Kete New Plymouth

Vampire Place in Bell Block was named in May 2010, at the same time as two other cul-de-sacs adjoining De Havilland Drive. Bypass Developments Limited, who carried out the subdivision, suggested the names Albatross Place, Hercules Place and Vampire Place.

All three were the names of aircraft produced by the De Havilland Aircraft Company, which was considered appropriate as the streets are located within the area of the city’s original airport.

The Vampire Place cul-de-sac (French for “bottom of the bag”) is the first of the three

The Patea Post Office (cnr Egmont and Stafford Streets) was officially opened on the afternoon of 11 October 1923 by the Hon.J.C.Coates, the Postmaster General and Minister of Public Works and Railways. The contractor was Mr A.C.Bignall who presented the Minister with a suitably inscribed gold key to open the door and officially mark the opening of the building. The cost was estimated to be £7,500.

In 1991 the post office was sold and converted into a private residence. The building has recently sold again (January 2020) after being on the

Rennell Street in Frankleigh Park was named after an accountant hailed as one of New Plymouth’s “most useful citizens”.

Clarence Rennell was born in England in 1832. His mother Sarah died when he was still a toddler and his father Thomas remarried twice. Clarence immigrated to Australia in 1852 and tried his luck on the goldfields of Victoria for 12 years.

He then moved to New Plymouth in 1866 with his young family, initially entering into business as a land and commission agent. He later became Government

Darwin Crescent in Spotswood is named for the famous English naturalist Charles Darwin. Not that he ever visited the city - he did spend Christmas of 1835 in the Bay of Islands but said New Zealand was “not a pleasant place”.

While Darwin is the man celebrated, the street was actually named after Charles Darwin Road in the city of Plymouth, England. As with so many other streets in New Plymouth, city planners were inspired by the strong connection early settlers had to the southwest counties.

The south Taranaki district of Alton was first established in the 1870s. After initial surveys were completed, a village was planned and sections were subdivided. Locals called the new settlement Woodville. By 1887, to avoid confusion, the name was changed to Alton.

Ball Road was named after one of the earliest settlers in the area, James Ball. He had arrived around 1850 and bought land beside the main road. Ball was later reported as the first Pākehā to buy land and settle in the Pātea area.