5 Himikera Avenue

Avondale

With its fantastically eclectic village, Avondale is a great stomping ground for first time buyers. The Avondale markets and new cafes like Salvation Kitchen are rapidly changing this character-packed area. Avondale was first settled in 1843 and rapidly expanded first in the late 1850s when Great North Road was completed and later in 1880 with the connection of the rail system. Originally called Te Whau (the Maori name for the native tree Entelea arborescens), the area became known as Avondale District on June 5, 1882, although the previous name still lives on in the Whau River, an estuarial arm of the Waitemata Harbour which runs along the western edge of the suburb. Early industries included brickyards, tanneries, mills and pottery works as well as numerous market gardens and it was here that Hayward Wright first developed the cultivar of the Chinese gooseberry that was to later become known as the kiwifruit. From the mid 1920s Avondale became increasingly more suburban and in 1927 Avondale Borough Council was absorbed into the Auckland City Council. The Avondale spider, a spectacular but harmless huntsman spider, was inadvertently introduced to the area from Australia when the Avondale Racecourse was built in the late 19th century and the species can now be found throughout much of West Auckland. Avondale is now known as a multi-cultural area with easy access to the city, proximity to the sea, great schools and loads of character. It’s home to the famous Avondale Markets and Avondale College, the second largest high school in New Zealand. Go to the Ministry of Education's School Zones website for more detailed information on school zones. You can search by school name or the address of the property you are interested in.
Word on the Street

The Avondale blog posts