| Mission Bay, New Zealand |
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Information AboutMission Bay, New Zealand |
Mission Bay is a suburb of Auckland city, in the North Island of New Zealand . It is located seven kilometres to the east of the city centre, on the shores of the Waitemata Harbour , which lies to the north. To the east is the suburb of Kohimarama. According to the 2001 census, Mission Bay has a population of 5235. The mouth of the Waitemata is to the immediate northwest of Mission Bay, lying between Bastion Point and North Head, the latter of which is in Devonport . Mission Bay gets it name from the Mission House which still stands in the middle of the reserve next to the beach. This building, designed by Reader Wood, dates from 1858 and is built of local scoria rock. It was the Melanesian Mission School or St Andrews College for the education of Polynesian youths brought down from Melanesia. Mission Bay Reserve also has a link to the history of early aviation in New Zealand. Just after the First World War the Walsh Brothers (Austin Leonard Walsh 1881 - 1951 & Vivian Claude Walsh 1887 - 1950) located their Flying School here, for many years they used the bay as a landing area for their sea-planes. The centre piece of the Mission Bay Reserve is the Trevor Moss Davis Memorial Fountain, constructed of Sicilian marble fluted to catch the light and ornamented by three bronze sea monsters gushing water. It 'plays' regularly, sending dancing jets of water as high as 12m (40 feet) in the air and at night it features a spectacular light show. This delightful piece dates from the 1950s and was given to the citizens of Auckland by Mr and Mrs E.R. Davis in memory of their son. During the summer it 'doubles' as a swimming pool for local children. The suburb and its neighbour, Orakei , achieved national attention in 1977 when Maori protestors occupied vacant land at Bastion Point. Land which had formerly belonged to the Ngati Whatua Iwi had been acquired cheaply for public works many decades before, and members of the tribe occupied the land demanding its return. The site was largely returned to the iwi after a long and not entirely bloodless occupation. Bastion Point is also the location of the Tomb and Memorial Garden for Michael Joseph Savage , one of New Zealand's most popular Prime Minister s. This magnificent Art Deco ensemble by Tibor Donner and Anthony Bartlett was officially opened in March 1943. {Link without Title} REFERENCES
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