Island Bay
Island Bay is a coastal suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, situated south of the city centre.
Island Bay lies on the bay which shares its name, one of numerous small bays off Cook Strait and west of Lyall Bay. 500m offshore in Island Bay lies Tapu Te Ranga Island, which forms a natural breakwater and provides a sheltered anchorage for local fishing boats.
A noted current Island Bay resident is mayor of Wellington Andrew Little. Former residents include former Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, the late Bruce Stewart, writer and dramatist at Tapu Te Ranga Marae; Middlesbrough F.C. and All Whites striker Chris Killen; artist John Drawbridge; poet Alan Brunton; writer Robin Hyde; and, in the late 19th century, The Hermit of Island Bay.
History
Māori history
In Māori mythology, Tapu te Ranga Island is said to be Patawa, a point from which the legendary Māori chief Kupe sighted the giant octopus Te Wheke-a-Muturangi, which he pursued across Cook Strait. In pre-European times, Island Bay was home to several pā, including Te Mupunga Kainga, today represented with a pou in Shorland Park. A succession of iwi occupied Island Bay, including Ngai Tara and Ngati Ira.A famous battle which took place on the beach of Island Bay was well documented by Elsdon Best. A raiding taua from Muau-poko were making their way to the Ngai Tara stronghold of Te Whetu-Kairangi, a fortified pa on what is now Miramar peninsula. In the morning, Ngai Tara warriors came down from Uruhau fort and engaged Muau-poko in battle on the beach. Two Muau-poko chiefs were killed, and later cremated in Haewai. This battle is commemorated with a pou on the zig-zag leading from Liffey Street to Orchy Crescent.
During a battle in which Ngati Mutunga drove Ngati Ira from Wellington in 1827, Tamairangi, the wife of the Ngati Ira chief, is said to have sought refuge on Tapu te Ranga Island with her children, fleeing by canoe when Tapu te Ranga Island was besieged. In Treaty of Waitangi settlements, both Te Atiawa and Ngati Toa have claimed tangata whenua status over Tapu te Ranga Island. Ngati Toa's case was proven in the Māori Land Court.
Later development
In the early days of European settlement George Hunter was the chief proprietor of the Island Bay Estate, where he bred stock on his stud farm. The Island Bay portion was subdivided and auctioned in March 1879. Many streets in Island Bay are named after British and European rivers.In the late 19th century, Island Bay was settled by Italian fishermen. More waves of Italian immigrants arrived in New Zealand in the early 20th century, including a group of about 50 Italians from Massa Lubrense and Stromboli, mostly involved in fishing, who settled at Eastbourne. From the 1920s a number of these fishermen moved to Island Bay, where there was already an Italian presence from the nineteenth century migrations. The 'Blessing of the Boats', a ceremony with Italian origins, has been held at Island Bay since 1933. A small number of Shetlander fishermen also settled at island Bay, sharing their techniques for fishing the rough waters of Cook Strait with the Italians.
In 1883 a racecourse opened at Island Bay. The course was approximately 2km long with two long straights joined by large curves. It and ran down what are now Clyde and Derwent Streets, bounded by Medway and Humber Streets and encompassing parts of Mersey Street and Thames Street. The last race meeting was held in 1890. The land was used as a training ground in the Boer War then divided up and sold to developers in 1903.
In 1905, Wellington's tramline was extended to Island Bay, increasing the area's popularity, and steadily transforming it into a seaside suburb. Many Island Bay houses and shops date from the 1920s, a period of rapid development for the area.
Our Lady's Home of Compassion opened in Island Bay in 1907 after fundraising by Suzanne Aubert, a Catholic nun who established a group called Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion. The very large and imposing building was located on a hillside overlooking the valley of Island Bay. Originally, the home cared for children and babies, with a school "for the education of waifs" and a hospital for "incurable cases". From the 1920s the Home of Compassion expanded its services to include general nursing and surgical services for the poor. The original building was demolished in 1987 and replaced by a new complex on the same site.
In 1909 an assembly hall was opened at Humber Street. It later became a theatre, and in 1931 after alterations was opened as the Catholic Church of the Holy Name of Jesus. The church was badly damaged in the 1942 Wairarapa earthquake and after that was used for storage and other purposes. As of 2025 it is still standing.
Notable features
Erskine College and Chapel
Designed by John Sydney Swan and built in 1904–1906, the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic girls' boarding school, was renamed Erskine College in the late 1960s after the former Superior General Mother Janet Erskine Stuart. The adjacent Erskine Chapel of the Sacred Heart, also designed by John Sydney Swan, was built in 1930 in the French Gothic style. Erskine Chapel is considered to have one of the finest chapel interiors in New Zealand, and is listed as Category I by Heritage New Zealand. The school closed in 1985 and the complex is privately owned. Erskine College was used as a location in Peter Jackson's 1996 film The Frighteners. The chapel was refurbished in 2003, and is a popular venue for weddings and concerts.Island Bay Marine Education Centre
The Island Bay Marine Education Centre is located on the rocks just above high tide on the foreshore of Island Bay beach. The centre has a small aquarium and touch tank, and is open to the public on Sundays. It is housed in a former bait shed built in 1950. Until 1996, the building was used by local fishermen to store bait and equipment, and was a gathering place for the local fishing community. In 1996 marine biologist Victor Anderlini and his partner Judy Hutt established the Marine Education Centre in the building.Churches
There are five churches in Island Bay, with facilities that are used by a range of community groups. The oldest is St Hilda's Anglican church, designed by architect Frederick de Jersey Clere and built in 1911. It had a traditional brick front design and some stained glass windows honouring early settlers, but the parish was required by Wellington City Council to address the building's vulnerability to earthquakes. The upgrade project saw the removal of all the brickwork which was replaced by a timber frame, with floor to ceiling glass facing The Parade. The strengthened building re-opened on 27 November 2022. The church is named after St Hilda of Whitby, possibly because the early settlers felt the coastline resembled Northumbria.The Baptist, Catholic, Serbian Orthodox and Presbyterian churches were built more recently. St Francis de Sales Catholic church is located at 173 Clyde Street. The current church was built in 1965.
St Sava Orthodox Church is one of only two Serbian Orthodox churches in New Zealand. Serbians who arrived in New Zealand after World War 2 visited Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, but wanted to establish their own church. They bought the former St Francis de Sales Catholic church at 75 The Parade in 1968. The first mass was held on 14 September 1969, and the church was consecrated in 1970 by a visiting Serbian archbishop.
Scuba diving and snorkeling
Two diving companies operate in Island Bay, and offer trips within the local Taputeranga Marine Reserve and to the wreck of HMNZS Wellington, a decommissioned Royal New Zealand Navy frigate which was sunk off the coast of Island Bay in November 2005 to create an artificial reef.A snorkel trail is located on the eastern side of the bay and offers opportunities to see local fish and marine life.
Shorland Park
Shorland Park is a small public park at Island Bay Beach. The playground was extensively upgraded in 2021 and 2022, reopening on 4 March 2022.Shorland Park contains a band rotunda built in 1930. Plaques record the 152 local soldiers who died in World War I and World War II, and the loss of American submarines and their crew in the Pacific. In the 1930s, local brass bands and the Salvation Army frequently played in the rotunda. The rotunda is now used for occasional concerts, notably during the annual Island Bay Festival.
Tapu Te Ranga Marae
Situated in of replanted native forest on a hill near Rhine Street, Tapu Te Ranga Marae was a living marae and the home of Bruce Stewart. The wooden house extended over ten levels, and was built with recycled materials.The marae was built by Stewart over a few years between 1977 and 1983. At 12:30am on 9 June 2019, the marae suffered a devastating fire and was subsequently destroyed. There are plans to rebuild the marae in the same site.