– Archeological site of Timber dam – aka. ‘Cassels Stream driving dam’ and ‘Swanson Stream Rafter dam’ – build 1850s – beyond end of Tram valley rd, under Kitewaho rd [CHI 1323] [Historic Sites of the Waitakere Ranges] Read more...
– Archeological site of Timber dam – build 1850s – between 25-33 Tram Vallay rd and 1234 Scenic Drive [CHI 1324] [Historic Sites of the Waitakere Ranges] Read more...
In preparaton for the construction of the Waitakere Dam in the early 1900s, a tramway was constructed to be able to transport all materials and supplies, including the 28ft cast iron pipe lengths, from Swanson Station to the dam site. Most of the tramway route land was secured in 1904 from Mr A. Wright for seven shillings and sixpence an Read more...
Olaf Petersen was born in 1915 and lived all his life in Swanson. He was always very modest about his achievements, which included the Maadi Cup, awarded by the Photographic Society for the best photo of the year. Entitled “So Lonely” it was a haunting picture of a pied oystercatcher on sand dunes. Most of his successful shots have been Read more...
International award winning photographer Henry Winkelmann who settled in Swanson in 1917, was a notable figure in the community. English-born Winkelmann’s credentials included the grand prize at the Panam-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. His photographs covered a wide range of topics, well-known individuals and their families and residences, workers and their work-places, and significant events. In 1917 Read more...
(near 50 or 52 Tram Valley rd) [CHI 1083] [Historic Sites of the Waitakere Ranges] Read more...
Of John and Lavinia Mettam’s 12 children, six were born in Swanson. John’s father and brothers helped build a house on a 41 acre block (which Tram Valley Road and the railway now cut through). The land was issued to John Tunnard Mettam in September 1886, for an annual rent of 12 3s Od, under the Village Settlement Scheme. John Read more...
todo [CHI 3425] Read more...
– Build 1893 – in 1988 relocated to Welsh Hills rd. No? [Rugged Determination, p133] Anthony Christian was born in 1862 at Matakana, son of Emanuel and Christina Christian, farmers of Tokatu Point near Warkworth. On 3 December 1884 Anthony married Maria Taylor, born in 1863 at Kawau, daughter of Samuel and Eliza Jane Taylor. Anthony took over his 500-acre Read more...
The Waitakere Filter Station was built in 1927-1928 by an all-Dalmatian work force on Fletcher Construction’s payroll. Excavations were done by hand. The original compressors used in the filters were made by Sandy Filtration and were still in use in 1991. Auckland City Council employed four men an eight-hour rotating shifts, three on and one off duty. The men and Read more...