The Wellington motorway

The Wellington motorway

In the mid 20th century much of Thorndon was condemned as a slum. By the 1960s it had been chosen as the route for the 'foothills motorway'. The demolition of several hundred houses in the motorway's path, including boarding houses and hostels, accelerated the suburb's population decrease. This image shows the motorway under construction in 1969.

The plans for the motorway included the demolition of the historic Bolton Street Cemetery, where many residents of Pipitea and Thorndon were buried between 1840 and 1890. More than 3,700 graves were removed, and most of the remains interred in a vault under the Early Settlers Memorial Lawn.

The dramatic destruction of sites and buildings important to Wellington's raised awareness of the need to balance development with the protection of historic areas. A group of residents formed the Thorndon Society, which works to maintain the character and community of the area.

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa must be obtained before any reuse of this image

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