History of Streets

The following list shows the name of each street, where it is located, and the backstory believed to be behind each name.

Island Bay Street Names

Ōwhiro Bay Street Names

Southgate Street Names

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Island Bay’s Fragmented Streets

Houghton Bay Street Names

Ara Haewai

Ara Haewai comes off of Houghton Bay Road and is the second turn on the right when coming in from the Houghton Bay roundabout.'Haewai Road' in Te reo Maori. Haewai translates to "light reflecting on water" and is the Te reo name for Houghton Bay.

Cave Road

Cave Road comes off of Houghton Bay Road and is the first turn off when coming in from the Houghton Bay roundabout.Going towards Island Bay leaving Houghton Bay, there is a rock face to the right of the road, if one looks carefully it is possible to see the rear remains of the cave which once housed a hermit. Previous to the road improvements of 1903 a man who never revealed his name or information about himself lived in the cliff road level cave. My grandfather told me that it was believed the local publican paid the hermit to live there as it provided an attraction to the area, to see te hermit this supplied clients for the hotel business. During the 1930 depression era, the road was widened and thee cave and it's cliff face blown up which caused it's total loss.
For more information about the hermit see our Magazine 6 (2010-2011) Pages 19-24 and Magazine 11 (2015-2016) Pages 27-30

Houghton Bay Road and Houghton Terrace

Houghton Bay Road is the main road leading up from Houghton Bay to Southgate.Houghton Terrace is a walking only path coming off of View Road, leading to Sutherland Road in Lyall Bay.Both streets are named after Robert Houghton, master mariner, first signalman at the station above Newtown.

Hungerford Road

Hungerford Road comes off of Houghton Bay Road, running over the hill, and leading to Great Harbor Way

Pari Tai Way

Roughly translates to 'Beach where the tide comes in"

Twomey Grove

Likely Named after someone with the last name Twomey.

View Road

Likely Named after the beautiful view of Houghton Bay and the surrounding areas.

Waitaha Way

Named after the Waitaha iwi.

Island Bay Street Names

Some of the streets are named after European rivers. Streets like Avon, Clyde, Derwent, Liffey, Mersey, Rhine, Seine and Severn and Tamar. In a number of Wellington suburbs they have distinctive themes for the naming of their streets. Island Bay comprises of 2.15 km2. In June 2024 the estimated population of 7,170, with a population density of 3,335 people per km2.

Albert Street

Albert Street is on the left hand side of The Parade off Mersey Street slightly elevated with views over Island Bay

Aranoni Street

Avon Street

Bay Lair Grove

Beach Street

C.H. Bayliss owned property adjacent to the Esplanade. High Street, Beach Street and Valley Street were all put through his land.

Brighton Street

Bristol Street

Bristol Street is a very interesting little street at the southern end of Melbourne Road. In the middle it does not join. It looks out over the island, Tapu Te Ranga, which was a significant pā site.

Cam Street

Carlisle Street

Clyde Street

Clyde Street is situated parellel to the lefthand side of the Parade. It is slightly elevated. Named after the River Clyde a major Scotish River, flowing through the city of Glasgow and into the Firth of Clyde on the west coast. It is the eighth longest river in the UK and the second longest in Scotland.There are a number of interesting properties along Clyde Street

Danube Street

Danube Street is situated below the Home of Compassion on the left side as you enter Island Bay from Berhampore. Like many streets in Island Bay, it is named after a river, the Danube, the second-longest river in Europe.
A extensive article written by Penelope Holden (née Richards) is available at this link or in Magazine 12 (2016 / 2017)
From early plans of the Department of Lands of Survey of Melrose Ward, dated November 1905, Danube Street was to be situated between Rhine Street and Eden Street (which had been originally an extension of Derwent Street). But if you refer to a recent plan, Rhine Street actually stopped at Seine Street. There are eleven houses numbered ‘5 – 15’.The first occupant in the Stones Directory was Graham Angus Mathieson a motorman (unknown number) and then John William Redditt, a hospital attendant in this house and at 11 Danube Street, Dan Coyle, a letter carrier. At the Wellington City Archives, 13 Danube Street was mentioned with a brief description of “Applicant F J Summerhays, Owner Self; Legal Description Section 18 date 9 July 1906.
The houses were built under the ‘Workers’ Dwellings Act 1910 at an estimated cost of £400 for houses of five rooms. The sections were small, No. 13 is 324 m2. Peg and Fred changed the layout, but the basic plan would have been similar to this plan when built. The kitchen, scullery (by then bathroom) was the same shape. After the sale of No 13 in 1995, there have been extensive changes in the layout.
From the Wellington City Council Building Plan, I note that the water supply was connected in 1907, suburban drainage in 1910, the use of road reserve T Hearn 1918, street lighting in 1912, and the removal of a clay bank in 1914.
There were eight families by 1914: No. 5 Hobbs, No. 6 Loughnane, No. 7 McKay, No. 8 Henderson, No. 9 Linde, No. 10 Stothers, No. 11 Coyle, No 14 Hearn.
Mr Stothers received a letter dated 1 June 1914 stating, “that the Council have decided to form a low-level footpath and carry out repairs to the extent of 20 pounds”.

Dargle Way

Dart Crescent

Dee Street

The River Dee runs thru North Wales and Cheshire, the majority thru North Wales. Dee Street is horizontal to The Parade as you enter Island Bay from the North

Dennis Way

Derwent Street

Derwent Street runs from The Village to the sea on the left hand side of the valley parallel to The Parade

Don Street

Don Street is situated just off Dee Street on the lefthand side of the Valley

Dover Street

Eden Street

Erskine Close

Foyle Street

Freeling Street

Freeling Street, cut up by Mr Jacob Joseph, was named after Chas. Freeling Reeves, who bought some of the lots in 1900.

Frobisher Street

High Street

C.H. Bayliss owned property adjacent to the Esplanade. High Street, Beach Street and Valley Street were all put through his land.

Hudson Street

Humber Street

Irwell Street

Jackson Street

Mace Street and Jackson Street recall the two partners who once owned Melrose when it was but rough land running stock.

Jordan Street

Kellsmere Crescent

Knoll Street

Liddel Grove

Liffey Crescent

Liffey Street

Linwood Way

Mace Street

Mace Street and Jackson Street recall the two partners who once owned Melrose when it was but rough land running stock. Mace Street is not named after anyone or anything in particular.

Maybury Way

Maybury Way is off the northern end of Severn Street. It is on the left hand side, a cul-de-sac after turning right off Moselle Street.

Medway Street

Melbourne Road

Melbourne Road is in four sections starting at Dee Street running along the left hand side of the Valley to Bristol Street at the Southern end. The road will suddenly stop where a path winds down the cliff to the next section which often finds people loosing their way. With the plans for the Island Bay Streets decided in England they did not consider the topograthy of the landscape.

Melrose Road

Mersey Street

Milne Terrace

Milne Terrace is situated at the southern end of Derwent Street, on the hill with sweeping views over Island Bay, first subdivision in the late 1800's.
At 53 Milne Terrace a well known politician and Presbyterian minister Sir Arnold Henry Nordmeyer ONZ KCMG resided in his later years with his wife Frances. Sir Arnold was best known for his 'Black Budget' in 1958.

Moselle Street

At the southern end ifDerwent Street you turn right on Moselle Street before continuing on to Severn Street.

Murchison Street

Murray Street

Murray Street is a very small side street at the northern end of Eden Street on the left hand side. The Home of Compassion is on the left at the top.

Oku Street

Oku Street is off Milne Tce on the southern end of Island Bay. There is the Oku Street Reserve which is the headland between Ōwhiro Bay and Island Bay.. The City to Sea Walkway is part of the reserve a short walk from Shorland Park.

Rathgen Street

Rathgen Street is on the top of the hill on the right side of the bay, to the South of Frobisher Street

Reef Street

Reef Street is opposite the Reef it runs at right angles from The Parade to The Esplanade. Shorland Park is on the right hand side.

Rhine Street

Ribble Street

Located just off of Derwent Street.Ribble St is known for the famous 'Ribble Street Races.' Originally they started with ponies and horses but have now transitioned into (more professianal looking) racing carts and trollies.

Robertson Street

Robertson Street was put through the property of Alexander Robertson who owned part of the Happy Valley Station. Mr Robertson also presented to the city Adelaide Park with an entrance from Robertson Street, and this he named after his wife.

Seine Street

Severn Street

Severn Street named after the Severn River the longest river in Great Britain, flowing for 354 kilometers from its source in the Welsh mountains to the Severn Estuary. The river also forms a natural border between England and Wales.

Southern Cross Crescent

Tamar Street

Teme Way

Thames Street

The Esplanade

C.H. Bayliss owned property adjacent to the Esplanade, and High Street, Beach Street and Valley Street were all put through his land.

The Parade

The Parade is the main road that goes from Wakefield Park to Shorland Park. The Village is situated in the middle.The Parade was so named because of the soldiers camped on the old racecourse while training for service in the Boer War, and using that area as a parade ground.]

Tiber Street

Travancore Street

Trent Street

Tyne Street

Valley Street

C.H. Bayliss owned property adjacent to the Esplanade. High Street, Beach Street and Valley Street were all put through his land.

Volga Street

Volga Street, running from Melbourne Road to Mt Albert is named after the Volga River in Russia

Waikato Street

Located one street over (west) from The Parade, Waikato Street is named after the Waikato River, which is the longest in New Zealand being 464 km in length. At the far southern end there is a walkway to The Presbyterian Church on The Parade.

Welland Place

Witham Street

Wye Street

Ōwhiro Bay Street Names

Domanski Crescent

Happy Valley Road

Landfill Road

Owhiro Bay Parade

Rarangi Way

Robertson Street

Robertson Street was put through the property of Alexander Robertson who owned part of the Happy Valley Station. Mr Robertson also presented to the city 'Adelaide Park' with an entrance from Robertson Street, and this he named after his wife.

Southgate Street Names

Arun Crescent

Arun Crescent is below Southgate Road and Southgate Park, no sports are now played on the park because it is an old rubbish dump. Arun Crescent looks down upon the valley of Island Bay and out towards the Kaikoura's. It is a windy spot.

Bann Street

Bann Street is a quiet cul-de-sac on the lefthand side of the Valley off the south of Buckley Road.

Buckley Road

Buckley Road is named after Sir Patrick Buckley, Judge of the Supreme Court, 1895, an Irishman who had sojourned for a few years in Australia before coming out in 1865 to Wellington. As well as the practice of law he took a keen interest in politics and more than once held ministerial rank. Sir Patrick was one of the proprietors of the adjacent district of Melrose.

Orchy Crescent

Orchy Crescent is at the end of the bus route and the southern end of the North Island above Cook Strait. There is a Lookout with panoramic views over Island Bay the coastline towards the South Island. It is at the southern end of the Southern Walkway.

Rydal Place

Rydal Place is off Southgate Road on the left side of the valley. It is a small cul-de-sac.

Southgate Road

Southgate Road runs along the leftside hill above Island Bay parallel to Buckley Road.

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Island Bay’s Fragmented Streets

Chris Rabey

An early planning map from 1879 shows a very different layout of roads to those we know today.

Adelaide Road, just as it does today, stretches from the Basin Reserve to Wakefield Park.

But modern readers of the old map are surprised to see it drive on right to the coast, then finally terminating to the west of the south end of Brighton Street.

On the same map Derwent Street begins at Wakefield Park and runs down what is now Eden St, terminates at what is now Medway St and begins again to continue its run through to the Esplanade and the sea.

The centre branch road continued to meet The Parade, which is the main route nowadays. It originally ended at the Northern end of the racecourse and was later extended in the way we see today, all the way to Shorland Park. However, once developers moved in to subdivide and form sections, they found the topography and steep terrain too difficult to form Adelaide road from Newtown to the sea.

Ten years later, when a further map was surveyed and prepared, the original surveyed Adelaide road, had been renamed Melbourne. By this time, sections were developed and encroachments extended over the original road route, so Melbourne Road became a mix of road and pathways. Its southern end was at a point about 200 yards north of Bristol St; which was originally surveyed to connect with Brighton.

This too was deemed to be too steep. Melbourne Road nowadays runs continuously from near Bristol north to Dee Street.

Across to the west, Rhine Street was also surveyed back in 1870 to connect with Dargle (much later to become Frobisher Street), then continue in an unbroken line to the Town Belt (Golf Course). It terminated at a line parallel with Dover Street.

Once again, when the area came to be split into sections, the developers found the land too steep to consider a connection to the west.

When the Home of Compassion was built, it encroached over the 1870 survey line of Rhine Street, so although access from one end of Rhine Street to the other was available, it was only wide enough for pedestrians at that point. Danube Street was formed only to the edge of Rhine, not connecting to it, and Murray connected to Rhine as it does now. Rhine, in its quaint system of pathways and roads, extends from its present route, up the hills to join with with the City to Sea Walkway.

By 1910 the northern part of Derwent Street had been renamed Eden Street, as the developers considered Derwent too extreme in length. The dividing line was Cornwall Street, which was renamed in August 1906 to Medway, in order to avoid confusion with Cornwall St in Lower Hutt.

Minor streets were later formed as development of residential and commercial sections grew. Once Adelaide/The Parade was designated the main arterial route, there was no longer the need for any additional through roads.

Further north in Berhampore, Britomart was surveyed originally to join with Herald which was to run unbroken to Russell Terrace, Lavaud Street was also surveyed to join with Adelaide Road.

In January 1917 construction commenced for an access way from the beach to the level of Melbourne Road at the top of the cliffs though this was also abandoned owing to the topography. At this time, Queens Drive began/ended from the southern end of Brighton Street.

The legacy is a long history of confused visitors, posties, couriers, police, fire fighters and taxi drivers looking for addresses. It’s a part of our area’s charm!