Garden Place Trucks

In January 1939 the removal of Garden Place Hill was underway and trucks began rumbling through Hamilton.

The impact on the city was immediate. Dust from the trucks coated shop windows and filtered into buildings, prompting 65 shopkeepers to sign a petition calling for relief. Residents complained that the trucks ran late into the night, keeping them awake. One man blamed the spillage on poor loading, which left a film of clay that became treacherously slick in the rain. On 24 January 1939, the Waikato Times reported that four “girl cyclists” fell at the London Street corner within seconds of each other. A postman also lost control on the same corner, scattering letters and packages across the road.

At the time, few photographs captured the scale of the operation. But one that does survive shows ten small V8 Ford trucks with modest trays, a stark contrast to today’s earthmoving machinery.

Despite the disruption, the speed and scale of the project remain impressive. More than 80 years on, it's a reminder of the ambition - and the noise - that shaped Hamilton’s landscape.