The mall was quite enjoyable and elegant in the 1970s and 80s. I went to a wool sale there where there was a lot for sale in the middle of the mall withing little white picket fenced pens. When Wellington got the new trains in 1982, I think it was, the red rattlers were kept on the J'ville line as the new trains were too big for the tunnels. I was told Railways got one stuck trying to get it through.

Working for WRC Water Supply I spent a fair amount of time in that Pumping Station immediately under the motorway bridge in your opening shot around 2010 rebuilding the electrical and automation system. Good memories.

As a newcomer to J'ville (and NZ), I did wonder why it was the 1841 restaurant, and now I know. Very interesting learning about the history of the area in which I now live. Thanks!

Love seeing the old photos and hearing about the history of the area.

Thanks for this video. My mother was a foundation pupil of Onslow College. She used to live in a house at the bottom of Wanaka Street. Sadly, this house burned down in about 2000. (Thankfully, there was no one in it at the time, except maybe squatters, who probably started the fire.) The fire actually made the front page of The Evening Post when it happened. The Wanaka Street property was never rebuilt. Initially, it became a park, but now the new Johnsonville Community Centre stands on it. I don't live in Johnsonville myself, but when I was little (and living in Linden), my parents and I used to visit my maternal grandparents in Wanaka Street. Or sometimes it was just my mother and I. Think I remember that Tip Top factory. Can also remember my mother and I shopping at the J Mall. Because my mother didn't like driving in the city, she would sometimes take the car to Johnsonville and we'd get the train into town when we visited my dad's office. I used to love that. Some years ago (now living in Miramar), I took a round trip on the train to Johnsonville and back. Still loved it. (I did spend a couple of hours in J'ville before returning to town.)

I met a group of MG friends at the 1841 pub in July last year, never knew the history of the name, now I do, another great story George

Good on ya George.

Thanks George :)

Very interesting and informative, thanks George!

Interesting. In the 50s SH1 passed thru Jville. I remember the bypass being talked about. I never lived in Jville but went to Onslow College 65-69.

Hi there George from "George". I live in SE Asia. This is a fucking good video. Thank you.

The railway line is lucky to survive. There have been several instances where closure was suggested. It's a shame they didn't leave the original line from Johnsonville to Tawa intact, as it would allowed people from points northward to access the suburb without having to first travel all the way into Wellington station.

Thanks George. Brings back a lot of memories. I lived in Johnsville for about 4 or 5 years from 1965 -1969.Went to Onslow College.

I enjoyed this very much. Thank you.

I remember seeing the old belmont viaduct pier standing alone as I headed down the motorway to Wellington. Has it gone as I haven't seen it for awhile. Thanks.

Great video George

Great stuff George.

I love your video👍🙏🙏🙏

Congratulations George👋.....it may be of interest that the property you showed to highlight infill housing in Johnsonville, my O'Reilly family home at 62 Broderick[ formerly Waterloo] Road, was the original 19th Hole[Clubrooms] of the local golf club. The surrounding land in those days was known as the golf links .😊

I think your references to the Motorway are a bit incomplete. I think it must have been in the early 1960's when My grandfather, driving his Morris minor at the top of the Ngauranga gorge, mistook the new construction, for an open unsealed road. So we must have been one of the first private cars to have driven the Johnsonville BYPASS. That bypass is now a part of SHW#1. Of course I recall the Tip-Top factory while it was in operation.

Nice George. Describing infill housing as a plague isn’t a particularly intelligent opinion though. It’s a different world to when you grew up. Especially if you describe KFC building a carpark as recently (over a quarter of a century ago)