number of motor garages, service stations and wreckers, not to mention a blacksmith’s shop, in what we now think of as the CBD. These are the main ones that I remember. In those times all cars were either from the UK or USA. To buy a new car one had to have access to overseas money and there were long waiting lists for new cars.

Maxwell Motors Ltd, Shell Service
Detail of ‘Rose gardens in Strand weeded by Mr W. Jones’, publ. Bay of Plenty Times, 8 October 1964
Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Ref. gca-7522

·         Maxwell Motors, corner Harington Street and The Strand. Agents for Singer, Citroen and Jaguar cars.

·         C.F. Washer, corner of Hamilton Street and Willow Street. Agents for Chevrolet, Vauxhall and Bedford.

Teasey’s Buildings, Devonport Road, Tauranga, 1911
Unidentified photographer
Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Ref. 99-1142

·         Teaseys Garage, Lower Devonport Rd, Eastern side.  (Building still there but now shops)

George Mason Motors, cnr Elizabeth/Durham Streets, Tauranga, undated
Unidentified photographer
Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Ref. 02-299

·         George Mason Motors, originally in Grey Street then moved to Elizabeth Street/Durham Street corner. (building still there)

·         Dixie Dean’s Motorcycle shop, where Farmers Trading have just built Elizabeth Towers.

·         F.N. Christian’s Garage, firstly in Lower Devonport Rd, later Upper Devonport Rd , west side, Ford  cars, Fordson tractors.  Became Tappenden Motors in 1957.

 

Tauranga Motors, Grey Street, Tauranga, 1950
Unidentified photographer
Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Ref. 04-190

·         Acme Motors (later Tauranga Motors), Grey Street, Studebaker cars and Ferguson tractors.

Advertisement from NZ Post Office Telephone Directory, Bay of Plenty & Rotorua Distructs, p25
Collection of John Green

·        Phil Prime had a workshop and car rental business in Grey Street and it went right through to Durham Street.

·       Cameron Motors, Grey Street, specialised in used cars

·       Sam Snowden’s Service Station, cnr Spring Street/Durham Streets, also sold International trucks and tractors

·       Smith’s Scooter House, Durham Street.

There were at least two car wrecking yards, one in Grey Street and the other on Cameron Road opposite St Peters Church. Later the Austin agents Bay Motors was built there.

In the course of this trip down memory lane I have discovered many older images of some of these businesses, and these will form part of a future blog.

Whites Aviation

Aerial view of Tauranga, looking south down Willow Street in the CBD
Long format postcard published by Whites Aviation Ltd
Collection of Justine Neal

In 1935 New Zealand’s first aerial photography firm, known as Stewart and White Ltd. was founded. For Leo White, born in Auckland July 4^th 1906 it combined his two loves of flying and photography.

Aerial view of Mount Maunganui and Mauao, looking north-west
Postcard published by Whites Aviation Ltd
Collection of Justine Neal

His interest in flying began when, as a boy, he was out doing his paper delivery round and saw a monoplane flying over One Tree Hill. He learnt to fly at the Walsh Brother’s Flying School at Kohimarama. His first aerial photograph was of Devonport Ferry Wharf taken from a Boeing seaplane belonging to the school.

Aerial view of Waihi Beach, looking north-east
Postcard published by Whites Aviation Ltd
Collection of Justine Neal

Prior to establishing his own business Leo was a photographic contributor to the NZ Herald, the Auckland Star and the Christchurch Press. In 1926 he joined the photographic staff of the NZ Herald where, amongst other important events he covered the Napier earthquake in 1931.

Aerial view of Mangawha Heads, Northland
Long format postcard published by Whites Aviation Ltd
Collection of Justine Neal

With the outbreak of WWII in 1939 Leo joined the RNZAF and rose to the rank of Flying Officer and became the official RNZAF photographer in the Pacific. In 1945 he re-established  his business as Whites Aviation Ltd.

Aerial view of Oneroa Bay, Waiheke Island
Postcard published by Whites Aviation Ltd
Collection of Justine Neal

Leo White died at his Mt. Eden, Auckland home on December 29^th 1967 but his wonderful aerial photography depicting New Zealand’s growth over the years lives on.

References

Papers Past, The Press, 30 Dec 1967

Changing Tauranga CBD

It is difficult to keep up with the number of older city centre buildings that have disappeared in the last year. While each building has a story which warrants being told, this post will simply acknowledge their departure from the city landscape by sharing photographs of their demolition.

73 Devonport Road (Taken from opposite side of Devonport Road), 8 June 2018
Kean Private Collection

This building was part of the Devonport Road building boom in the mid-1930s. Many complaints about congestion and parking were made to the Borough Council and reported in The Bay of Plenty Times. ‘With the completion of the new building adjoining us we anticipate a further congestion of motor traffic and feel justified in asking that your Council take steps immediately to remedy same.’ – 15 November 1934.

117-119 Devonport Road, October 2019 (taken from corner of First Avenue and Devonport Road), 11 October 1918
Kean Private Collection

Before Farmers occupied the entire site, older residents may remember the Devon Mall which had eighteen speciality shops and a central atrium that included a fountain.

136 Willow Street Tauranga (taken from corner of Spring and Willow Streets), 30 March 2019
Kean Private Collection

Originally known as the Dominion Building it was constructed in 1925 by Carl Johansen for the draper Mr A. Dagley.

55 The Strand, March 2019 (taken from Harrington House, corner Willow and Harington Streets), 12 March 2019
Kean Private Collection

On the corner of Hamilton Street and The Strand, this ‘ferro-concrete’ building was constructed in 1936 for Mrs Lamport of Hartley’s fame.

45 The Strand (taken from Harrington House, corner Willow and Harington Streets), 20 June 2019
Kean Private Collection

Designed by Harry Leslie Daniel West in 1936 this building appears to have been finished just prior to his death in May 1937. West was the Borough’s architect at the time.