Whitford, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Whitford is a suburb southeast of central Auckland
, in Manukau City, New Zealand
. There are multiple versions of how the town was named. It may be named after Richard Whitford, a man who operated a flax mill
on the Waikopua near Housons Creek and was the postman. Others think Whitford referred to the White-ford over the Turanga Creek at the end of Sandstone Road, where the salt dries when the tide is out. Another possibility is that it is named after Whitefoord Park part of a vast property belonging to L.D. Nathan was initially listed as ‘Whitefoord Park’ in Wises Post Office Directory for 1875-6, but by the time it went on sale for subdivision in 1903 it was known as Whitford Park.
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, in Manukau City, 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...
. There are multiple versions of how the town was named. It may be named after Richard Whitford, a man who operated a flax mill
Flax mill
Flax mills are mills concerned with the manufacture of flax. The earliest mills were ones for spinning yarn for the linen industry.John Kendrew and Thomas Porthouse , both of Darlington developed the process from Richard Arkwright's water frame, and patented it in 1787...
on the Waikopua near Housons Creek and was the postman. Others think Whitford referred to the White-ford over the Turanga Creek at the end of Sandstone Road, where the salt dries when the tide is out. Another possibility is that it is named after Whitefoord Park part of a vast property belonging to L.D. Nathan was initially listed as ‘Whitefoord Park’ in Wises Post Office Directory for 1875-6, but by the time it went on sale for subdivision in 1903 it was known as Whitford Park.
Historical facts
- Whitford's first European settlers, George and William Trice, started a popular farm on Clifton Road in 1843. Most of the following settlers arrived in the mid-1850s.
- The Nathans' “Whitford Park” estate provided feathers from its ostriches for use in the fashion trade from 1869 until the 1920s. Racehorses were also trained there; this practice still occurs today.
- The town's Granger’s brickworks operated from the 1870s until 1920. The Trices goldmine was converted to a landfill. Today, metal is quarried from there.
- Today, Whitford has a real estateReal estateIn general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
agent, accountant, dentist, service station, restaurant, gift shop and furniture restoration. Lifestyle blocks for city workers now occupy some farms. Beef, sheep, dairy, and timber are the chief economic activities.
- Ayrlies GardenAyrlies GardenAyrlies Garden is a country garden near Whitford, southeast of Auckland on the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of New Zealand's best-known gardens, and has been described as the "quintessential New Zealand garden"....
, one of New Zealand's best-known gardens, is located near Whitford.