Local History
The settlement of the Petone area began in 1840 with the arrival of the first Europeans on the Aurora and Cuba ships. A township called Brittania was founded but soon abandoned because the Hutt river flooded frequently. Many re-settled across the harbour on what is now the Wellington City waterfront.
Petone was still populated however, and it became a thriving industrial town. Many people still remember the car assembly plant, woollen millls and meat processing factories. These declined and closed in the 1980′s and a period of gradual economic decline ensued until recent years when it has become a popular destinatin for it’s trendy shops, restaurants, and cafes in Jackson St. Now designer outlets sit side by side with second hand shops, hardware stores and bookshops to create an eclectic and interesting shopping experience.
Petone is also well known for it’s picturesque housing. Richard Seddon chose this area to create some of the first state houses to ‘help the working man’. There are many examples, and indeed several streets with these houses preserved in their original form. There were seven designs, some single storey, some double placed randomly on streets to ensure variety.
