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Bastion Point
Tamaki DriveAbout
Bastion Point and the Savage Memorial gardens are some of the most peaceful surroundings in Auckland. Amazing views over the Waitamata Harbour and the beautiful gardens dedicated to the first Labour Prime Minister are what people see now. It wasn't always this peaceful. The area was originally built by the Crown on confiscated lands for the purpose of a military outpost. This land was used for the military for approximately 50 years, but then was discarded for that purpose post WWII. Instead of returning it to the original owners, the Crown decided to give the land to Auckland City to use as a park much in the manner that you see now on a visit. This was all well and good until the mid-70's when they announced that they would open the area to private development. This led to a 507 day illegal occupation to prevent the confiscation. Upwards of 800 police ended up raiding the occupation and dismissing them, a watershed point in the Maori protest movement. Eventually the land was returned to the original tribe as a part of the Waitangi settlement.
