Redwood is a subdivision of Tawa, the northernmost suburb of

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...

. Redwood lies at the southern end of Tawa, to the west of the Tawa Main Road and the North Island Main Trunk Railway.

Names and history

Redwood is named after the first Catholic Archbishop of Wellington,

Francis Redwood Francis William Mary Redwood Society of Mary (Marists), SM (6 April 1839 – 3 January 1935), was the first Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wellington, metropolitan bishop, Metropolitan of New Zealand. L ...

, who was

ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (album) (2011), by Every Little Thing * "Ordinary" (Alex Warren song) (2025) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016 ...

from 1874 until 1935 (bishop from 1874 and archbishop from 1887). It is located on 108 acres of land given in 1855 by

Sir George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

Governor of New Zealand A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

, to

Philippe Viard Philippe Joseph Viard SM (11 October 1809 – 2 June 1872) was a French priest and the first bishop of the Catholic diocese of Wellington, New Zealand. Early life Born to Claude and Pierrette Charlotte (née Rolland) Viard in Lyon, he attend ...

, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Wellington for the establishment of a school. The land was used for farming purposes until 1960 when Saint Francis Xavier School, a primary school, was opened. The remainder of the land became a housing subdivision named "Redwood" in honour of Archbishop Redwood. The Catholic connection is further highlighted in the Redwood area by several street names, including McKeefry Grove named after Cardinal McKeefry, third Archbishop of Wellington, and Lane Crescent, which commemorates Fr John Lane, a parish priest of the area. Several streets in Redwood have names connected with

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and

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University colleges, including Balliol Drive after

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

, Gonville Street after

Gonville and Caius College Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges an ...

, Oriel Avenue after

Oriel College Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, ...

, and Achilles Close after the

Achilles Club The Achilles Club is a track and field by and for the past and present representatives of the University of Oxford, Oxford and University of Cambridge, Cambridge Universities. As of 2025, members have won 19 Olympic Games, Olympic gold medals a ...

Boundaries

Redwood is bounded by Larsen Crescent and the northern section of Redwood Avenue to the north, by the Main Road to the east, and Oriel Avenue and the southern section of Redwood Avenue to the south.

Railway

Redwood is served by two railway stations, Takapu Road Railway Station in the south of Redwood and Redwood Railway Station in the north of Redwood. Travel times to Wellington by train are twelve minutes from Takapu Road and fourteen minutes from Redwood. Travel times to Porirua are nine minutes from Takapu Road and seven minutes from Redwood. There is a sixteen-minute service during peak periods and thirty minutes at other times. The Railway line through southern Tawa was originally built on a different route slightly further east by the

Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR or W&MR) was a private rail transport, railway Railway company, company that built, owned and operated the Wellington–Manawatu Line, Wellington-Manawatu railway line between Thorndon, New Zeal ...

. It followed a gradient on the contour of the hills from Takapu Road to Duncan Street below the present day Taylor Terrace. The

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

Paremata Paremata is a suburb of Porirua, on the Tasman Sea coast to the north of Wellington, New Zealand. History Early history The modern suburb, just south of Plimmerton, derives its name from the "Paremata Barracks", erected on the north shore of ...

section opened on 24 September 1885 without stations in the Redwood area. The railway line was incorporated into the

New Zealand Railways Department The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining Rail transport in New Zealand, New Zealand's railway infrastruc ...

network in December 1908. The station at Takapu Road opened on 19 June 1937, the same day as the new railway station in Wellington, when the present-day route on the

Tawa Flat deviation The Railway Magazine February 1934 pp. 100-105 Tawa Flat deviation is a double-track section of the Kapiti Line just north of Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North ...

was opened for passenger traffic and the Johnsonville to Tawa section of the older, more circuitous, railway route from Wellington through Johnsonville closed.John Yonge (editor), ''New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas'', fourth edition (Essex: Quail Map Company, 1993), 16. Redwood Railway Station opened on 15 December 1963 to meet increased demand for passenger services in south Tawa following the development of the Redwood and Taylor Terrace subdivisions.

Education

Redwood School is a coeducational state contributing primary school, for Year 1 to 6 students, established in 1966. It has a decile rating of 10 and a roll of as of . St Francis Xavier Schoolis a coeducational integrated Catholic contributing primary school, for year 1 to 6 students, established in 1960. It has a decile rating of 9 and a roll of .

References

Suburbs of Wellington City {{Wellington-geo-stub