Devonport, New Zealand

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Devonport is a seaside suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. Its population is about 10,000.

It is located on the North Shore, at the southern end of a peninsula that runs south from near Lake Pupuke in Takapuna, extending five kilometres into the Waitemata Harbour. At the south-eastern end of the peninsula is North Head, the northern promontory guarding the mouth of the harbour. Directly opposite it on the south shore is Bastion Point. To the east it is separated from Rangitoto Island by the Rangitoto Channel. The Devonport Museum is located by Mt. Cambria.

A regular ferry service runs across the Waitemata between Devonport and the central business district of Auckland. It runs every half hour during the daytime and the ride takes 15 minutes.

Devonport is one of the oldest areas on Auckland's North Shore. First settled by Europeans in 1840. It was initially called Flagstaff because of the flagstaff raised on nearby Mount Victoria (Takarunga).

Because of a nearby deep water anchorage suitable for naval vessels a naval base was established, which is still the primary base for the Royal New Zealand Navy. The settlement was renamed Devonport, after the English naval town of Devonport.

Between the wharf and Mt Victoria is located the Devonport shops, the most prominent landmarks of which are:

• The Devonport Wharf; rebuilt in the 1990s and about to be redeveloped.
• The Esplanade Hotel; This is an elegant example of an 1890s seaside hotel, reminiscent of many an English seaside resort of the period. Recently restored.
• King Edward Parade Reserve; here are located the 1970s Public Library, the War Memorial [good bronze soldier figure]and under the Morton Bay Fig trees a charming 1950s styled bandstand.
• The Victoria Cinema; Built in 1912 and remodelled in the 1930s internally and externally in the fashionable Art Deco Style, this is apparently the oldest cinema in the Southern hemisphere in continuous use but it is currently closed for renovations, having recently been purchased by the North Shore City Council on behalf of the city.[1]

The Devonport shops contain a fair array of antique & gift shops as well a number of good cafes and restaurants making it a popular destination for tourists and Aucklanders. People often travel over from Auckland on the ferry for dinner, the starry sky and glittering lights of Auckland on the return trip being very beautiful. Day trips combining a meal in Devonport with a trip up Mt Victoria or an exploration of the military emplacements on nearby North Head are also very popular.

Devonport is also noted for the popular annual event, the Devonport Food & Wine Festival.

[edit] Related People

The members of bands The Veils, The Electric Confectionaires and The Checks grew up in Devonport.

The poet Kevin Ireland lives in Devonport.