Early Otahuhu

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 296, 6 March 1928, Page 13

Early Otahuhu

DAYS OF RAUPO WHARES, STRENUOUS LABOUR AND TRANSPORT DIFFICULTIES

RECOLLECTIONS OF MR. J MURPHY

In response to advertisements inserted in newspapers of the North of Ireland, inviting ex-soldiers to go as to New Zealand, the parents of Mr. James Murphy, who now resides ln Otahuhu. were among the small Party selected, to blaze the trail in this young country. At the age of three years, James Murphy boarded the ship Ann, at CarForgas at the latter end of OotoPf r * 1847. and arrived in Auckland on May 7. 1848. On arrival at Auckland, there was no accommodation for the new settlers, knd they were sent to Onehunga and oiileted among those already settled l «ere, till the Maoris had erected whares in Otahuhu. There the l arri ’ a Is were allotted one acre of and, on which they had to serve seven 5 Pars, before they became freeholders. in those days, roads were an un_nown quantity, and the journey from j-nehunga to their new home was made P 7 b°ats. After three years of living n whares. wooden cottages were erected, and Mr Murphy was careful th ll P t,ress on The Sun representative, ne fact that the present day convenances were unknown. There were no °Ps situated in this suburb. All the L Ul s has€s to be made in Auck- ‘. • an d the women of the settlement •?re compelled to make the journey on the men were engaged in c and bridge-building. the first church

The first Church of England service j J 8 conducted about this time by the , ® Rev . Mr. Wa i*d in an unoccupied f* G ' carri od on the good work l s ome time and then the services * or a cou Pl© of years. Then dp ß f 0p Selwyn, assisted bv the resibuilt the Church of the Holy v„, ni *• on the site of the present Ota- _ aftu Cetnetery. and it was in use there lor about 14 years. som Val faction s were then at work; w-a °* *he more progressive settlers "ted a more central site for their T° f w °rship, and in 1863, the late ~ ' J °hn Fairburn made a gift of the * * n Avenue Hoad, and the residents b^ ted the building which has lately ~ n removed to Mangere East. This Was opened and dedicated by old and Patterson. The “-elv.yn church was removed from I, u ,w Cer n e tery site, alongside the new ~a P l nß . and used as a day school and hall, till it was destroyed by ul 'Phy said, incidentally, that a impression was being created Dr^ v . : the building lately moved. The bi>ji‘ l " nt idea was that it had been hy Bishop Selwyn, whereas the