For whom the road tolls

Tolls on the Great South Road in the 1860s.

Bruce Ringer

Proposals to levy tolls on Auckland’s roads are nothing new. More than a century ago the Auckland Provincial Council authorised the construction of toll-bars on the Great South Road. The first toll-houses were erected on the Great South Road and Remuera Road at Newmarket in September 1863. In June 1866 toll-houses were also built at Otahuhu, Drury and the newly erected Panmure bridge.

The initial charges were 3d for a single horse, 9d for a two-horse carriage, and one halfpenny per head for pigs, sheep and goats. Soldiers, postmen and jurors were exempt, as were dung carts travelling less than two miles.

Tolls were no more popular then than they would be today. Travellers complained about excessive cost, the poor condition of the roads, the dilapidated bridges, and the impediment to trade. Tolls were abolished in 1875.

In March 1863 mileposts were also erected between Newmarket and Drury. Some historians suggest these were for military purposes, but it is possible they were also associated with tolls. One of the original mileposts remains in place today outside Drury School. Another is on display at the Nathan Homestead.

For more information: see Manukau’s Journey.

Publication record: first published in Connexions, no. 85, April 2006, p. 4. Revised and corrected for publication on the Manukau Libraries website in September 2009.

Copyright © Manukau Libraries. This text may be freely used for the purposes of private study or research and for non-commercial publication provided that the author and Manukau Libraries are duly acknowledged.