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Near the top of the Āwhitu Peninsula sits a small white building that’s the hub for many community activities and family milestones.
The Āwhitu Central School opened in 1889 and was the area’s second school until it closed in 1949. The area is now served by the nearby Āwhitu District School which opened that same year.
The former school building is now the Āwhitu Central Community Hall.
Lucille Rutherford and her family have long been involved with the hall.
“My uncle went to school there; it closed down around the time Āwhitu District School opened.”
The hall is home to the Āwhitu Social Club, which hosts regular catch-ups on Fridays along with games nights and other social events.
“The first Friday of the month is music night – we have lots of very talented musicians.”
The hall is often hired for weddings, funerals, birthday parties, church events, and school camps.
“When the lighthouse is open, we have thousands of visitors stopping in each year to visit the hall.”
The nearby Manukau Heads Lighthouse has been closed since a huge landslide took out a chunk of Manukau Heads Road in 2023. Lucille and other Āwhitu locals hope the new road will soon be completed, reopening access to the landmark.
- Āwhitu Landcare is holding a planting day at the hall from 10am on August 19. They’ll
be filling the gaps made during a recent weeding bee, replacing those pesky pest plants
with gorgeous native species instead.
