Frankton, Waikato
Encyclopedia
Frankton is a central suburb of the city of Hamilton
, New Zealand
. It is the site of the city's passenger railway station, a major industrial-commercial stretch of State Highway 1, and a commercial shopping area.
swept across Hamilton from the north-west shortly before midday on Wednesday 25 August 1948.
The tornado, which appears to have originated in the Frankton or Forest Lake area, went through the business area of Frankton then over the hill into Hamilton West where it passed between the Hamilton Lake and Victoria Street (the main street). Then, it travelled across the Waikato River to Hamilton East where damage occurred in Wellington, Naylor and Grey Street’s.
Buildings were lifted off their piles, chimneys were snapped off, houses were unroofed, trees uprooted, and power and telephone lines were left hanging in the streets. The air was filled with flying corrugated iron, branches of trees, timber and other debris. Heavy rain accompanied the storm and overhead lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The storm passed quickly and was succeeded by a strange calm.
in and around Frankton, yearly from April 2008.
Today, it still acts as the location of the junction of the North Island Main Trunk Railway and the East Coast Main Trunk Railway, and is Hamilton's only passenger railway station, but now freight trains are handled at the Te Rapa
yards further north and only two passenger trains stop daily. These two trains are services between Auckland
and Wellington
.
, ANZ
and Westpac
, as well as a branch of New Zealand Post
and Kiwibank
.
The area is dominated by the well-known locally-owned department store, Forlongs Furnishings of Frankton. The family-owned business operates a number of specialised departments, such as furnishings, furniture, video games, electronics, outdoor equipment and fashion, across several blocks. A characteristic jingle is used for the store's widespread local and national advertising.
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is the site of the city's passenger railway station, a major industrial-commercial stretch of State Highway 1, and a commercial shopping area.
Tornado
Three people were killed, seven victims were badly injured and damage to property was heavy after a tornadoTornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
swept across Hamilton from the north-west shortly before midday on Wednesday 25 August 1948.
The tornado, which appears to have originated in the Frankton or Forest Lake area, went through the business area of Frankton then over the hill into Hamilton West where it passed between the Hamilton Lake and Victoria Street (the main street). Then, it travelled across the Waikato River to Hamilton East where damage occurred in Wellington, Naylor and Grey Street’s.
Buildings were lifted off their piles, chimneys were snapped off, houses were unroofed, trees uprooted, and power and telephone lines were left hanging in the streets. The air was filled with flying corrugated iron, branches of trees, timber and other debris. Heavy rain accompanied the storm and overhead lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The storm passed quickly and was succeeded by a strange calm.
V8 Supercars
The newly announced New Zealand leg of the Australian V8 Supercars will centre on Hamilton Street CircuitHamilton Street Circuit
Hamilton Street Circuit is a temporary street circuit in Hamilton, New Zealand as part of the V8 Supercars championship. The 2008 event from 18 to 20 April was known as the Hamilton 400....
in and around Frankton, yearly from April 2008.
Railway
Frankton was once home to Frankton Junction, a very important railway station, and the now-closed Frankton Tea Rooms, where passenger trains without dining cars would stop to allow passengers to purchase food and drinks.Today, it still acts as the location of the junction of the North Island Main Trunk Railway and the East Coast Main Trunk Railway, and is Hamilton's only passenger railway station, but now freight trains are handled at the Te Rapa
Te Rapa
Te Rapa is a mixed light industrial, large scale retail and semi-rural suburb to the northwest of central Hamilton, New Zealand.Stretching in a long, thin north-south axis, Te Rapa is home to a large number of factories including Te Rapa Dairy Factory, one of the largest of its kind in the world...
yards further north and only two passenger trains stop daily. These two trains are services between Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
.
Commerce Street
The main street of Frankton, Commerce Street, and the streets surrounding it, form one of Hamilton City's largest suburban non-mall shopping areas. This includes west Hamilton offices of many major banks, such as Bank of New ZealandBank of New Zealand
Bank of New Zealand is one of New Zealand’s largest banks and has been operating continuously in the country since the first office was opened in Auckland in October 1861 followed shortly after by the first branch in Dunedin in December 1861...
, ANZ
ANZ New Zealand
ANZ New Zealand is New Zealand’s largest financial services group and is a subsidiary of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited of Australia. ANZ New Zealand operates under its legal entity ANZ National Bank Limited which was formed as part of the 2003 merger of ANZ and The National Bank...
and Westpac
Westpac
Westpac , is a multinational financial services, one of the Australian "big four" banks and the second-largest bank in New Zealand....
, as well as a branch of New Zealand Post
New Zealand Post
New Zealand Post, commonly referred by its acronym, NZPost is a State owned enterprise responsible for providing postal service in New Zealand.-History:...
and Kiwibank
Kiwibank
Kiwibank Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of the state-owned enterprise New Zealand Post Limited. Through Kiwibank, New Zealand Post provides banking services through its PostShops and joint venture Books & More and Papermate outlets throughout New Zealand.The bank was initiated as part of Jim...
.
The area is dominated by the well-known locally-owned department store, Forlongs Furnishings of Frankton. The family-owned business operates a number of specialised departments, such as furnishings, furniture, video games, electronics, outdoor equipment and fashion, across several blocks. A characteristic jingle is used for the store's widespread local and national advertising.
Other Businesses
Other businesses in the Frankton Area include the very well known Frankton Model Shop, Forlongs of Frankton, Moshim's Discount House, Trevor's Barber Shop and 1 of 3 independent butchers remaining in Hamilton. Hamilton's only Charcoal Chicken Shop, Chicken Spot, is also located in Frankton.Education
- Frankton Primary School, opened 3 April 1911.
- St. Columba's Catholic School, established in 1918.
- Aberdeen Primary School.
See also
- Suburbs of Hamilton, New ZealandSuburbs of Hamilton, New ZealandList of Hamilton suburbs.*Aberdeen*Ashmore*Beerescourt*Callum Brae*Chartwell*Chedworth Park*Claudelands*Crawshaw*Deanwell*Dinsdale*Enderley*Fairfield*Fairview Downs*Fitzroy*Flagstaff*Forest Lake*Frankton*Glaisdale*Glenview*Grandview Heights...
- Photo of Frankton Junction Station, early 1890s
- St Columbas Catholic School, Hamilton, New Zealand