Know your town Land use

John Martin’s original plans were of 595 quarter acre section and 334 ‘farmlets’ of one acre with larger sections of up to 1,000 acres on the edges.

A few businesses with attached accommodation were established and a few houses, however most of the dwellings were in the original Waihinga township. Most of the new sections were grazed by working horses and cows.

Following World War Two there was much horticultural activity, particularly with the establishment of numerous hot houses. Vern Marks built a large hot house at 41 Venice Street, Alf Ferritti built glass houses on Todd’s Road. B Leach had large glasses houses on what is now the site of Considine’s barn. Wyatt Creech built al large glasshouse on the site which is now Parehua on the northern end of New York Street. These four grew tomatoes with Leach’s also growing them outdoors.

Other hothouses were established to grow vegetables and berries , mostly strawberries. Ned Clark built his hothouse on Puratanga Road, Jack Higgs in Huangarua Road, Bob Houston on what is now the Palliser Estate site and Mama Joe a small one on his market garden on the south side of Kitchener Street opposite Palliser Estate. These hothouses are now long gone.

There were also numerous commercial outdoor gardens. On Venice street Fred Clark grew tomatoes, Mate Higginson grew beans and Chrysanthemum flowers, on the other side of the street Joe Bing grew a variety of vegetables. May Philips had a herb garden in Suez Street and Commandeer Gerrade propagated Gladioli on his Broadway street property.

Down the western end of New York street Ian Sorrenson grew strawberries and the Cundys had a citrus grove. On the other side of the street Joe Saba grew potatoes. This farm was later sold to Wyatt Creech who originally continued to grow potatoes but later established Om Sante vineyard which is now incorporated as part of Palliser.

Along with his hothouse Mama Joe also had a considerable outdoor vegetable market garden. At one stage this included a large area in onions on part of what is Considine Park.

Farmlet enterprises included lavenders being grown at the top of Dublin Street and John Calkin’s large orchard in Oxford Street , now Kirk’s. Wi Hutana had a racing stable on a block encompassing Cologne, Broadway, Strasbourg and Princess Streets. Bill Harris had something out of the usual, a Fitch ( a type of ferret) farm on the corner of New York and Cambridge Streets.

These days the small holdings are now residential or planted in grape vines.

Mate Higginson