Judea Sale Yards, 1950

Guest post by Anne Baker (née Stead)

When I was about 10 years old a Mrs London supplied the refreshments on Sale Days. This was done from a shed by the entrance to Mr Robins’ farm and along his driveway was a row of very tall walnut trees. The water for the tea was boiled on an open fire by the shed doorway and my mother helped with the sandwiches.

When I realised it was a Wednesday and the stock sale was on, I would ‘throw a sickie’ so I could go with her to the sale. The shed had a big drop-down wooden servery facing the stockyards and the teas were served through there to the stock agents, truck drivers and farmers attending the sale. I had to sit under this shelf — out of sight!

Sheep Fair - Judea, Bay of Plenty Times, publ. 24 Jan 1961
Tauranga City Libraries, Gifford-Cross Series, Ref. gca-525

After the sale was over, us kids used to go over to the yards and ride on the sheep — good fun!  — until the truck drivers chased us away. Two truck drivers I remember, Gerald and his son Charlie Bennett, Andersons drivers I think, and stock agents —  Archie Strang and Montgomery (Monty.)

I enjoyed the atmosphere and the sound of the auctioneering sale, especially when a beast escaped. Dogs and men put on ‘quite a circus’ until it was back in the yards.

Annual Heifer Sale, Judea, Bay of Plenty Times, publ. 24 August 1963
Tauranga City Libraries, Gifford-Cross Series, Ref. gca-5381

One day I fell into the sheep dip there, my biggest brother, Ernie, pulled me out. We walked up the road (past Mr Robins’ long boundary hedge that had lovely climbing roses growing through it) to the Judea Store where Mrs Jamieson gave me some of her daughter Peggy’s clothes to wear home. Then I got in BIG TROUBLE.

Mrs Jamieson was Mr London’s sister (he had beehives) and she had a big garden where London Place is now. There was a big fence all round the garden and there lived a big, big tortoise.

Sometimes the stock for the sale was driven down a dirt track from 12th Avenue. Formerly the Kopurerua River ran in a curve alongside the road towards 11th Ave. Later this was filled in by a rubbish dump and the river ran in a straight line to the estuary.

 Editors Note: You may also enjoy Beth Bowden’s previous 2019 post on the Judea Sale Yards

Bridges of Tauranga Borough, 1950s

From a contributer who wishes to remain anonymous.

These are my memories of life in Tauranga in the 1950s. It is amazing to think that of the 7 bridges we cross without a second thought in 2020, a mere 70 years ago 3 of them did not exist, 2 were single lane and both the rail bridges could be death traps. 

Matapihi rail bridge, Tauranga, under construction
Photograph by R.W. Meers, April 1917
Image courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries/Pae Korokī, Ref. 02-059

Matapihi Railbridge was a train bridge only but was used quite extensively by Matapihi residents. There was no walkway, resulting in over 20 people losing their lives before the pedestrian walkway was added later.

Aerial view of Matapihi and Maungatapu, showing the beginning of the causeway bridge
Photograph by Astra Publicity, March 1958
Image courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries/Pae Korokī, Ref. 01-340

There was no bridge at Maungatapu so to get to the Mount it was necessary to drive 17 miles around through Welcome Bay and Kairua Road.

Hairini Bridge under construction
Photograph by R.J. Rendell, 1920s
Image courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries/Pae Korokī, Ref. 02-121

The old Hairini bridge (built in the 1920s accessed from 14th Ave and Turrett Road) was one lane with a raised passing bay in the centre. This was to allow access to the Waimapu river traffic from earlier times.

Wairoa river bridge, with cart and horse-drawn carriage
Photograph by R.W. Meers, c1909
Image courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries/Pae Korokī, Ref. 02-050

The Wairoa River was crossed by a single lane concrete bridge. When there was a group of us needing to cross to get to our senior Pony Club instructor’s farm, she would come to meet us and ensure that the traffic from the North did not try to cross and frighten the horses.

Kopurererua Stream, Tauranga
Photograph by Fred Bicker, c1920
Image courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries/Pae Korokī, Ref. 02-356

The small bridge over the Kopu Canal is in the same position but the stream itself was realigned in the early 40s as illustrated above.

Aerial view of Ōtūmoetai showing the new Chapel Street causeway and bridge
Photograph by Bay of Plenty Times, c1960
Image courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries/Pae Korokī, Ref. 99-1399

Chapel Street ‘causeway’ bridge did not exist so all cars had to travel to and from Otumoetai via Waihi Rd. Prior to it’s construction, in 1959, pedestrians and cyclists used the adjacent railway bridge but one had to be very careful that the bicycle wheels did not get caught in the gaps of the plank decking. Of course all the locomotives were big steam-belching and smoking monsters and rather scary.

There was no Harbour Bridge but a good passenger ferry service connected with 3 wharves on the Mount side, Aerodrome Wharf, Salisbury Wharf and the stone jetty at the base of the Mount.

An 11 Year-old’s Perfect Day

From a contributer who wishes to remain anonymous.

Private collection

When we first moved to Tauranga in 1949, I was lent a pony called ‘Soppy.’ (I thought this was the cruelest name for a beautiful Palamino. Years later I learned it’s real name was Aesop.)

Aerial photo of Waihi Road, Kopurererua, about 1945-47. Judea Road, lower right; Waihi Road through middle; saleyards bottom left, entrance to which became Roberts Road; opposite is space from where Churchill Road was formed; Melrose home in open space on right
Image courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries, Ref. 07-353

On a Saturday morning I would join a group of young riders and we would set off across the Waikareao Estuary from the bottom of Elizabeth Street towards Coach Drive. Once we got across the channel we would veer off towards the track up to Goods Rd where Pony club was held in the big front paddock of the Good’s farm. The two-storey stucco homestead is still there, now with it’s entrance off Milton Rd. I think they were an English couple with a son, and a daughter Mary, who also rode. Mostly we would take a packed lunch and there was always fruit available for us to help ourselves to. My memories are of tearing around for a few hours on our ponies playing games on horseback and it was all lots of fun.

Our route home was dependent on how far in the tide was. If it was full tide we went north along Goods Rd to Pillans Rd, Grange Rd, Otumoetai Rd, down a steep clay track to Brookers Rd, back onto Otumoetai Rd, and along Sutherland Rd , Judea Rd and onto Waihi Rd. If there was enough dry sand we would head across the estuary between the Urupa on Motupae Island, up the track beside the Judea Pa, along Judea Road and turn down Waihi Road opposite the saleyards.

Otuomoetai Road, circa 1950
Image by Alf Rendell. Reproduced with permission

After crossing the Kopurererua Stream bridge I always hoped that the others would not take off too early as they would go tearing along the right hand side of the road, and up the steep stock track to 12th Ave. I never fell off but there were some near misses. Luckily the ponies would be very out of breath at the top and I could collect my wits and check my over-the-shoulder satchel.

We would then ride sedately along Edgecumbe Rd to 6th Ave, go down another steepish track to the ‘back beach’, past Elizabeth Street, up another track onto Hamilton Street. Then a final gallop along past the Domain, turn right at the transit camp entrance and around the corner to the paddock.

Thus would end another perfect day of my favourite pastime — horseriding.