Island Bay, Wellington
Encyclopedia
Island Bay is a suburb of Wellington
, the capital of New Zealand
, situated 5 km south of the city centre.
Island Bay lies on the bay which shares its name, one of numerous small bays west of Lyall Bay
. 500m offshore in Island Bay lies Tapu Te Ranga Motu Island, which forms a natural breakwater and provides a sheltered anchorage for the local fishing boats.
In the early days of European settlement George Hunter II
was the chief proprietor of the Island Bay Estate, where he bred stock on his stud farm. The Island Bay portion was subdivided and auctioned in March 1879. In the late 19th century, Island Bay was settled by Italian and Shetlander fishermen. In 1905, Wellington's tramline was extended to Island Bay, increasing the area's popularity, and steadily transforming it into a seaside suburb. Many Island Bay villas, bungalows and shops date from the 1920s, a period of rapid development for the area. This included the subdivision of the Island Bay Racecourse which was once bounded by Clyde Street on the East and Ribble Street on the West. Many streets in Island Bay were named after British and European rivers.
Noted current Island Bay residents include Bruce Stewart
, writer and dramatist, at Tapu Te Ranga Marae
and Wellington's Mayor, Celia Wade-Brown. Former residents include businessman Victor Cattermole, Middlesbrough F.C.
and All Whites striker Chris Killen
, rugby player Judd Baker, artist John Drawbridge, poet Alan Brunton and writer Robin Hyde
.
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, the capital of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, situated 5 km south of the city centre.
Island Bay lies on the bay which shares its name, one of numerous small bays west of Lyall Bay
Lyall Bay
Lyall Bay is a bay and a suburb on the south side of the Rongotai isthmus in Wellington, New Zealand.The bay is a popular surf beach, featuring a breakwater at the eastern end. It has also been the site of surf lifesaving championships, and is home to two surf lifesaving clubs. Lyall Bay is a very...
. 500m offshore in Island Bay lies Tapu Te Ranga Motu Island, which forms a natural breakwater and provides a sheltered anchorage for the local fishing boats.
In the early days of European settlement George Hunter II
George Hunter (II)
George Hunter was a New Zealand 19th century politician.He represented the City of Wellington electorate from 1871 to 1879, when he was defeated. He also sat on the Wellington City Council until 1879."In the early days of the settlement Geo...
was the chief proprietor of the Island Bay Estate, where he bred stock on his stud farm. The Island Bay portion was subdivided and auctioned in March 1879. In the late 19th century, Island Bay was settled by Italian and Shetlander fishermen. In 1905, Wellington's tramline was extended to Island Bay, increasing the area's popularity, and steadily transforming it into a seaside suburb. Many Island Bay villas, bungalows and shops date from the 1920s, a period of rapid development for the area. This included the subdivision of the Island Bay Racecourse which was once bounded by Clyde Street on the East and Ribble Street on the West. Many streets in Island Bay were named after British and European rivers.
Noted current Island Bay residents include Bruce Stewart
Bruce Stewart
Bruce Stewart is a New Zealand-born fiction writer and dramatist of Ngāti Raukawa Te Arawa descent. Stewart's work is marked by expressions of the anger, confused loyalties and spiritual aspiration of late-twentieth-century Māori...
, writer and dramatist, at Tapu Te Ranga Marae
Tapu Te Ranga Marae
Tapu Te Ranga Marae is a "living" marae in Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand. It is the home of author Bruce Stewart, his family and various friends. The Marae is listed as a heritage site....
and Wellington's Mayor, Celia Wade-Brown. Former residents include businessman Victor Cattermole, Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
and All Whites striker Chris Killen
Chris Killen
Christopher John "Chris" Killen is a New Zealand international footballer who plays as a striker for Chinese Super League club Shenzhen Ruby. Killen grew up in Wellington and played his club football for Miramar Rangers. After a trial with Manchester City, he joined City's youth academy...
, rugby player Judd Baker, artist John Drawbridge, poet Alan Brunton and writer Robin Hyde
Robin Hyde
Robin Hyde is one of New Zealand's major poets. She was born Iris Guiver Wilkinson in Cape Town, South Africa and taken to Wellington, New Zealand before her first birthday. She had her secondary education at Wellington Girls' College where she wrote poetry and short stories for the school...
.
Notable features
- Erskine College and Chapel
- Designed by John Sydney Swan and built in 1904-6, The Convent of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic girls' boarding school, was renamed Erskine College in the late 1960s after the former Superior General Mother Janet Erskine Stuart. The adjacent Erskine Chapel of the Sacred Heart, also designed by John Sydney Swan, was built in 1930 in the French Gothic style. Erskine Chapel is considered to have one of the finest chapel interiors in New Zealand, and is listed as Category I in New Zealand's Historic Places Trust. The school closed in 1985 and today the complex is privately owned. Erskine College was used as a location in Peter Jackson's 1996 film The FrightenersThe FrightenersThe Frighteners is a 1996 comedy horror film directed by Peter Jackson and co-written with his wife, Fran Walsh. The film's cast includes Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, John Astin, Jeffrey Combs, Dee Wallace, Jake Busey and Chi McBride...
. The chapel was refurbished in 2003, and is now a popular venue for weddings and concerts. - The Island Bay Marine Education Centre on the foreshore has a small aquarium and touch tank, and is open to the public on alternate Sundays.
- Churches
- There are four churches in Island Bay. The oldest is the Anglican church , which is over 100 years old. It has a traditional brick front design, and some stained glass windows honouring the early settlers. It is named after St Hilda of WhitbyHilda of WhitbyHilda of Whitby or Hild of Whitby was a Christian saint and the founding abbess of the monastery at Whitby, which was chosen as the venue for the Synod of Whitby...
, as the early settlers felt the coastline resembled Northumbria. The Baptist, Catholic and Presbyterian churches are younger. The churches have facilities that are used for a range of community groups. Church activities include a full range of programmes for all ages, including the annual Teddy Bear's picnic for children which forms part of the Island Bay festival.
- Monastery
- A Buddhist monastery is located on the western hills of Island Bay, with the golden StupaStupaA stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
visible from much of the suburb. Saffron-robed Buddhist monks can occasionally be seen drinking coffee in the village's cafes.
- Roads, many named after rivers, mainly in Great Britain.
- Rotunda
- The Band Rotunda in Shorland Park near the waterfront was built in 1930. Plaques record the 152 local soldiers who died in World War I and World war II, and the loss of American submarineSubmarineA submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s and their crew in the Pacific. In the 1930s, local brass bands and the Salvation ArmySalvation ArmyThe Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
frequently played in the rotunda. The rotunda is now used for occasional concerts, notably during the annual Island Bay Festival.
- Scuba diving
- Two diving companies operate in Island Bay, and offer trips within the local Taputeranga Marine Reserve and to the wreck of HMNZS Wellington, a decommissioned Royal New Zealand Navy frigate which was sunk off the coast of Island Bay in November 2005 to create an artificial reef.
- Shorland Park
- Shorland Park is a small public park at Island Bay Beach. The playground includes a mock wooden ship and is a favourite for children's birthday parties.
- Tapu Te Ranga MaraeTapu Te Ranga MaraeTapu Te Ranga Marae is a "living" marae in Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand. It is the home of author Bruce Stewart, his family and various friends. The Marae is listed as a heritage site....
- Situated in 50 acres of replanted native forest on a hill near Rhine Street, Tapu Te Ranga MaraeTapu Te Ranga MaraeTapu Te Ranga Marae is a "living" marae in Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand. It is the home of author Bruce Stewart, his family and various friends. The Marae is listed as a heritage site....
is a living Marae and the home of Bruce StewartBruce StewartBruce Stewart is a New Zealand-born fiction writer and dramatist of Ngāti Raukawa Te Arawa descent. Stewart's work is marked by expressions of the anger, confused loyalties and spiritual aspiration of late-twentieth-century Māori...
. The 2500 square metre wooden house extends over 10 levels, and was built with recycled materials.
- Taputeranga Marine Reserve
- The waters surrounding Island Bay are under the protection of the Department of Conservation since the creation of the 854 hectare Taputeranga Marine ReserveTaputeranga Marine ReserveTaputeranga Marine Reserve is a legally protected area of sea and coast along the southern edge of Wellington City, in New Zealand. It was officially opened in September 2008.-Location and area:...
in 2006. The reserve is home to kelp forests, octopuses, blue cod and banded wrasse. Dolphins and whales also frequent the area.
- Tapu Te Ranga Motu (the Island)
- Tapu Te Ranga Motu, the island in the middle of the bay, once served as a refuge of local Maori. Tamairanga, the wife of the Ngati Ira chief Whanake, escaped to the island with her children during a battle that forced the tribe from Wellington Harbour.
- Victoria University Coastal Ecology LaboratoryVictoria University Coastal Ecology LaboratoryThe Victoria University Coastal Ecology Laboratory is a research facility of the School of Biological Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington that supports research in coastal ecology and marine biology...
- Victoria University of WellingtonVictoria University of WellingtonVictoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
maintains an active research and teaching presence on Wellington's south coast at the Victoria University Coastal Ecology Laboratory, which overlooks the spectacular exposed rocky reef systems typical of Cook Strait.
- Walkways
- Island Bay is the starting point for two recreational walkways that cross the city. The City to Sea Walkway runs 12km between Parliament and Island Bay through the Botanic Gardens and Aro Valley. The 11km Southern Walkway follows the Town Belt between Island Bay and Oriental Bay.
Island Bay Festival
The annual Island Bay Festival takes place over eight days each February. Festival highlights include:- The Blessing of the Boats
- The Blessing of the Boats is a southern Italian tradition where boats are decorated with flags and blessed by a priest to protect the crew from the sea and to bring good fortune. The ceremony has been adopted in Island Bay since 1933, when the fishing boat Santina foundered in Cook Strait, with the loss of four crew including three Italians. A chair was unveiled on 13th February 2011, during the Island Bay Festival for the crew of the Santina, presented by friends and family of the four casualties.
- The Ribble Street Races
- A Soapbox derbySoapbox (car)A gravity racer is a motorless vehicle capable of holding a driver built for the purpose of racing or recreation. They are propelled by gravity and can achieve speeds upwards of 112 km/h .-Soapbox cars:...
down the steep Ribble Street attracts budding racecar drivers with Junior, Intermediate, Senior and Expert categories, the latter often reaching 65 km/h.
- The swim from the Island
- Participants are ferried by boat to the Island, and swim the few hundred metres back to shore.
- The Festival Parade
- Proceeding down The Parade to Shorland Park, the Festival Parade features a colourful 'dressing of the bicycles' competition.
- The Teddy Bears Picnic
- On the final Sunday of the festival the younger members of the community bring their Teddy Bears for a special picnic in Shorland Park!
Arts and Culture
- Rita Angus, artist
- While living in Wellington in the 1960s, Rita Angus painted a number of scenes in Island Bay. Boats, Island Bay is one of her best-loved paintings.
- Empire Cinema, film
- The art deco Empire Theatre screened films between 1925 and 1964. It was reopened as the Empire Cinema in 2005, its three screens now showing arthouse and mainstream films daily.
- Koru Gallery & Gifts
- Exhibits locally-made jewellery, pottery and prints by Island Bay artist Laura Garland, and New Zealand photographers Gene Glover and Reuben Price.
- Michael McCormack, artist
- Michael McCormack is an Irish-born painter who works from his studio and gallery in Island Bay, painting vivid streetscapes and coastal scenes around Wellington.
- Music
- Rock frontmen Andrew Fagan of the MockersThe MockersThe Mockers were a New Zealand pop band formed in Wellington in 1979 by Andrew Fagan. Fagan was the only ever-present of the band's line-up whose initial members were mostly drawn from Fagan's Rongotai College classmates. Their songs include "One Black Friday" and "Forever Tuesday Morning"...
and Jon Toogood of ShihadShihadShihad is a New Zealand hard/alternative rock band, currently based in Melbourne, Australia. During Shihad's recording career, they have produced four number-one studio albums and three top-ten singles in their home country of New Zealand....
grew up in Island Bay. Samuel Flynn Scott, Conrad Wedde and Richie Singleton of New Zealand group The Phoenix Foundation also live in the suburb.
- Real Hot Bitches, dancers
- Island Bay Surf Club is the proud home to the internationally-renowned 1980s throwback dance troupe "The Real Hot Bitches".
- South Coast Gallery
- South Coast Gallery is a fine art gallery on the Esplanade; viewing is by appointment only.
- Red Mole, theatre
- Alan Brunton and Sally Rodwell of the Red Mole experimental theatre group, were based in Island Bay from 1988 until Brunton's death in 2002.
External links
- Empire Cinema, Island Bay
- Island Bay Festival & Community information
- Island Bay School
- Island Bay Marine Education Centre
- Photos tagged "Island Bay" at Flickr
- SinkF69 - Information and pictures about the wreck diving attraction
- South Coast Gallery Website
- Taputeranga Marine Reserve
- Victoria University Coastal Ecology Lab
- Wellington City Libraries Island Bay page