Panmure’s Progress – The 1950s

What: A guided history walk  around Panmure exploring the changes that took place in the 1950s.

Panmure was the embodiment of post-War optimism. New residents lived in acres of newly-built social housing and booming factories provided the income for lifestyles as comfortable as they wanted. Queens Road became the Queen Street of the suburbs, gleaming with modern buildings and humming with activity.

“The spectacular development of the town that “came overnight” is unparalleled in the story of suburban shopping in this country,” wrote Mr Rose,  the Chairman of the Panmure Commercial Association, in 1963.

Panmure’s streetscape is still formed by the buildings of that era. This walk will take you to some of those buildings (and a bridge) and, through snippets from the Auckland Libraries oral history collection, show you how the people of Panmure looked forward to a bright future through the way they lived, worked, shopped, travelled and did recreation and entertainment.

Where: The walk starts at the Panmure wharf, 104 Kings Road and finishes near the train station on Queens Road.

You don’t have to do the walk in order – you can mix and match the stops as you wish.

How: Download the free app Auckland Stories from the Apple store or Google Play or experience it in your web browser. Select Panmure’s Progress from the menu and navigate the walk using the map pins.

Who: This walk is suitable for all ages.

Difficulty: Brisk 2 hour walk. The distance is 2.4km, with one long gentle gradient and one short, sharp gradient (which must be travelled twice – down and up).

What do you need: Your phone with the Auckland stories app and walk on it,  your headphones to listen to the oral histories, and a shopping bag to take advantage of the great local stores.

Access: The entire walk is on public footpaths, with several road crossings. Basin View Lane is the only challenging gradient.

Created by: André Taber with the support of Sue Berman from the Auckland Libraries. André loves researching old buildings and the people who occupied them. He is a tour guide for Eat Auckland, the Heritage Festival and Selwyn Community Education. He is currently writing a book on Chinese restaurants and also reviews books for ketebooks.co.nz.

This walk includes the voices of people who have passed on. These are Les Allen, Bill Durbridge, Gerty Alright, Norm Alright, Hine Kipa, T Hill, Mr Monaghan, Keith Simpson.