Love Laingholm!
One of my favourite places out west would have to be Laingholm. Having lived there for twenty years I can tell you what a great place it is. Yet some people, even Aucklanders, have never heard of this thriving community, so I thought I would tell you a bit about the place.
Laingholm is a small community on the outskirts of Auckland, in an area with a lot of native bush, in the foothills of the Waitakere Ranges and on the coast of the Manukau Harbour, with a safe shallow-water beach.
The name comes from the Laing family who originally farmed here. George Laing bought 610 acres in 1854 and the family farmed the area till the mid 1920s when they sold to property developers, Parker and Warner and who called the subdivision, Laingholm Estate.
Originally Laingholm was a holiday place, but the depression in 1930 caused a number of people to come and live in their baches and to retire here. With the outbreak of war in 1939 and the subsequent shortage of housing, more people arrived to rent baches, the start of a residential expansion.
According to the latest census (2006), Laingholm had a population of 2490 people, living in 867 dwellings, with 4.7% over 65 and 25.7% under 15 and 83.7% European. People living here have a higher education, lower unemployment rate and household income higher than the average for all Auckland. Around half the workforce are professionals or managers. Home ownership is also higher than the average at 73.4%.
People live here because of the beautiful natural environment, the small town atmosphere and not to be close to shopping centres, work or motorways. Immigrants, particularly from the UK and South Africa, find the lifestyle to their liking.
The beach is popular, of course, with the convenience of local store and takeaways, and is famous for its Guy Fawkes celebration, especially when the tide’s out.
An excellent bus service runs from the main roads, Laingholm Drive, Victory Rd and Huia Rd, to New Lynn and beyond. Commuting by car to Auckland proper is no problem, approximately 40 minutes to the CBD.
Laingholm School (Decile 9) is on Victory Rd, a focal point for the community, and has a spaceship theme and is called the ‘Greatest Little School in the Universal’
Housing styles vary between a few old baches to mostly modern designs to Waitakere’s most expensive. Many are designed for the environment on sloping land, pointed to the sun or views. Average house size is over 140m2 and land size average over 2200m2. Most common construction is weatherboard cladding with iron roof.
On a personal note, one of my great aunts, Evelina Bray married Duff Laing, son of George and Jane Laing; a great uncle, Len Bray, married a granddaughter of George and Jane and another great uncle, Alfred Bray lost an arm while working on Duff Laing’s farm!
September 21 2009 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments »