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Tonks Grove
Tonks Grove was initially named Merrivale in 1884, however, three years later, in 1887, the name was changed to Tonks Grove to honour William Tonks Snr. Grove was chosen as the road type because at the end of the road there was stream and a grove of trees.
The Tonks family were brick makers by trade, and arrived in Wellington in 1842. It was 1847 when William Tonks Snr started his brick works on town acres 97 & 99 and 1863 when be built his home on Town Acre 99.
William Tonks Jun. had a shipping and merchant business which became bankrupt in 1879, his creditors claimed his holdings and land on Town Acre 97 and 99. In doing so it caused fellow family members with holdings on Town Acre 99 to have access cut off.
In 1884 Enoch Tonks purchased a parcel of land to open up a roadway from Cuba Street to the blocked access.
Henry, son of William Tonks Snr., and Kate Tonks, his wife,lived at 270 Cuba Street (built in 1865 by William Snr) on Town Acre 99. In 1884 Henry died and Kate inherited the home along with some surrounding land.
Being of an enterprising ability Kate over time began owning and renting property in the Grove. It was in 1907 that she built her two storied home No.13 at the end of the Grove, which she named "Wharenui", where she lived up to her death in 1937. Kate came to own six homes in the Grove along with three more facing Cuba Street. Over a period of time the stream was piped, and the grove of trees removed, so by 1933 the name of grove was changed to avenue.
Kate was a busy mother of three boys along with her renting and management of boarders. Overall, there were 15 houses in Tonks Grove. It was in 1950 when her sons finally sold up Kate's estate.
In 2002 Tranzit NZ and Wellington City Council were constructing the bypass and relocating the new Tonks Avenue thirty metres further down Cuba Street. At that time Tonks family requested from the Council that the Avenue be changed back to Grove, which they agreed to.
