Western Springs
For many centuries, Western Springs has been a rich and fertile resource for the people who lived here, providing them with food, water, and essential materials. Since the earliest days, the successive groups of inhabitants have left reminders of its significance to them through names given to landforms, paths, and later, roads.
Auckland was probably first settled around 1350 by the Polynesian explorers and travellers who became the Mäori. Their population in the area is estimated to have peaked at 20,000 before the arrival of European settlers in the mid nineteenth century.
With the new settlers came great upheavals, but throughout these, Western Springs retained its role as a vital resource.
