Aro Valley
Encyclopedia
Geography
The Aro Valley runs between the hills of BrooklynBrooklyn, New Zealand
Brooklyn, a suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Brooklyn is a blend of circa 1900 weatherboard villa / bungalow houses around the central part of Brooklyn, blending more recent subdivisions built in the 1970's and 1990's. The shops / bars / cinema / food outlets have created a...
to the south and of Kelburn
Kelburn, New Zealand
thumb|300px|Panorama of Wellington including the Kelburn cable car.Kelburn is an inner suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. It is located on the hills to the west of the Central Business District.-Features of Kelburn:...
to the north. By some reckonings it includes the side-valley of Mitchelltown. It takes its name from the Aro stream which flowed down Epuni street, and which since 1926 has been confined to a drain. The Aro (Wai-Mapihi) stream first appeared in a plan in 1843.
The Valley comprises the bed of the Wai-Mapihi stream. Aro Street runs through the whole valley, from Willis Street in the east to Raroa Road in the west; major side-streets include Devon Street, Epuni Street, Adams Terrace and Mitchelltown's Holloway Road.
History
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
s with closely built wooden or corrugated-iron houses. It gained a reputation for political radicalism and for shady extra-legal dealings.
Gentrification affected the Aro Valley from the 1970s, boosted by urban-renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
planning (the Comprehensive Urban Renewal Area or CURA) after the rejection of a proposal to turn the valley into a main arterial road route: it became a desirable suburb, seen as close to the centre of Wellington and boasting notable community spirit.
Sociology
The Valley also adjoins parts of Victoria UniversityVictoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
(mainly to the north), and a large number of Valley residents study there or at Massey University
Massey University
Massey University is one of New Zealand's largest universities with approximately 36,000 students, 20,000 of whom are extramural students.The University has campuses in Palmerston North , Wellington and Auckland . Massey offers most of its degrees extramurally within New Zealand and internationally...
to the east. Despite the "yuppification"
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
of the suburb, it keeps its reputation as a home to politico-social radicals. Politically, it has become a stronghold of the Green Party
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...
.
Prominent features
- Aro Park (site of the former Matauranga School)
- Aro Valley Community Centre (complex with public hall and pre-school; former site of Holy Family School)
- William Booth Memorial College (formerly a Salvation ArmySalvation ArmyThe Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
officer-training establishment) - Mickey Mouse Motors (as featured in Goodbye Pork PieGoodbye Pork PieGoodbye Pork Pie is a 1981 New Zealand film directed by Geoff Murphy and written by Geoff Murphy and Ian Mune. The film is considered to be one of New Zealand's most popular films, and has been described as Easy Rider meets the Keystone Kops....
, ceased trading since 2003) - Mitchelltown War Memorial (at the top (west end) of Aro Street)
- Te Aro School (Primary School providing education from years 1 through to 8)