From the Evening Post, 9 September 1922
SOME EARLY HISTORY - ORIGIN OF RAROA ROAD

PETITION TO PROVINCIAL COUNCIL
- A VALUABLE DOCUMENT -
Much discussion is now taking place on the question as to whether Raroa road is the best route to adopt for constructing a shorter route to adopt for constructing a shorter tram line to Karori and Northland and in this connection a most interesting document relating to the early history of the road has just come to light.
This is a petition; signed by 180 prominent citizens of Wellington in the year 1856, asking the Provincial Council to make a road connecting the Te Aro district with Baker's Hill, via Polhill Gully. Baker's Hill is the ridge under which the Karori tunnel passes, but the road which formed the subject of the petition was not formed until some thirty-four years had elapsed after the Provincial Council was first approached by the settlers. The original document, which by reason of the signatures it contains forms a valuable link with the early days of Wellington, has been handed over to the City Council for permanent keeping by Mr W. F. England of Karori and it was produced at this week's meeting of the Early Settlers' Association by Councillor Len McKenzie, whose father, the late Mr T. W. McKenzie, was one of the signatories
... more at top link

SOME OF THE NAMES (1856)
Amongst the signatures are names which will ever be associated with the history of the city, including those of Messrs ...
* William BAMFORD
* E. BANNISTER
* James BARBER, father of Mr W. H. P. Barber
* R. BARRETT, whose name is perpetuated in Barrett's Hotel
* William BENNETT, father of the present Councillor W. H. Bennett

* J. COMPTON
* R. C. COOK, of Ohariu
* G. COSTALL, formerly Government Printer
* E. H. CREASE, spice manufacturer

* George DENTON, founder of the ironmongery establishment in Willis Street
* George DUNCAN, auctioneer

* Henry and Robert EAGLE, of Karori
* Henry EARLE
* J. E. EVANS, saddler

* John FELL, formerly Chief Telegraph Engineer and now resident in London
* John FITCHETT, after whom Fitchett Town was named

* John GASCOINE, father of the former manager of the State Coal Depot

* Edward HASLAIN, brickmaker
* Frederick and George HILL, founders of the first brick works in the city and builders of the first brick shop in Webb street
* James and John HOUGHTON, Houghton Bay was called after them
* Amos HOWE
* Thomas HOWELL
* Robert HUNTER

* W. W. JOHNSON, later a member of the Legislative Council and brother of the late Sir Charles Johnston, Speaker of the Legislative Council

* F. KEMPTHORNE

* Steven LANCASTER, of Karori who used to bring milk into town on yokes over his shoulder and sell it a 6d per quart
* George LESLIE
* G. H. LUXFORD, one of the first butchers in the city
* William LYONS, founder of the firm of Messrs Lyons and Blair (now Whitcombe and Tombs)

* John MARTIN, afterwards a member of the Legislative Council and Albert Martin
* T. W. McKENZIE, father of the present Councillor McKenzie
* George MEXTED
* James, William and Henry MITCHELL, whose names are commemorated in Mitchelltown
* C. H. MOFFITT, the first dentist in Wellington
* John MOIR, minister of St John's Presbyterian Church
* William M. MUIR, who, with the late Mr T. W. McKenzie, established what is now known as the "New Zealand Times" but in the early days "The Independent"

* NORTH & GOODER and James Gooder

* H. A. and Edward OWEN

* James PETHERICK, for many years a prominent city councillor
* G. PILCHER, father of Mr T. W. Pilcher, of the Blackball Coal Company
* Robert PORT, father of Mr J. C. Port, accountant to Messrs Joseph Nathan and Co., Ltd

* Michael QUINN, who Quinn street is named after and his son Morton Quinn

* Arthur E. ROWDEN, a former resident of Abel Smith street and for many years connected with the Rhodes Estate trustees
* John RUCK

* George SCHWARTZ, for many years secretary of the Equitable Building Society
* Edward SEGAR, founder of Segar's foundry and Charles Segar
* Francis SIDEY
* John SMITH, senr, founder of the Vulcan Foundry, which still stands at the rear of the Royal Oak Hotel
* John SMITH, junr, who was a well-known city councillor for many years, at one time deputy=Mayor and father of Mr H. G. Smith, general manager of the Phoenix Assurance Company
* Robert SMITH
* G. M. SNELSON, the first white man to reside in Palmerston North and afterwards Mayor of that town for many years
* James SPIERS, of Karori
* J. STODDART
* A. P. STUART, soft goods merchant

* George TATTLE, father-in-law of Councillor C. J. B. Norwood
* Walter TURNBULL, founder of the firm of Messrs W. and G. Turnbull and Co.
* William TUSTIN, oil and colour merchant

* Nathaniel VALENTINE, who arrived with the band of the 65th Regiment and resided in the Hutt Valley for many years
* C. A. VALLANCE, father of the well-known Wairarapa farmer
* J. H. VENNELL, through whose land the new road from Brooklyn to Mornington is now being constructed

* Thomas WINDLEY
* Alexander D. WYLIE, father of the well-known legal family

* T. W. YOUNG, the present wine and spirit merchant
* George YULE

WIDENING RAROA ROAD Feb 1934
Taken from Evening Post
This portion of Raroa Road, which links up the back part of Kelburn with the city, via Aro Street, was recently widened to make the route safer for motor traffic. On the left is the Kelburn Presbyterian Church, to which extensive additions are being made