That all changed when the Harbour Bridge was built in the early ‘60s, when many of the boat sheds were destroyed. A group of local residents banded together to stop the Auckland Harbour Board from filling in Westhaven with concrete. They donated their time, expertise and money – the group included engineers and architects – to designing, building and funding Westhaven Marina. The St Mary’s Bay Association still exists today and regularly makes submissions to local government on developments that affect that area. All this is in aid of protecting a lovely suburb close to the waterline with many beautiful old houses.