Minnehaha and Thorne Bay

Thorne Bay was originally named Minnehaha Bay after the holiday home that William Thorne, Esq., built on the shore in the 1880s. Thorne was the son of early Auckland settlers and served two years in the Māori Wars before becoming a well-regarded Auckland barrister and solicitor. Throughout his life, he served in several different important roles, including as chairman of the Ponsonby Road Board, as a member of the Auckland Harbour Board, and as a trustee or board member of several local charitable organisations and sports clubs. Like many well-to-do local businessmen and politicians, Thorne set up a holiday home on the North Shore where he could retreat during the summer months.

For a semi-rural holiday home, Thorne's property in Takapuna was quiet expansive. Originally known as Thorne's Paddock and later as Minnehaha, it included four bedrooms as well as a drawing room, dining room, kitchen, office, and large entry hall. It also featured stables, a carriage house, several outhouses, and various other support structures. Thorne enjoyed both buggy rides through the country and boat rides out in the Hauraki Gulf, and he kept several buggies and a yacht on hand for both. He also maintained a small dairy on his property, a structure from which survives at 8 Minnehaha Avenue, although it is not visible from the road.

Thorne's holiday residence and all of its furniture and goods were sold at auction in late 1911 in one of the largest property sales of the time. By 1913, Minnehaha Bay had become known as Thornes Bay, named after the man rather than his home. Thorne himself died on 11 August 1922 in Epsom. His house's name survives in nearby Minnehaha Avenue.

Continue walking along the pathway.