Walk our Views & Heritage

Factory tours of the iconic site, along with baking classes, exhibits and coffee.
Find out more at chelsea.co.nz/chelseabay.
 

35 - 40 mins
New Zealand's only Sugar Factory.

New Zealand's only sugar factory was built in 1884 and at one point employed nearly all the Village. The first walks were "etched" out by sugar workers walking home to their cottages after the days work. The walk heads off down Huka Road (formerly Huttons Road) and has well maintained tracks throughout. Wander down the pathway to view the Chelsea Sugar Clay Cottages (1910 - gifted to the city 2009). The factory, located on the banks of the Waitemata was built from local clay. Four brick dams constructed 1884-1917 to provide water are today picturesque lakes, home to ducks, black swans, and shags.

Enjoy the native bush then stroll back up to Rawene Road for a gelato or coffee at historic Highbury Corner, or alternatively you can now enjoy a coffee waters edge at the Chelsea Sugar Refinery Cafe.
 

Download the Map

Click here to download the Chelsea sugar cube map.
 

Points of Interest

• Huka Road Sugar Workers Cottages - 45 Huka Rd
• View from Chelsea Estate Park - To Auckland City
• Chelsea Sculpture - A gift to Auckland in 2009.
• Chelsea Clay Cottages - Built in 1910. (private residence)
• Chelsea Sugar Refinery Factory - Built 1883 (approx.) Cafe 
• Chelsea Sugar Refinery Factory Tour (Bookings ahead of time essential https://www.chelsea.co.nz/chelseabay/factory-tours/
• 44 Rawene Road - Earliest example of sugar workers cottage, a style built from 1850-1880 (approx) (private residence)
• 51 Rawene Road - Villas were common dwellings built 1870-1915 (approx.)
• 55 Rawene Road - Sugar worker cottages (private residence). Built from late 1910 with features later found in the bungalow.
• Chelsea Sugar Workers Archives - Award winning Birkenhead library.

 

One Hour - discover our beautiful NZ bush just 10 mins from Auckland City.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/home-property/72921174/north-shores-ecological-treasure-trove-le-roys-bush-and-little-shoal-bay


Birkenhead Village is flanked by the largest green stand of native bush on the Shore, second only to Titirangi in the greater Auckland area. A stone's throw from Birkenhead Avenue, LeRoys Bush is a nature lovers paradise with access off main entrance 210-212 Onewa Road, Hinemoa and Enterprise Streets.

A new Access directly into the heart of this walk  from the middle of Birkenhead Village has now been added in 2016.  Access directly opposite Birkenhead Library.




The maori "pipi walk" was a food trail running down the ridge to the shoreline of the mangrove estuary. Here the Maori sourced supplies of local seafood. This walk is a unique native bush experience with tall kauri and totara trees, nikau palms, tuis, tiwakawaka and Kereru (native wood pigeon).

The tracks are in terrific condition and provide an easy walk for day visitors. Start or end the day with a great coffee from a village café. Alternatively put together a picnic from one of our owner operated bakeries or gourmet delicatessens.

PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO KAURI DIE BACK TRACKS FROM LITTLE SHOAL BAY JUNCTION BACK UP TO HINEMOA STREET ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED AND WILL REOPEN AT THE END OF JUNE. ALL OTHER LEROYS BUSH TRACKS ARE OPEN.

Points of Interest

• Birdlife - fantail, tui, kereru (wood pigeons)
• Native Trees - kauri, nikau palms, totara
• Mangroves
• Little Shoal Bay - a rich source of seafood and pipis
• Riverbank Glowworms (only visible in the evenings)

35 mins - Hinemoa Street

The original entry to the Village was from Hinemoa Street (formerly known as Hauraki Road) and is flanked by two churches - All Saints and St Andrews. Hinemoa Street meanders for 2km from Auckland's first working wharf to the Village at the top.

In 1913 Birkenhead was advertised as Auckland's most "healthful" marine suburb. An idyllic location, it was known as one of Auckland's first holiday retreats reached by ferry.
 

Points of Interest

• William Thompson House 9 Hinemoa St - Owned by an unsuccessful farmer who made a success selling strawberry jam!
• Clows Bakery 81 Hinemoa St
• Post Office South Junction of Maritime and Hinemoa St
• Ravenhill - est as Stotts Butchery 98 Hinemoa St
• Gum Diggers est as The Bakery 146 Hinemoa St
• Mulan est as Samuel Roberts General Store - est 1910circa 243 Hinemoa St
• The Rag & Bone Factory est as Henry Hawkins Grocery 245 Hinemoa St
• Oborn Building Highbury Corner - 1923 formerly WH Payne Building
• 1927 War Memorial Nell Fisher Reserve, a significant landmark on the four road junction
• Chelsea Sugar Archives Room Library 204 Hinemoa St
• Highbury Corner The original junction where four roads meet.

This self-guided heritage walk explores the history of Highbury Village, beginning at Zion Hill Church and finishing at All Saints Church. It highlights the area's development from the late 19th century through to the Art Deco commercial boom of the 1920s and 30s. The little village remains true to its roots. Since its development in 1923 there's always been a butcher, a baker (and now a candlestick maker), fish shop, general goods store, land agent, shoe shop, drapery, and photographer around Highbury Corner. It's here that the four original roads of Birkenhead meet up. The walk finishes at All Saints Church - formerly Forester's Hall the social centre of the Village!

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45min loop track

To complete the walk use the map above to find 15 plaques at heritage locations around the village. Each plaque has a brief summary of key information. To find more detailed information read below to find the relevant plaque. The QR Codes on each plaque bring you back to this page.

Plaque No.	Location/Name	Key Historical Facts
1.	Zion Hill Church	Zion Hill Church, named after Mt Zion, was Highbury's first church, founded in 1880 on land donated by pioneer Mr. Creamer. The original structure was designed by W.F. Hammond. The opening of the Chelsea Sugar Works in 1884 brought an influx of settlers, necessitating expansion. The current Gothic-style church, designed in 1885, was built in 1888. The original 1880 building survives as part of the church hall. Notably, early Council meetings were held in the old church, timed with the full moon due to the lack of street lights.
2. & 3	Hammond Place & Hammond House	Hammond Place is named after William Francis Hammond, an architect, surveyor, and map maker who moved to Birkenhead in 1897. He was influential in the area's development and owned the substantial thirty-acre property, Raven Hill. Hammond married Annabella Findlay Alston in 1879. Crucially, Hammond was partly responsible for naming the district: Highbury is named after his parents’ house in London. His in-laws, the Forghams, lived nearby in Highbury Cottage, leading the name to spread across the area. William Francis Hammond was a key architect and surveyor in the area, migrating to Birkenhead in 1897. After his first wife died, he married Annabella Findlay Alston (daughter of the Forghams) in 1879. Hammond was wealthy, owning the Raven Hill property. He was responsible for the name 'Highbury'. It originated from his parents' house in Highgate, London, also called Highbury. When Annabella's parents moved to the area, their house opposite Zion Hill Church was called Highbury Cottage. This name then spread, eventually being adopted by the entire area and the local shopping mall.
4.	Payne's Building	The substantial two-level Payne's Building, now known as Oborn’s Buildings, was erected at Highbury Corner in 1927-28. It was built for local businessman and Borough Council member W.H. Payne, a land agent credited with recognizing Highbury’s potential as a commercial hub. The site was part of land originally owned by Annabelle Hammond. After being subdivided, W.H. Payne purchased the lot in 1917. The building gained its current name when an arcade was added in 1963, possibly after a shoe shop owner named Oborn. This prominent building remains essential to the Highbury centre.
5. 6. & 7.	Highbury Corner 1910 & 1928	Highbury Corner developed into the commercial heart of the village after the roads were sealed in the 1920s. Previously, in 1913, it was largely fields, home to the Council Chambers, Taylor’s farm, and the grand Shepherd Homestead. As the meeting point for all traffic before the bypass, it was crucial to the area. By 1927, visitors recognized it as Birkenhead’s emerging shopping center, a development largely credited to the foresight of W.H. Payne. The corner, where the Shepherd Homestead once sat, has served as the village's commercial hub for over 80 years.
8.	Highbury Buildings	The Highbury Buildings at 14-20 Mokoia Road, a simple 1930s retail block, were built in 1934, likely overseen by W.H. Payne. The site was historically part of a farm owned by William Francis Hammond. After owner Henry Medland Shepherd died in 1927, the land was offered to the Council for a Town Hall, but the proposal lapsed. By 1939, the building housed the first Highbury Post Office (est. 1935) and various shops. In 1949, draper J.S. Yarnton took up business, and the family-run Yarntons still occupies a large part of the building today.
9.	Birkenhead Primary School	Numerous petitions led to land being purchased for Birkenhead Primary School in 1913 and 1914. However, construction was delayed until 1919 due to a lack of funds and the intervention of the First World War. Though the original school buildings have been replaced, the historic lychgate and fence remain. The lychgate is a modern nod to a British tradition, originally erected at church entrances as shelter during funeral ceremonies, though here it likely served as a simple shelter from inclement weather.
10.	Nell Fisher Reserve	The Nell Fisher Reserve, named for the Council’s first paid librarian, is a cornerstone of Birkenhead history. This corner originally housed the first Borough Council Chambers and the area's first garage. The prominent War Memorial, designed by Frank Finch and crafted in 1927 in an elegant Art Deco style, honours those lost in war. Finch designed it with grey granite, representing strength, and four polished red granite columns signifying civic virtues. The site later hosted the first dedicated Birkenhead Library, opened in 1968. Today, a new library stands behind the redeveloped civic reserve.
11.	St Andrews Church	The idea for St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church emerged in 1908, with land secured in 1909 for £100. Construction of the wooden church followed the laying of the foundation stone in November 1914. The first service was held on December 13, 1914. Designed to seat 200 adults, the building originally stood on Crescent Road. In 1928, the entire church was relocated to its current site on Hinemoa Street. After a vote in 1932, it was named after Saint Andrew, the Patron Saint of Scotland, and remains a highly active part of the Birkenhead community today.
12.	All Saints Church	All Saints Church was originally the Foresters Lodge Hall, a community social centre built from native Kauri. Anglican services began there in 1908, and the church purchased the hall for £325 in 1911. The building underwent enlargements and was re-dedicated in 1913. In 1923, the entire structure was moved to its current site on Hinemoa Street. It was split in two: the upper floor became the church, and the lower portion became the Parish Hall (still called the Foresters Hall). The non-religious stained glass depicts an oak leaf, referencing the original hall's link to Sherwood Forest.
13.	Highbury Cash Store	The Highbury Cash Store, or S. Roberts ‘General Provider,’ was the area's first general store, established in 1913 on Hauraki Street (now Hinemoa Street). It was built to serve the growing commercial centre, despite an earlier S. Roberts store near the wharf. As a substantial double-level building, it was one of the first two commercial structures in Highbury, anticipating a large local market. Its upright façade proudly displayed the name "Highbury Cash Store." Its presence helped kickstart the commercial boom, and the building remains largely unchanged today, now operating as the Mulan Malaysian Restaurant.
14.	Hawkins Store	Hawkins Store, built in 1920 at 245 Hinemoa Street, is one of Highbury's earliest commercial buildings, featuring an early simple Art Deco style. It is named for renowned nurseryman Henry Hawkins, who successfully grew various fruits like apples and pears in Birkenhead's tough clay soil. His success was critical as the Birkenhead Borough was known as the 'fruit bowl of Auckland', with all local produce being boated across the harbour to the city. Hawkins defied common knowledge to prove the area's agricultural potential before the Harbour Bridge opened in 1959.
15.	Frederick Morris Block	The Frederick Morris Block was the first block of shops erected at Highbury Corner, built by F. Morris in 1923. Located on Birkenhead Ave and Hinemoa Street, it originally comprised eight single-level shops with a simple plastered masonry façade and defining plain parapets. This construction helped establish Highbury as a commercial centre in the 1920s. It originally housed numerous small businesses, from grocers to hardware shops. Builder Frederick Morris had a civic career, serving on the Mt Eden Borough Council before moving to Birkenhead, where he served on the Borough Council from 1930 until his death in 1934.

1. Zion Hill Church

Caption: Zion Hill Easter Camp

2. Hammond Place
3. Hammond House

4. Payne's Building

Bus outside Oborn Building

5. Highbury Corner 1910

The photo shows the corner in c.1910.

6. Highbury Corner 1928 

The photo shows a bus passing through the corner, c.1928.

7. Highbury Corner


8. Highbury Buildings 9. Birkenhead Primary School

10. Nell Fisher Reserve 11. St Andrews Church

12. All Saints Church


13. Highbury Cash Store
14. Hawkins Store


15. Frederick Morris Block