Albany Domain and North Harbour Stadium

Local farmer Michael Mahoney owned the Albany Domain and the surrounding areas, but in 1858 he disappeared without trace. Mahoney had not paid his rates and debt collectors were after him. The Public Trust took Mahoney’s property and gave it to the people of Albany. At the time, the land was a solid block of gorse. It was administered by the Albany Fruit Growers’ Association and formally transferred to them in 1912.

In 1955, the land was officially declared a domain to be made available for public recreation. The large area on the west side of the highway was used for the annual Albany Show, which featured equestrian events, tugs-of-war, boxing, sheep dog trials, and cattle competitions. Part of the land at the south end of the domain was used as an experimental farm and many tree varieties were tested there. Albany gained fruit growing fame for the Albany Beauty apple and the Albany Surprise grape. The domain was bisected in the early 1990s to reroute the Albany Highway east so that it could reach to the Northern Motorway via Oteha Valley Road.

Opposite the Albany Domain and Albany Highway, the imposing North Shore Stadium rises into the skyline. The facility cost $25,000,000 to build and opened in March 1997 on the North Shore Domain for use as a public recreation and sports centre. It includes cricket ovals, football fields, tennis courts, and a 1,000-vehicle carpark. Early plans also included a water park, though so far only a leisure centre and stadium pool have been built.

Continue south along Albany Highway.