The 'one minute' history of Glenside
Glenside was first settled in 1840 and was known then as The Halfway. The name Glenside came in 1928, as a result of a competition.
The Halfway was the halfway resting-place for travelers journeying between Wellington and Porirua along a Maori trail. The route this trail traversed from Kaiwharawhara to Porirua was to be modified and enlarged and become known as the Porirua Road.
The development of the Porirua Road north of The Halfway halted at The Halfway due to tension between the Government Administrators and Ngati Toa. The issues for Ngati Toa were over questionable land deals after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. This resulted in outbreaks of war at Wairau and Nelson (1843), at the Boulcott Farm in the Hutt Valley (1846) and the skirmish at Battle Hill, near Pauatahanui (1846).
The Porirua Road through The Halfway/Glenside was used as a main route north of Wellington from 1840 until 1951. In 1951 the stretch of motorway between Porirua and Johnsonville was opened, by-passing Glenside.
The section of the old Porirua Road from Johnsonville to Takapu is about 5 km long.
The rural sector through Glenside is 2.5 km and is the only remaining rural sector of the old Porirua Road. The remnants of early settler settlement along this road are still visible today.
The historic settlement patterns of the original Halfway/Glenside locality can be roughly shaped into five eras.
- Early settler to the railway deviation (1840-1928)
- The railway deviation (1928-1937)
- World War II to Motorway opening (1937-1951)
- Churton Park development (1963 onwards)
- Creation of Glenside suburb (2003 onwards)