In the past Bell Block was a small village on the main road north of New Plymouth. Further on from the village was Mangati Road, one of the only roads down to the beach. It was named after the nearby Mangati Stream. According to one source, the name ‘Mangati’ means ‘small stream where the cabbage trees grow’.
As far back as the 1860s, a church has stood on the corner of Mangati Road and the main road. For decades, however, the road provided access to farms in the area and there were very few houses.
The first substantial housing subdivision was started in 1954, when land at the beach was surveyed and Wanaka Terrace was formed. Not until the late 1960s was the land surrounding Mangati Road surveyed for more housing subdivisions. Building work didn’t commence until the mid-1970s.
In recent years the 2.6 kilometre Mangati walkway has been developed, linking the coastal walkway through to De Havilland Drive.
This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.
Related plans:
Taranaki DP7607 Sheet 1 Subdvn of Mangati DI (1954), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)
Taranaki DP9859 Sheet 1 Section 5 Bell District (1967), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)
Taranaki DP9959 Sheet 1 Part Section 5 Bell District (1968), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)
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