Twenty reasons to visit Auckland - we're number 8!

A group of journalists who were in Auckland last October and have since written an article called 'Twenty Reasons to Visit Auckland'. This article was published in the Melbourne Age newspaper, Sydney Morning Herald and the Western Australia paper.

Ponsonby was lucky enough to be featured as number 8:

"One of the hippest neighbourhood villages in Auckland, Ponsonby is a hub of dining, drinking, shopping and gallery-hopping. Ponsonby Social Club is one of the best bars in the city - think live music, DJs and swanky cocktails - and has a Sunday grill that's a terrific way to wind down (ponsonbysocialclub.com). At Chapel, hot hipsters drink and jive along to a soundtrack of 1970s hits, and deer antlers and vintage Playboy covers line the walls. Be quick to snare the pick of the cool collectables, vintage and retro trinkets, designer clothes and handmade jewellery at the outdoor community-based Ponsonby Road Market."

Thanks to Nina Karnikowski for the fantastic mention!

Click here to view the full article.

Ponsonby in the NY Times!

We think this is pretty exciting... Ponsonby Road got a mention in the New York Times in an article called '36 Hours in Auckland'! Thanks Ingrid K Williams for the mention, we're chuffed!

"The inner-city suburb of Ponsonby is a charming neighborhood whose main drag, the mile-long Ponsonby Road, is lined with cafes, bars and boutiques. Late last year, Ponsonby Central (136 Ponsonby Road; ponsonbycentral.co.nz), a new complex packed with small restaurants and shops, added to the area’s appeal even more with, among other places, a bakery, an organic market, a butcher and pocket-size dining spots doing a decent impression of a United Nations food court — sushi, Neapolitan-style pizza, Argentine barbecue. Inside the main building, you’ll find a fortuneteller, the booth of Ponsonby’s radio station, and, for lunch, the pleasant cafe Toru (toru.co.nz). Try the cafe’s pressed sandwich of Serrano ham, melting Manchego and truffle butter, which comes with a pile of scrumptious crinkle fries (13.50 New Zealand dollars)." 

See the full article here

We're on NzOnScreen!

NZ On Screen sent us this TVNZ doco made in the late 80s. It looks at Ponsonby through the eyes of some of its oldest identities. It's a pivotal time in the Auckland suburb's evolution from working class preserve to upmarket retail destination and residential area. Gentrification is taking hold as older residents move on or are forced out by rising property prices. However, there are still traces of the old Ponsonby to be seen in the fabled Gluepot tavern, op shops, drop-in centres and a dizzying array of eateries — and there are memories of when Michael Joseph Savage was the local MP.

Click here to watch.. We love seeing snippets of our heritage like this!

Welcoming Auckland's Pride Parade!

Join us for a spectacular day of celebrations, food, fun, shopping and live street entertainment on

the Strip from 12 noon. 

See our website iloveponsonby.co.nz or check us out on our iloveponsonby Facebook page for more details. 


SHOPPING FROM 10am 
ENTERTAINMENT FROM 12 NOON

PARADE STARTS 4.00pm 

Ponsonby's Three Lamps Are Back And Ready To Shine

Part of Ponsonby’s soul is our rich heritage that weaves its way proudly into the tapestry of our Strip.

One of our key historical sites is at the Northern entrance of Ponsonby where College Hill & Jervois Road turn into Ponsonby Road and we were thrilled that in July last year, thanks to the work of  a small group of very dedicated people and the Waitemata Local Board, a magnificent replica of the Three Lamps was erected  near  where the original used to stand in 1873 .

In the late 1800s, the Three Lamps  site  was the centre of Ponsonby. It was the starting point for horse-drawn buses going from Ponsonby into Auckland city.

People would sit on the lights' stone base, and politicians would use it as a platform for their often 'fiery' speeches. Michael Joseph Savage, in the early 20^th Century , would speak from there and thousands of  people would come  to hear him. It was Auckland' s Hyde Park Corner.

People were very proud of the lamps and it is this pride that drove generations of people to get them back. The Cossar family, Philip Jones, Councillors Bruce Hucker and  Penny Sefuiva, Graeme Easte  and Board members Bruce Kilmister and Leigh Kennaway were all tireless campaigners to get the lamps reinstated. The Waitemata Local Board took up the challenge in 2010 to complete the project.

What makes the return of these lamps even more interesting is the wonderful family connection to them.    David Gilbert's  company 'Wrought Iron Products Ltd’   who  made the pole and its decorations has very close connections to the original gas lights of 1873.  Cyril Callanan, great-grandfather of David  Gilbert's wife, used to light many of the gas street lamps in Ponsonby  and will have  lit the original Three Lamps on his evening rounds.

The replica lamps were made by Spunlight Poles and Windsor Heritage Ltd of Christchurch and every component was made by hand under the direction of Philip Jones, the architect, staying true to the era they were made in, rather than laser-cutting any of the components. The post has been hand painted rather than spray painted to avoid it looking too glossy and paint drips were intentionally allowed to dry to give it more authenticity. Basalt stones, saved from the original base, were used as the new foundation. Two plaques explain the lamps' significance.

 Waitemata Local Board's Heritage spokesman, Tricia Reade, says residents wanted to bring back a sense of history into Ponsonby  In her speech on opening night, she ended by saying “Personally, we are loving having the three lamps back and can't wait to see what new memories they create!”

 Three Lamps' timeline

1873 Lamp erected at junction of Ponsonby, College Hill, Jervois and St Marys Roads

1890 City Council decides to cut costs and light only one lamp

1892 Gas Company gives concessions and lights all three

1902 Lamps replaced by electrical lights

1924 Lamp shades removed

1934 Lamp standard was removed from intersection

1935 A new standard was erected on the corner of College Hill and Ponsonby Roads outside the Ponsonby Club Hotel that was later known as The Gluepot

1937 Hotel is demolished and a new one constructed. The head of the lamp standard is incorporated in the verandah where they remain today.

Source: Historical Assessment by the Historical Places Trust.

Ponsonby Christmas Market Day

 

PONSONBY IS THE PLACE TO BE ON DECEMBER 1ST!

Ponsonby’s famous Market Day starts at 11am with stalls, food and bargains ... There's no better time or place to get those Christmas pressies sorted!

Some things to look forward to:
 

- Father Christmas & the fairies will be on the Strip to make sure all your wishes come true at 1pm

- Our bands, face painters and bouncy castles will be "doin’ their thing" from 2.30pm until 5.00pm 

- Make sure you’re still here to meet us all and share the fun on Franklin Road when all the lights get switched on that evening!

- There's lots of free entertainment, fun for everyone and a very special secret surprise Santa!

- Victoria Park will be lit up with the magnificent Telecom Tree on December 1st AND there’s no better place to be than along Ponsonby Road to watch it light up the nightsky! 

- Make sure you come along early to enjoy a drink or dinner along the Strip and secure the best seat in the world!