Once a stronghold of great strategic importance, this long-neglected spot under Auckland Harbour Bridge has been restored
In 2008 when this project began, Te Onewa/Stokes Point was largely neglected, difficult to get to and disconnected from its culture. The desire to acknowledge its historical and cultural significance and increase and encourage public use of the site, had to co-exist with the access limitations and safety protocols necessary to ensure the security of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
Aside from a memorial for workers who had died during the bridge construction, there was no signal of the archaeological and cultural significance of the site. An existing defensive ditch, remnant of the original Pā fortification remained along the eastern part of the site and a small wooden pedestrian bridge was provided to cross the ditch. The project required extensive renewal of relationships with local iwi as well as the physical landscape to reconnect the Pā site and reflect the historical significance of the area.