Stonefields

The Northern side of Mount Wellington /Maungarei is a shiny new suburb called Stonefields, in the exact same location as a pre-European Pa. Terraced pa sites and fortification ditches are still seen on the mountain, known as Maungarei (the Watchful Mountain) or ‘The Mountain of the Reipae,’ a Tainui ancestress who travelled to Northland in the form of a bird.

The Winstone Quarry operated here from the 1930s until the millennium. Just in time for Auckland's most recent housing boom, Fletcher Residential created 'Stonefields' in the big old stony bowl in 2006. The projected 'urban town' grew at breakneck speed that only building behemoth Fletchers could sustain in the economic environment of low unemployment, materials and tradesmen shortage.

While the homes sprouted, the prices grew and by the time the subdivision entered it's final stages, the early complaints about the slim distance between the standalone homes, the hot and dry microclimate had dried up, and the customers still queued and paid nearly double the original purchase price for the family homes in this popular area. The masterplan provided for a mix of standard Fletcher single family units, some low-rise apartments and a lot of terraced housing, well suited to the quarry space.

The new school was one of the first of the Ministry of Education's pilot 'Modern Learning Environments' and sits proudly in the bottom of the quarry, already achieving the goal of being safe and accessible for it's young students. New retail outlets on the ridge above the quarry do a roaring trade while the Stonefields Market planned by Fletchers is developing with the intention of being convenient and accessible by foot, bicycle, bus and car. Extra recreation space includes playgrounds and a man-made wetland area. Mount Wellington itself provides the southwestern boundary to the suburb, though the final stages involve filling part of this area with business or light industry.

When it is complete, Stonefields will be home to 6500.