Island Bay, New Zealand


Island Bay is a coastal suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, situated 5 km south of the city centre.
Island Bay lies on the bay which shares its name, one of numerous small bays off Cook Strait and west of Lyall Bay. 500m offshore in Island Bay lies Tapu Te Ranga Island, which forms a natural breakwater and provides a sheltered anchorage for local fishing boats.
Noted current Island Bay residents include Minister of Justice Andrew Little MP, and Celia Wade-Brown, former Mayor of Wellington. Former residents include Bruce Stewart, writer and dramatist at Tapu Te Ranga Marae; Middlesbrough F.C. and All Whites striker Chris Killen; artist John Drawbridge; poet Alan Brunton; writer Robin Hyde; and, in the late 19th century, The Hermit of Island Bay.

History

Tapu te Ranga Island is said to be Patawa, a point from which the legendary Maori chief Kupe sighted the giant octopus Te Wheke-a-Muturangi, which he pursued across Cook Strait. In pre-European times, Island Bay was home to several pa, including Te Mupunga Kainga, today represented with a pou in Shorland Park. A succession of iwi occupied Island Bay, including Ngai Tara, Ngati Ira.
A famous battle which took place on the beach of Island Bay has been well documented by Elsdon Best. A raiding taua from Muau-poko were making their way to the Ngai Tara stronghold of Te Whetu-Kairangi, a fortified pa on what is now Miramar peninsular. In the morning, Ngai Tara warriors came down from Uruhau fort and engaged Muau-poko in battle on the beach. Two muaupoko chiefs were killed, and later cremated in Haewai. This battle is commemorated with a pou on the zig-zag leading from Liffey street to Orchy crescent.
During a battle in which Ngati Mutunga drove Ngati Ira from Wellington in 1827, Tamairangi, the wife of the Ngati Ira chief, is said to have sought refuge on Tapu te Ranga Island with her children, fleeing by canoe when Tapu te Ranga Island was besieged. In Treaty of Waitangi settlements, both Te Atiawa and Ngati Toa have claimed tangata whenua status over Tapu te Ranga Island. Ngati Toas case was proven in the Maori Land Court
In the early days of European settlement George Hunter was the chief proprietor of the Island Bay Estate, where he bred stock on his stud farm. The Island Bay portion was subdivided and auctioned in March 1879. In the late 19th century, Island Bay was settled by Italian and Shetlander fishermen. In 1905, Wellington's tramline was extended to Island Bay, increasing the area's popularity, and steadily transforming it into a seaside suburb. Many Island Bay villas, bungalows and shops date from the 1920s, a period of rapid development for the area. This included the subdivision of the Island Bay Racecourse which was once bounded by Clyde Street on the East and Ribble Street on the West. Many streets in Island Bay were named after British and European rivers.

Notable features

Erskine College and Chapel

Designed by John Sydney Swan and built in 1904-6, The Convent of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic girls' boarding school, was renamed Erskine College in the late 1960s after the former Superior General Mother Janet Erskine Stuart. The adjacent Erskine Chapel of the Sacred Heart, also designed by John Sydney Swan, was built in 1930 in the French Gothic style. Erskine Chapel is considered to have one of the finest chapel interiors in New Zealand, and is listed as Category I in New Zealand's Historic Places Trust. The school closed in 1985 and today the complex is privately owned. Erskine College was used as a location in Peter Jackson's 1996 film The Frighteners. The chapel was refurbished in 2003, and is now a popular venue for weddings and concerts.

Island Bay Marine Education Centre

The Island Bay Marine Education Centre on the foreshore has a small aquarium and touch tank, and is open to the public on alternate Sundays.

Churches

There are five churches in Island Bay. The oldest is the Anglican church, which is over 100 years old. It has a traditional brick front design, and some stained glass windows honouring the early settlers. It is named after St Hilda of Whitby, as the early settlers felt the coastline resembled Northumbria. The Baptist, Catholic, Serbian Orthodox and Presbyterian churches are younger. The churches have facilities that are used for a range of community groups. Church activities include a full range of programmes for all ages, including the annual Teddy Bears' Picnic for children which forms part of the Island Bay festival.

Streets and Roads

Many local streets are named after rivers around the world, including the following:
Two diving companies operate in Island Bay, and offer trips within the local Taputeranga Marine Reserve and to the wreck of HMNZS Wellington, a decommissioned Royal New Zealand Navy frigate which was sunk off the coast of Island Bay in November 2005 to create an artificial reef.

Shorland Park

Shorland Park is a small public park at Island Bay Beach. The playground includes a mock wooden ship and is a favourite for children's birthday parties.
Shorland Park contains a Band Rotunda near the waterfront. Plaques record the 152 local soldiers who died in World War I and World War II, and the loss of American submarines and their crew in the Pacific. In the 1930s, local brass bands and the Salvation Army frequently played in the rotunda. The rotunda is now used for occasional concerts, notably during the annual Island Bay Festival.

[Tapu Te Ranga Marae]

Situated in 50 acres of replanted native forest on a hill near Rhine Street, Tapu Te Ranga Marae is a living Marae and was the home of Bruce Stewart. The 2500 square metre wooden house extends over 10 levels, and was built with recycled materials.
At 12:30am on 9 June 2019, the marae suffered a devastating fire and was subsequently destroyed.

Taputeranga Marine Reserve

The waters surrounding Island Bay are under the protection of the Department of Conservation since the creation of the 854 hectare Taputeranga Marine Reserve in 2006. The reserve is home to kelp forests, octopuses, blue cod and banded wrasse. Dolphins and whales also frequent the area. A 200m 'snorkel trail' within the reserve starts and finishes in Island Bay.

Tapu Te Ranga Motu (the Island)

Tapu Te Ranga Motu, the island in the middle of the bay, once served as a refuge of local Maori. Tamairanga, the wife of the Ngati Ira chief Whanake, escaped to the island with her children during a battle that forced the tribe from Wellington Harbour.

[Victoria University Coastal Ecology Laboratory]

maintains an active research and teaching presence on Wellington's south coast at the Victoria University Coastal Ecology Laboratory, which overlooks the spectacular exposed rocky reef systems typical of Cook Strait.

Walkways

Island Bay is the starting point for two recreational walkways that cross the city. The runs 12km between Parliament and Island Bay through the Botanic Gardens and Aro Valley. The 11km follows the Town Belt between Island Bay and Oriental Bay.

Island Bay Festival

The annual Island Bay Festival takes place over eight days each February. It include:
Island Bay School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of as of.
St Francis De Sales School is a co-educational state-integrated Catholic primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of.

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