Westfield, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Westfield is an Auckland suburb
.
This was once the site of the Westfield Freezing Works, part of a large industrial zone located near the main trunk railway at this point. The buildings were decommissioned during the 1980s & 1990s releasing large areas of land to be redeveloped as office parks. Westfield was also the location of Kempthorne Prosser
Limited's large Westfield Chemical Fertiliser Works which operated from 1887-1966. They were later demolished in the 1970's.
For many years the abattoirs located here were discharging large amounts of untreated waste into Manukau Harbour. This had had a detrimential effect on the ecology of the harbour which at the turn of the 20th century had been a popular and attractive place to swim, sail, fish and gather shell fish. For most of the middle of the 20th century it was a health hazard and its shell-fish a probable source of food poisoning. Since the freezing works disappeared the water quality has improved greatly.
Portage Road is the location of one of the overland routes between the two harbours (and thus the Pacific ocean
and the Tasman Sea
), where the Maori would beach their waka (canoes) and drag them overland to the other coast, thus avoiding having to paddle around North Cape
. This made the area of immense strategic importance in both pre-European times and during the early years of European occupation.
At one point during World War 2 there were plans to create a canal between the two harbours, this did not get constructed but a canal reserve remains in place between the Tamaki River and the Manukau Harbour, midway between the Westfield and Otahuhu railway stations.
There is a large railway marshalling yard located beside the Manukau Harbour at Westfield and there is a small passenger station for commuters at the end of Portage Road.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
.
This was once the site of the Westfield Freezing Works, part of a large industrial zone located near the main trunk railway at this point. The buildings were decommissioned during the 1980s & 1990s releasing large areas of land to be redeveloped as office parks. Westfield was also the location of Kempthorne Prosser
Kempthorne Prosser
Kempthorne Prosser & Co. Ltd, also known as the New Zealand Drug Company Ltd, was the leading drug and fertiliser manufacturer in New Zealand from 1869 until 1978. Their complete name was Kempthorne Prosser & Co.'s New Zealand Drug Co. Ltd, established in Dunedin.Thomas Whitelock Kempthorne and...
Limited's large Westfield Chemical Fertiliser Works which operated from 1887-1966. They were later demolished in the 1970's.
For many years the abattoirs located here were discharging large amounts of untreated waste into Manukau Harbour. This had had a detrimential effect on the ecology of the harbour which at the turn of the 20th century had been a popular and attractive place to swim, sail, fish and gather shell fish. For most of the middle of the 20th century it was a health hazard and its shell-fish a probable source of food poisoning. Since the freezing works disappeared the water quality has improved greatly.
Portage Road is the location of one of the overland routes between the two harbours (and thus the Pacific ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
), where the Maori would beach their waka (canoes) and drag them overland to the other coast, thus avoiding having to paddle around North Cape
North Cape, New Zealand
North Cape is located at the northern end of the North Auckland Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand . It is the northeastern tip of the Aupouri Peninsula and lies 30 km east of Cape Reinga. The name is sometimes used to refer just to the cape which is known in Māori as Otou and which...
. This made the area of immense strategic importance in both pre-European times and during the early years of European occupation.
At one point during World War 2 there were plans to create a canal between the two harbours, this did not get constructed but a canal reserve remains in place between the Tamaki River and the Manukau Harbour, midway between the Westfield and Otahuhu railway stations.
There is a large railway marshalling yard located beside the Manukau Harbour at Westfield and there is a small passenger station for commuters at the end of Portage Road.