Onehunga resides by itself in a sort of counter-universe to the rest of central Auckland, being desirable amongst those in the know, yet not yet gentrified and encroached upon by the sprawl of mud-coloured houses and showy vehicles.
The vestiges of it’s past are abundantly evident in the colonial architecture of the Kauri cottages and villas that tumble down toward the sea, the Harbourmaster’s turreted homestead overlooking the port, turn of the century weatherboard school building, and original bank, library and post office buildings.
To enter the suburb from Royal Oak is a distinct transition from present-day suburbia to a scene from the past. The scoria entrance-arch, water fountain and flower beds of Jellicoe Park, all reek of 1950’s civic style, and seem somehow a passageway or portal (whether deliberately maintained or not) into yesteryear. Same goes for Tin Tacks park, with a gloriously kitsch 1960’s clock tower.
It’s a mile away from the push and thrust of big business and competition, and absolutely absent of snobbery and pretentiousness. A strong sense of community, diversity, and independence is present here, as is a connection to heritage and history. To an ex-Wellingtonian that is a comforting similarity to home.
Not quite South Auckland, but just a bridges-crossing away over the Mangere bridge, Onehunga is the link between the South and the affluent North. The underbelly of low income and unemployment is evident here – graffiti, overcrowded houses and the ‘projects’ (high-rise state housing blocks), the Trident Tavern with it’s dilapidated exterior, pokie machines and trailing stink of smoke and beer. The gangs are missing though, so the streets are safe and violence is rare.
Onehunga will keep on going strong, staying as it is for another decade or so before changes start, and won’t be taken over without a fight.
Small op-shops, second-hand furniture businesses, the RSA, a Workingmen’s Club, jostle with a multitude of imported goods and ethnic shops. Taro and Kava are available at dairies alongside the more ordinary milk and newspapers. One of the best second hand book shops in Auckalnd resides in Onehunga, and some of the best, but little known cafe's.
Buskers, glue sniffers, the residents from community IHC houses mingle with business people and the well-heeled. Bustling, diverse, multi-cultural, bohemian, historic, sometimes chaotic and claustrophobic, a little rough, yet always welcoming, and home.
I love this place and I hope some day to move back. Then I'll stay - find a place to call home, plant a garden, put down roots, stretch out and grow with the suburb.
