“Fishmonger” won the first race when racing began at the Avondale track in 1890 and “Verdi’s Opera” tailed the field in the final event on the last day of racing in July 2026: a mere 136 years...
On 7th November 1867 Aucklanders turned out on droves to see the “Maori Chief” arrive in town… without feathered cloaks, welcoming haka or karakia. The crowds turned out to witness the “Maori Chief”...
The recent opening of Hotel Indigo Auckland, located in the 41-storey tower at 51 Albert Street, and photos showing parts of the old building combined with the new, prompts the rich story of those...
The centenary of the first radio transmission in New Zealand (Professor Robert Jack in 1921) and the first broadcast by a licensed radio station (1YA Auckland in 1923) prompted a look at those...
Police were quite used to prosecuting the drivers of horse-drawn carriages or carts who drove while under the influence of drink, likewise horsemen were charged for “riding horses furiously” through...
We take motoring, and driving our modern cars, as a given. What of the early days when the horseless carriage was a newcomer, a novelty? Here are a few stories I found about those first days of the...
In 1913 the American aviator, Arthur Burr “Wizard” Stone arrived in Auckland as part of a New Zealand-wide “exhibition tour” and chose the Domain as the base for local flights using his Bleriot...
Pioneer Motoring Family & the Bandit The Skeates family arrived in Auckland from London in 1872 and engaged in many aspects of colonial business and enterprise. These were diverse activities...