1920 - 1930

Landscape of the 1920s to the 1930s

MANGA MANGA ROA CREEK - 1931

The landscape in the 1920 to the 1930s was more inhabited. An alarming percentage of the trees and bush had been chopped down, leaving bare hillsides. Many homesteads and properties had been built, as well as numerous farms and gardens. Along with the farms came increasing numbers of cattle and sheep. On the river were boats, a popular form of transport. Also there was a large amount of cars on the roads; between 1925 and 9130 the number of private motor cars on the road doubled from 71,000 to 155,000. 

How the Fencibles lived at that time

In the 1920s to the 1930s settlers cleared the land and made a living by selling firewood, post and rails, wheat, oats, hay, potatoes, butter and cheese for the Howick and Auckland markets. Exporting meat, dairy products and wool to places such as Britain was made possible by refrigerated ships, thus the economy became very agriculture based.


Many early farmers bought a few sheep and some cows for their farms, and numbers grew as the bush was cleared. Milking cows was a twice daily routine, once in the early morning and again in the late afternoon. They were milked by hand, whilst in the field or tied to a fence.


The bungalow style was the main type of mass housing in the 1920s to the 1930s. Houses were made out of native timber and wooden weatherboard, with corrugated steel roofs. It was plain and almost square in plan. There were a few brick bungalows, but none were fully solid brick.

WHITBY LODGE - 1934

Women’s fashion in the 1920s (the Roaring Twenties) was influenced by the Hollywood era, and the sleek flapper look. The flapper look is essentially a short bob hairstyle and a low waist dress with stockings.


Hygiene improved as people took baths more frequently, every once a week.

Everyone in the family had to participate in the daily chores, the outdoor jobs going to the men and boys, and the indoor jobs done by the women and girls.


In their spare time adults would preserve fruits, play board games such as draughts, make jams, play sports such as cricket and tennis, and play instruments such as the violin and piano. Children spent their precious free time playing hopscotch, rounders, bird’s nest, marbles, tad poling, and having picnics.

GARDEN AT EAST TAMAKI - 1920