Eden Valley, New Zealand

In Mt Eden, the plentiful supply of volcanic stone (a suitable material for building roads), as well as, the ready supply of labourers from the Mt Eden Prison, allowed for a progressive development of early roads, many of which still exist today as main arterial routes.[7][9] Toll gates were established on several main roads, including Mt Eden Road and Dominion Road, during the 19th century in order to help pay for their upkeep.[7]

Public transportation extended from the inner city to the surrounding areas in the late 1870s and early 1880s with horse-drawn buses being the first mode of regular public transportation in the late 1870s.[10] In 1881 the long-awaited railway came, connecting Newmarket with Helensville with stops in Mt Eden, Kingsland, Morningside and Mt Albert.[7] At the beginning of the 20th century, trams began connecting Mt. Eden, Balmoral, Kingsland, and Mt Albert with the city. The trams ran for the last time in the 1950s.[9]

Eden Valley falls on the border between the Epsom and Mt Albert constituencies for national Parliament.[11] In terms of local government, Eden Valley comes under the Albert-Eden Local Board, of Auckland Council. The Albert-Eden Local Board includes the suburbs of Waterview, Point Chevalier, Sandringham, Mount Albert, Morningside, Owairaka, Balmoral, Kingsland, Mount Eden, Epsom and Greenlane.[12]

During the 19th century, the planning and maintenance of the main arterial roads (Mt Eden Road and Dominion Road) provided the impetus to form local governing bodies in the area. The Mt Eden Highway Board held its first meeting in 1868; it covered the area of Mt Eden, Eden Valley, Sandringham, and Balmoral. At the time it was responsible for building and maintaining the roads, and for dealing with the pigs, horses, cattle, and sheep that freely roamed the area. In 1882, it became the Mt Eden Road Board. In 1906, Mt Eden gained borough status and the Mt Eden Borough Council was formed. In 1989 the Borough Council amalgamated with Auckland City Council in a nationwide local government reorganisation. And in November 2010, the council was dissolved and it became a ward of the Auckland Council.[7]

Dominion Road is a main arterial route in Auckland running north–south across most of the central isthmus. The road is also a major public transport route which carries 50,000 bus passengers each week, making it one of the few roads in Auckland on which similar or greater numbers of people travel by public transport than by private car.[13]

Dominion Road began as a track created by early landowner, John Walters, connecting his property to Eden Terrace at the Whau Road (present day New North Road). Dominion Road, originally known as Mt Roskill Road, was further developed over the years because contractors needed the road to cart basalt and scoria from Mount Roskill and Three Kings quarries. A toll booth near Railway Bridge collected tolls from road users to fund its maintenance. New Zealand received dominion status in 1907 and Mt Roskill Road was renamed Dominion Road in recognition of this achievement.[14]

Eden Valley has a significant number of commercial buildings from the 1920s and 1930s, some of which retain the original or early shop front and interior details. These buildings are a character supporting feature of the neighbourhood.

• Girl Guide Hall – now the home of the Girl Guide Association's provincial headquarters. The building was built in 1865 as a "Selwyn" Church, known as St Sepulchre's.[15][16] It served as an Anglican Morturary Chapel standing in the grounds of the Symonds Street Cemetery. It was moved from Symonds Street to its current location in 1904 when it became a Baptist church. Beginning in 1963 it was used by the St Albans Boy Scouts, the Eden Operatic and Dramatic Society, and the Eden-Epsom Day Care. It has been used by the Guides since the 1970s.[8]
• St Barnabas' Church - also a Selwyn church[16][17]
• St Albans Church - Anglican. This was the first church to be built on Dominion Road built in 1886. The site was given to the project by James Paice, one of the largest land owners in the area, and the funds were raised Captain H.G. Ewington. Built as a small wooden building, the church was renovated to make more room in 1905. A new brick apse was added in the front during the renovation.[8] The church was then converted into a parish in 1909. The design is an authentic replica of a portion of the cathedral church of St Alban in England. The design incorporates a mixture of Gothic and Norman influences. The brick apse, in particular, features the Norman style. Several congregations worship here to help make up the twelve acts of public worship that occur throughout every week. These include Hindi speaking Anglicans in Tikanga Pasifika whose Parish is called Anugrah (Grace), also the Eritrean Orthodox originating from North Africa and Indian Orthodox (Saint Dionysius).
• Russian Orthodox Church of the Resurrection 447A Dominion Rd, Mt Eden, Auckland, New Zealand. Small wooden structure distinguished by the onion dome typical of old Russian architecture.
• Methodist Church - Dominion Road. Red Brick Gothic church built in 1926 to the designs of Arthur White.
• Symphonia Hall - Cnr Dominion Road and St Albans Avenue. Former Cinema now used as the headquarter of the Auckland Philamonia Orchestra.

Ballantyne Square is a green space located at the corner of Dominion Road and Ewington Ave.[18] The square provides a respite from surrounding urban activity and is distinguished by its large specimen trees. Ballantyne Square was named after the late Doreen Ballantyne, who was a local councillor from 1965 to 1976.[4]

Bellevue Reserve is a recreational space that has a playground and picnic tables.[18] Originally Bellevue Square was the site of a scoria stone pit, quarried by early landowners, James Walters and his father John Walters in the early 1880s. In 1885 the land was vested as a reserve by the Domain Board. It was levelled and landscaped during the 1920s.[4]

The underground rivers that are running through the area are known by the Maori as Nga Ana Wai, which translates to 'the watery caves'. These ancient lava caverns were created 30,000 years ago during the eruption of Mount Albert and Maungawhau (Mount Eden). Water springs up at various locations including Eden Park grounds, which used to be swamp land.[3]

"Dominion Road" was written by Don McGlashan and was released as a single in 1992. The Mutton Birds are a well-known New Zealand band, formed in 1991. The song "Dominion Road" features the eponymous Auckland arterial route. The music video has shots of forgotten shops on Dominion Road from 1992.[19] In 2013, an anonymous artist installed a plaque on the footpath with the inscription "You are standing halfway down Dominion Road" in reference to the song.[20]