 Island Bay | ||
 features | notable persons | buildings | books | websites | clippings | ||
Named after the bay because the island Tapu Te Ranga sits across its mouth, and shelters it from the Cook Strait. Te Mupunga Kainga settlement of Ngai Tara and Ngäti Ira, before the European settlers arrived. | ||
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Features | ||
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Erskine College (1906) closed in 1985. Erskine Chapel of the Sacred Heart (26 Oct. 1930) 21 Avon Street. Built by J.H Meyer, designed by John Sydney Swan. French Gothic Style. One of the finest chapel interiors in NZ. Home of Compassion (1908) Founded by Mother Mary Joseph Aubert. Home to the incurables and terminally ill. Island Bay VUW marine laboratories 396 the Esplanade. Provides a look at marine life off the south coast including sea anemones and octopus. Red Rocks Owhiro Bay. The red boulders are a product of undersea volcanic activity. A very good coastal walk through the Owhiro Bay Quarry to see the fur seal colony. In winter many seals can be found around Sinclair head. Some early Wellington baches still exist besides the quarry. Shorland Park Reserve located opposite the bay with a Band Rotunda, skateboard area and play ground. South Coast Marine Reserve. Southern Walkway The start of the southern walkway from Island Bay, passes above Kilbirnie and Newtown to Mt Victoria. Tapa Te Ranga Island A pa of refuge, with a stone wall around the pa. Tamairangi (the wife of Ngati Ira chief Whanake) sought refuge here, when Ngati Ira were attacked in the tribe's final battle. | ||
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Notable persons who have lived in the suburb | ||
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Alan Brunton (1946-2002) Poet and dramatist. Founded the Auckland Freed Magazine (1969-1972). He had a modernist view of poetry not following the traditional verse forms. His poetry work started with Messengers in Blackface in 1973, his last work was the play Goin' to Djibouti (1996). Search for books by Alan Brunton in our catalogue. Jacob de Ruiter (Author and musician) Writes on native plants. Search for books by Jacob de Ruiter in our catalogue. John Drawbridge (1930- ) Painter and printmaker. Margaret Elliot (1952- ) Contemporary landscape artist. Visited Antarctica recently on the "Artists to Antarctica" scheme.
Rita Angus (1908-1970) Artist - realist painter of landscapes, particularly of Otago and Christchurch, and portraits. She lived in Wellington from the 50s until her death. One of her best known works is a painting of fishing boats at Island Bay. Robin Hyde born Iris Wilkinson (1906-1939) Journalist, novelist and poet. Her first poetic work was The Desolate Star (1929) and first prose Journalese (1943). Her best work is The Godwits Fly (1938). She wrote a poem called "The beaches" featuring Island Bay. Search for books by Robin Hyde in our catalogue.
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| Buildings | ||
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Bait House Now derelict building on the east end of the Island Bay beach. Eccentric Houses Island bay residents have shown a tendency for innovative buildings in the suburb. Tapu Te Ranga Marae (1974) " The sacred rising" marae built by the Maori historian Bruce Stewart. The 9 stories are built from junk and refuse. A native forest and bird reserve is being developed near the marae.  | ||
| Book titles on Whekenui | ||
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Alla fine del mondo = To the ends of the earth : a history of Italian migration to the Wellington Region / by Paul Elenio ; researcher and additional text, Denise Stephens. Allan Atkinson, Island Bay : a scrapbook of my life in Island Bay, Wellington, 1906-1994. 1994. Disputed ground : Robin Hyde, journalist 1991. The Streets of my City: Wellington, New Zealand. Irvine-Smith, F.L.; 1948. Writing Island Bay / edited by Alan Brunton for Bumper Books. 1997. | ||
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Useful websites | ||
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Electorate Information (Pdf file) Erskine Campus Island Bay community network |
Island Bay Library The Learning Connection Wellington Southern Bays Historical Society Inc. |
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Newspaper Clippings Newspaper clippings about Island Bay are housed next to the Desk in chronological folders at the Island Bay Library. More newspaper clippings are held at the 2nd floor Enquiries Desk at the Central Library. | |
