Transportation in Porirua is in several forms.
History[]
Before steam or petrol[]
Maori canoes were the first form of non-ambulatory transport in any part of what is now called Porirua.
In the mid-19th century, once the European settlers (with help from the Maori) had created "roads", horse-drawn vehicles were able to travel from Wellington to what is now central Porirua or to Paremata or Pauatahanui, and from that last-named they could continue further north up the Horokiri Valley towards Paekakariki and the Manawatu.
Railway[]
In the late 19th century, the Wellington-Manawatu Railway was completed, with the line coming down from Johnsonville and a bridge at Paremata and a route generally following the coast north.
Roads[]
Roads were gradually improved. New Zealand's first car was owned by the pioneer Bradey family of Pauatahanui.
Between the World Wars, the first Paremata road bridge was opened and the railway link to Wellington was considerably eased with the current route using tunnels between Kaiwharawhara and Glenside.
Gradual road improvements included the Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway completed in the 1950s, partly following the superseded railway line. A bridge heading north-east from the CBD over the Porirua Stream and railway, "The Ramp", was opened in time for the 1953 Royal Visit. Nearly half a century later, it was replaced by a new bridge off Parumoana Street further north, shortly after the main "Mungavin Bridge", joining Titahi Bay Road to Mungavin Avenue was duplicated.
Sea and air[]
In the late 20th century, two attempts were made to run ferries from Paremata to Picton or Nelson, but bad luck and some predatory pricing from Wellington saw both fail. The jetty is still there, should anyone else want to try.
A float plane service operated out of the harbour, just off Onepoto, for a few years.
How we manage now[]
Rail[]
Services on Tranz Metro from Wellington to Porirua and usually further north (at least to Plimmerton) are generally half-hourly from about 7am until late evening, with more at peak times and down to hourly in the late evening and at weekends. $4 to Porirua, $5 to Plimmerton; with 10 for the price of 8 on a "10-trip" ticket (transferable and never expiring) and greater reductions on monthly or quarterly "commuter" tickets.
Road[]
Mungavin Bridge leads to a roundabout over a full diamond interchange. Traffic lights are at several places in the city centre, at the bottom of Whitford Brown Avenue, and (since November 2005) through Mana and Plimmerton. There are few areas of serious congestion except the Paremata Roundabout.
Buses serve nearly all suburbs, with significant rail (and intercity bus) links at Porirua and Paremata.
Walking or equestrian[]
Most suburbs have a reasonable distribution of pedestrian shortcuts, the CBD and suburban malls have large traffic-free areas, and horses are an occasional sight on many of our roads.
Future[]
Proposals for north-east motorway[]
Transmission Gully or the allegedly cheaper Coastal Route. The jury is still out. Well, actually preliminary hearings started within a month of the Mana traffic lights installation and will last well into 2006. See http://gullynow.co.nz/
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