Landmarks
Motions Mill
Old Mill Road is named for the highly successful flour mill that operated here between 1846 and 1875. Motions Road on the opposite side of the Park is named for the man who built the mill.
William Motion and his business partner Joseph Low investigated various streams around Auckland for their flour mill, and found the best source of water to be at Western Springs. Their mill consisted of a stone building and water wheel, and by 1850 was considered the most efficient mill in the Auckland Province.
Over the next two decades the plant expanded into a massive operation, harvesting its own wheat on neighbouring sites, as well as shipping it in from nearby Tamaki.
When the Auckland City Board (Auckland City Council?) hit upon Western Springs as the best source of water to supply the city, they had to buy the mill and surrounding land from Motion. They paid him 20,000 pounds
Chinaman's Hill
A number of Chinese came to New Zealand during the South Island gold rush in of the 1860s. These men were often rural peasants from Southern China, who came alone, lived here for years, and sent money back to wives and families at home.
Once the goldrush was over, some of them were able to put their old skills to use by growing fruit and vegetables, which there was always a demand for. The Chinese often leased land from Mäori, and worked side by side with them.
The living they made was modest, and their numbers were relatively few. However, anti-Chinese discrimination was rife during this period of New Zealand's history. It wasn't until after World War II, that China's fight against the Japanese turned the wider New Zealand public's opinion in favour of the Chinese. As well as this, their role in market gardening was finally recognised as beneficial to the New Zealand economy.
Market gardening is no longer had a presence around Western Springs, but Chinese continue to make up a high proportion of market gardeners in operations around the country.
