Wiremu Place

Bayly Road, in the suburb of Blagdon, was named after William Bayly, a pioneering landowner who arrived in New Plymouth in 1841 and farmed in the area. The road was first formed from Ngamotu Beach to Devon Street.

Driven by the land and house price boom of the 1950s, Bayly Road was eventually extended south of Devon Street. The new section was initially known as the Bayly Road extension. The first houses began appearing on the western side of the ‘extension’ in the late 1950s.

Development of the eastern side of Bayly Road soon followed, along with a new street leading off towards Wiremu reserve called Wiremu Place, Wiremu being the Māori derivative of William. Wiremu Place was formally surveyed in May 1961, curiously, some months after house building on the sub-divided lots had commenced.

In late February 1961, ten of the new houses, all priced just below £3000, were part of a ‘Parade of Homes’. Various local builders showcased their completed properties to the public as part of the government’s efforts to promote home ownership. This was the sixth such event in New Zealand that summer. Attempting to add an air of grandeur to proceedings, an official ceremony was conducted, with speeches delivered by New Plymouth’s Mayor, the local MP and the Minister of Housing. In the sweltering heat some dignitaries had to shelter under umbrellas amongst a crowd of 400 people.

The minister managed to insult many of those there when he said he thought “the great majority of people did not really know what they wanted for a house.” However, the people of New Plymouth weren’t put off as over 5000 people looked through the houses during the weekend.

Although happy that the ten houses were never clear of people, the builders did express disappointment that many women wore stiletto heels inside the homes.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.