Castor Bay

The origin of the name Castor Bay is unclear, one theory is that it was named after the castor oil trees which grew on the headland above the beach, another is that the area was named after HMS Castor, a frequent visitor to the Port of Auckland in the 1890's.

Development along the North Shore bays was limited by the difficulty of access. However the construction of the steam tram in 1910 began to alter the equation significantly. The Takapuna Tramways and Ferry Company ran a regular service from Bayswater to Takapuna, around Lake Pupuke and on the northern terminus at Milford. This made Castor Bay more accessible in turn - with people using the tram either walking or riding up Sherriff's Hill and along Seaview road, or along the beachfront at low tide. 

The construction of the wooden footbridge across the Wairau Creek in 1912 give access to Castor Bay at all times and all tides. This high wooden bridge was designed to allow tall-masted scows to pass up the creek to deliver bulky cargoes such as building materials and coal which could not be moved by horse and cart, to this rapidly developing area. 

Below - the wooden footbridge:


 

Below - Castor Bay looking south  to Milford and Takapuna 1950s:

In WWll gun emplacements were constructed on the hilltop as part of the harbour defences of Auckland city - see post <Castor Bay WWll Gun Emplacements>.

Below - the gun emplacements:





 

 


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