Te Atatu South

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Te Atatu South is a residential suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. Te Atatu in Maori means "the dawn".Its location allows the suburb easy access to the city and Henderson town centre. Its elevation allows views back on to the city and Waitakere Ranges. It has coasts backing on to water on its eastern and western sides with walkways and cycleways on both sides.HistoryThe original Maori name for the area Te Atatu was Orukuwai . There is little evidence of early Maori settlement in the area, the coastal fringes however do show evidence that the banks were used for fishing and bird hunting. Midden shells were uncovered around the McLeod Reserve.European settlement began between 1853 and 1873 when Thomas Henderson acquired land from the Ngati Whatua and eventually the Crown in 1855. He established the Henderson Timber Mill in what is now known as Henderson.The area was known as Henderson Point until 1907 when it was renamed Te Atatu "the dawn" by Reverend Jackson Bennett. The name was based upon his vision of the morning sun shimmering on the Waitemata.The area prior to suburban settlement was used largely for vineyards, poultry farms, fruit trees, apples, lemons orchards and flower farms. Vineyards were located along Te Atatu, McLeod and Edmonton Rd's. There were brickworks under what is now the Whau River bridge and a timber mill at the end of Roberts Rd.The name Te Atatu South was attributed to the area in 1961 when the area of Te Atatu was divided by the North Western motorway . With the new motorway the area rapidly changed in 10 years from rural to suburban. While Te Atatu Peninsula new homes were dominated by one builder, Neil homes, Te Atatu South had more diversity in new homes and a large quantity of larger quality family homes. These homes reflected Te Atatu South being one of the more affluent areas in West Auckland during the 1970s and 1980s.