Ardmore, New Zealand

Ardmore is a large rural locality of Auckland, New Zealand. Located to the South-East of Auckland CBD, just 27 km away. The suburb is in the Franklin ward, one of the thirteen administrative divisions of Auckland City, and is under local governance of the Auckland Council.

The area contains Ardmore Airport, which is one of Auckland's busiest airports due to Ardmore Flying School. This rural tranquility is located just to the east of the Auckland Metropolitan Area with Papakura being the closest town (within the Auckland urban area). Ardmore has a state co-educational primary school which provides education for the local children but the older teenaged children are sent to several colleges throughout the Auckland area.

Racing circuit

Ardmore Aerodrome was used for the NZ Grands Prix in the 1950s and 1960s before Pukekohe Park Raceway was completed. Bruce McLaren was a winner there, and the circuit hosted many famous drivers including Jack Brabham,^[1] Prince Bira, Stirling Moss and Reg Parnell.

Ardmore Engineering School

Auckland University Engineering School was established at Ardmore Aerodrome in the 1960s, using the old world war 2 military barracks and hangars. The website ardmorestories.com has many photographs and stories from the era.

Ardmore Teachers' Training College

Ardmore Teachers' Training College was situated adjacent to the airfield from 1948 to 1974. The College opened in 1948 to help address the shortage of teachers in New Zealand caused by the 'baby boom' after WW2. It was New Zealand's only fully residential teachers' college and during its 27-year history, trained around 8500 teachers.

The closure of the College in 1974 was the end of an era and nothing remains at the site to indicate the College's existence except for a memorial stone. A book on the history of the college 'Disce, Doce, Dilige - Learn, Teach, Serve, A History of Ardmore Teachers College', compiled by Peg Cummins, herself an Ardmore Graduate, was published by Bassdrum Books Ltd ^[2] of Tauranga in 2008.

References

Coordinates: 37°02′S 175°00′E / 37.033°S 175.000°E / -37.033; 175.000

Further information: Ardmore was also the site, also next to the Aerodrome like the Teachers' College, of Auckland University's School Of Engineering, which was established there from 1948 (same year as the Teachers' College) until 1969, in which year it was moved to a much larger new building in Symonds Street in central Auckland, near the University's other faculties. Prior to 1948, Canterbury University had New Zealand's only professional engineering school. While at Ardmore, the School offered only Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering degrees. After moving in 1969, it further offered Chemical & Material Engineering and Engineering Science degree course. See: https://web.archive.org/web/20100527030926/http://www.engineeringnews.co.nz/articles/june09/articles/Ardmore.php

External links

• Photographs of Ardmore held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.