Marama Crescent sign (2018). Mike Gooch. Word on the Street image collection.
Marama Crescent sign (2018). Mike Gooch. Word on the Street image collection.
Marama Crescent in Spotswood was surveyed in the late 1960s as New Plymouth readied itself for an influx of workers coming to help build the New Plymouth Power Station.
Spotswood was close to the port and provided the ideal location for a new housing development. Marama Crescent was one of the streets formed as part of this power station settlement. In July 1970 the Sunday Express published a photo of the street lined with new houses and reported that "they represent a picture of neatness and pleasing design".
In order to provide work for local builders the Ministry of Works agreed to break the development into small contracts that enabled them to tender successfully for the work. To avoid the dangers of "sameness" about 17 different designs were used throughout the settlement. While this variety was praised, the smaller section sizes attracted some comment - this was still a time of the 'quarter-acre paradise'.
It was also a time when New Plymouth was still turning to south-west England for inspiration in naming streets. The power station settlement marked a welcome change. Marama Crescent was named after a pā site, Marama Tumai, located on Ngāmotu Road, near Onuku Taipari Domain. As was often the case, the preservation of sacred sites came second to the needs of development and Marama Tumai was levelled for housing.
This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.
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