Albany Village History Walk

The area of the North Shore known today as Albany Village was once a dense bushland called Ōkahukura by its original Māori inhabitants. The name means ‘place of Kahukura’, who was the atua (god) of rainbows and may refer to the waterfall in Gills Reserve. More important was the creek, which was abundant in flounder. Māori called it ‘Kaipatiki’, but early European settlers renamed it Lucas Creek, a mistitled reference to Daniel Clucas, an early Pākehā entrepreneur who may have run a flax mill on the creek. Most early Europeans came to the area to harvest timber. Following in their wake, gumdiggers tore up the ground seeking hardened kauri sap (gum) to make a quick profit. They left a relatively barren wasteland behind.

Gradually, fruit-growers came to populate the area around today’s Lucas Creek bridge. This was the furthest upstream boats could navigate, so a small wharf was built on the west bank of the creek. Residents initially named the settlement after the creek, but in 1890 they adopted the name Albany after an important fruit-growing region in Western Australia. Albany also marked an important crossroad between travellers heading north from Northcote Point and those travelling east-west between Wade (Silverdale) and Riverhead.

Despite its importance as a trading centre and crossroads, Albany as a settlement did not grow substantially for many decades. Even with the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge in 1959, the population only increased gradually even as suburbs to the south, closer to the bridge and the ever-lengthening motorway, exploded in size. Albany was merged into the City of Takapuna in 1974 but remained a distant outpost. In 1989, it was amalgamated into North Shore City and later, in 2010, into the Auckland supercity. Today, Albany is a bustling suburb but there are hints of its earlier history hiding in plain sight.

Terrain: Slightly hilly terrain atop concrete or asphalt footpaths

Starting Point: Albany Village Library (30 Kell Drive)

Parking: Free parking is available at Kell Park, accessible from Kell Drive. Paid parking is also available at the east end of Kell Drive.

Disclaimer: This walk is along public roads and includes historical facts about the buildings and the area. Most of the sites are private businesses or homes. Please respect the environment and do not trespass on private property. Neither Auckland Council nor private property owners accept responsibility for any loss, damage, or injury to you or your property arising from use of this tour.

Credits: Much of the information comes from Alison Harris and Robert Stevenson, Once there were green fields: The story of Albany, New Zealand (2002). Additional material from The History of Albany Presbyterian Church (2018) and The Station: A concise history of the Albany Basin 1840-1940 (1986).

Acknowledgments: Thanks to the staff of Albany Village Library for originally researching and designing this tour, and to Philippa Templeton and Derek Whaley from Research North (Takapuna Library) for expanding the tour and site descriptions. Tour adapted for Walk Auckland and PocketSights in 2022 by Derek Whaley on behalf of Auckland Council.

Copyright 2022 Auckland Council. Auckland Council holds all copyrights associated with this tour. You may not copy or reproduce the content of this tour without permission from Auckland Council. Auckland Council has taken every care to ensure that the information contained in this tour is accurate, but accepts no responsibility arising from, or in connection with, your use of this tour and the information contained in it.