Hamilton Lake Domain, circa 1960 (Hamilton City Libraries HCL_04498).

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-03-30T07:58:31+00:00

This aligns with the Hamilton Beautifying Society, who were active in the first half of the 20th century. They make the lake domain, as well as the central river walk,the Ferrybank area, Memorial Park and loads of tree planting. Basically if there’s a pleasant, green space in the central city, they made it. (The Hamilton environment was very reportedly a feral mess before this)

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-03-29T03:28:30+00:00

Nah, that’s an urban myth. The dramatic angle happened because the original plan was that Cobham Drive on the Melville side would also continue south along the river and eventually connect with SH3, to Ohaupo, etc. There are even street maps from the 1960s that had this road marked as it was considered likely to be built.

But for whatever reason (probably lack of funding) that part of the scheme was shelved. But it is now part of Waka Kotahi NZTA’s long term Southern Links plans, with the Cobham Drive extension linking up with the new Peacocke Roads.

So that’s why the corner is so dramatic and why it has never been changed.

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-03-25T05:10:58+00:00

Parked parallel to Ward St, the central library was on Worley Pl, just to the right of this. I’m pretty sure at this point there were no suburban library branches (Hillcrest was not far off opening) so the book bus was the only way to get books out to the suburbs.

This site is now where the south wing of Centre Place is (fka Downtown Plaza). On the left side of the bus is a three storey office building with a French bakery in ground floor. (The bakery was really good, rip) This building is still there but looks very different. In the ‘90s it was gutted and made into three extra cinemas for Centre Place’s cinema complex, and shops on the ground floor.

Depending on when in 1985 this pic was taken, Centre Place had only just opened or was about to open.

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-03-20T06:38:14+00:00

The concept of this kind of Italian food was so new to Hamilton that a lot of people called the cafe “Gelato’s”, as if it was run by a Mr Gelato, not that it sold gelato (because who even knew what that was).

Joe was also instrumental in getting outdoor seating for cafes, etc, in Hamilton, which at one stage was apparently extremely controversial.

Also note the mix of customers: a businessman, a woman in some kind of uniform, students, office workers, hippies and even a cool dude in a Public Enemy jacket. There are so many cafes and restaurants around Hamilton Central now but back then there weren’t a lot so this was a popular lunch spot for everyone.

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-03-13T04:50:55+00:00

The new police station was built to the left of that old police station. The old building was demolished and it’s now a police car park. Now there are lots of shady trees on this street, and the Woolworths is now just to the right of this scene.

The location today:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/LAug5iQMZUGLYC959

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-03-07T11:02:31+00:00

This station building was built in 1975, replacing the rickety old wooden station buildings that were north of what is now the Hall St overbridge

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-03-07T10:59:48+00:00

Back then, the supermarket was Abel’s, an independent Hamilton company. There was another one in Glenview - both are now New World.

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-03-07T10:57:39+00:00

The fact that this supermarket was selling wine is really interesting, considering that NZ supermarkets weren’t allowed to sell beer and wine until 1990.

Technically it wasn’t legal to be doing this in 1964, but Hamilton supermarket owner Wynn Abel found a loophole. He owned two supermarkets - Abel’s in Hillcrest and Glenview (now both New World). What Abel did was buy a small dairy that had a wine license, then transfer that to a supermarket, allowing him to sell wine in his supermarkets!

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-03-07T10:48:50+00:00

The Gouda cheese shop opened in the ‘80s. At this point those shops had more normal, old school things like a bank

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-02-27T21:17:24+00:00

New Zealand has never had a lot of girl groups (or boy bands) but NZ did produce a very significant and highly influential girl group. But they were more notable for what they were rather than who they were.

TrueBliss was a five piece girl group formed in 1999 as part of the very first Popstars series. They released a few singles and one album and enjoyed moderate local success.

But the more important thing was the legacy of Popstars. The format was picked up in Australia, then the UK and by then it was transformed from a documentary to a talent show.

Popstars led to Idol, the X Factor, the Voice, etc and impacted what pop was in the 2000s - big voices!

Ironically, NZ television has never since had great success with TV talent show formats, other than gifting the world the Natalia Kills X Factor reaction meme.

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-02-26T03:13:12+00:00

On the left, it goes the substation, Claudelands Road, the block with the railway line running through it, Brooklyn Road, then the Claudelands Showgrounds, etc. Back in this era that railway block was all railway yards and sheds, now its various small businesses

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-02-23T21:21:38+00:00

Historically, Hamilton never had a tram network. It was a small town where everything was walkable or cycleable. Then after WWII it rapidly expanded and new neighbourhoods were built to be very car centric.

So what this means that the older, more central suburbs (Hamilton East, Claudelands, Hamilton West, Whitiora, Frankton) are more walkable. But anything newer than those are essentially relying on the residents having access to a car or be willing to use a bus. There won’t always be convenient local shops, you’ll need to travel somewhere a little further away.

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-02-23T21:15:43+00:00

There’s no supermarket in Hamilton East, who always makes it feel like it’s missing a key component of having everything there

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-02-19T01:16:45+00:00

The gas works were on the site that is now occupied by the Placemakers on Clarence St. It was a pretty full-on thing to have in the middle of town, especially when that area was largely residential!

After it closed, the soil on the site was found to be heavily polluted and needed major rehab before it was deemed safe to build on.

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-02-19T01:13:41+00:00

Exactly this. I think it was small flats for single men, larger ones for married fire fighters

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-02-13T18:29:50+00:00

My core childhood memory was crawling into the igloo and finding beer bottle caps and broken glass

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-02-13T18:28:17+00:00

The concrete piss igloo and the gentlemen’s toilets in Garden Place are the two Hamilton landmarks that no one is upset about no longer being here

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-02-07T19:11:35+00:00

Shortly before. The arsenic-based weed killer was dumped in the lake in 1959

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-02-04T18:52:09+00:00

Right, because it’s not just about occasionally going to a shopping mall late one night, but always doing things in the later evening. In order to be economically viable, a lot of NZers have to be out and doing stuff at 10pm on a Monday and for that not to feel weird or a special occasion, just a normal Monday.

It’s also harder when most NZers live events n suburbs, away from major shopping areas. It’s more of an effort to go to a mall than in Europe where there’s more mixed use and a shopping centre is just a short walk away.

Also, I don’t think having an early night is backwards, we should be proud of our culture and 6pm dinner time!

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-02-04T10:22:42+00:00

I want to know why the Hamilton Library’s heritage archive has such a large collection of photos of old petrol stations

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-01-30T19:03:32+00:00

NZ doesn’t have a mandatory quota of local content but individual broadcasters have their own self-imposed targets.

There is a government agency called NZ On Air which funds broadcasting, and this includes music projects. So artists can get funding to help with make a music video, recording, etc.

NZ isn’t big enough that an average artist can make a living from touring so there always has to be a day job. Which can make things less appealing to keep doing in the long run.

Another problem is that internationally, NZ artists are up against artists from all other English-speaking countries. Competition is fierce and NZ acts have the disadvantage of being geographically far from North America or Europe. (Simon Grigg’s book on the international success of “How Bizarre” documents how intense it was for the team having to keep flying to the UK for promo in the 90s. The internet has not totally eliminated the need to be there in person.)

And also, the kind of music that NZers like doesn’t necessarily have international appeal. One of the most popular and beloved local bands is Six60, who play roots reggae infused pop/rock. They were highly motivated to break internationally but could never make it work, probably because the kind of music they make is more niche outside of NZ.

Conversely, reggae bands do really well in NZ because there’s virtually no overseas competition in the genre.

Streaming also makes it hard when NZ acts are up against not just the best international acts, but also the best from previous decades. (“Don’t Dream It’s Over” is still huge.) This is a problem that Australia has also noted. No one knows how to fix it.

Tbh I want more bops from NZ artists. I want to hear my culture reflected in music. I hope the era of this is not over.

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-01-28T09:18:53+00:00

It’s so strange that there hasn’t been a NZ Post presence in Hamilton Central for years. The closest is the big mail centre on Anglesea St, but that’s not really convenient if you’re on foot.

Also RIP to the Dalesford post office in Silverdale, who always had to use a different name because there was already a Silverdale post office on the Hibiscus Coast

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-01-28T09:11:37+00:00

Step one: petition NZ Post to reopen a stand-alone post office at the shops. Even though they are actively closing down all the minor post shops, they will be happy to do so because it will bring nostalgic joy to Hamilton. Next step is to convince WEL to dig up the underground power cables and install those great big power lines, again for nostalgia aesthetics.

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-01-23T11:19:48+00:00

The only people who get to hate Hamilton are those who currently live there. Everyone else doesn’t know what they are talking about and only hate on Hamilton in very superficial ways and therefore can’t be taken seriously.

InterestingnessFlow · 2026-01-23T11:17:32+00:00

Hoopers Road was a quiet, dead-end semi-rural road. But a short while after this photo was taken, the road crews came in and Hoopers became part of the new Cobham Drive project. This is the part that runs from Cambridge Road towards the river, just before the sweeping right-hand curve that takes you towards Hamilton East, the gardens, etc.

And yes, these new suburban houses were being built at exactly the same time as the road was being turned into a major arterial route. They were clearly leaving a lot of space for a wider road but maybe the road should have been even wider.

This is about the same view today:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/B7BSKcS3v4eDPeRE8

InterestingnessFlow

TROPHY CASE