1884 Upton and Co. Folding Map of Auckland, New Zealand

This is Upton's scarce 1884 folding city plan and cadastral map of Auckland, New Zealand, printed by Wilson and Horton. It provides a fascinating glimpse into the early history and evolution of the fast-growing port city.

A Closer Look

The city of Auckland is displayed divided into wards (the westernmost part of Ponsonby appearing in an inset at top-left), which are color-shaded, with suburbs traced in outline color for easy distinction. The large Domain (also known by its Māori name Pukekawa) towards right was, and remains, the city's largest park. Both city wards and suburbs have subdivisions marked in individual lots, the larger of which have their dimensions recorded. Several important buildings and features are labeled, such as the Government House and parks, while others are noted with a letter corresponding to an index at top-right. Streets are also labeled, as are rail lines and stations, docks, and piers. Several manuscript annotations appear, including a scale at top-right, a ghosted-in street in Eden Terrace, and the red-shading of several lots.

Evolving City Plan

When this map was prepared, Auckland was growing at a rapid clip, having emerged as New Zealand's main port and point of debarkation for immigrants. Due to fears of Māori resistance, the British also encouraged and incentivized recently discharged soldiers to settle in the city, leaving it with an unusually high proportion of ex-soldiers, and, for the same reason, Irish-born settlers. Resource-extractive industries around Auckland, such as logging and gold mining, also contributed to its quick pace of growth.

This map reflects both the state of the city at the time and planned future expansion. The suburbs and even some of the wards (especially Grafton and Ponsonby) were still in the process of being surveyed and subdivided; thus, their modern street plans often differ from that seen here.

Publication History and Census

This folding map was prepared by Upton and Co., the head of which would go on to be Mayor of Auckland a handful of years later (see biography below), and was printed by Wilson and Horton. An attached label gives the date of 1884. Other known examples of the map from this era include those held by the National Library of New Zealand, University of Otago, and Auckland Museum, which are dated 1885 or 1886. Maps with this title or a similar titles, also quite rare, were prepared by Upton and Co. for several years afterward, well into the early 20th century, but differ considerably in presentation and in the information contained (see a digitized example from 1900 held by the Auckland Council Libraries, cataloged as Map 6618).