By Sorrel Hoskin
New Plymouth's street names recall a little part of history - many from the pioneers of the earliest days of the new settlement.
Having a street named after you was a sign of importance and a way to be recorded in history for ever.
Among the New Zealand Company directors were George Young, the Hon F Baring, Sir W Molesworth, Viscount Courtney and Alexander Currie.
The Plymouth Company, formed to establish New Plymouth had directors including Sir Anthony Buller, Captain Bulkley, Charles Calmady, Nathaniel Downe, Lord Eliot, Richard Fillis, William Gilbert, John Hine, George Leach, Sir Charles Lemon, Edward Pendarves, Edward St Aubyn and Sir Hussey Vivian. The Earl of Devon was governor and his deputy was Thomas Gill.
Name check: many of New Plymouth's streets are named after Directirs of The Plymouth Company
The company's surveyors Frederic and Octavius Carrington, along with their assistants J Baines, S Harris, J Rogan and H Aubrey live on as well.
Other street names recall the leaders among the first pioneers. Richard Chilman was the Plymouth Company's resident secretary, George Cutfield was the principal agent.
The company's ships were also included in the line up: the Oriental, Timandra, Regina and Essex.
Other street names were a slice of the home country: Clawton was a parish in Devon, and Holsworthy was a market town.
The town planners also included Maori names in the streets, some recalling former Maori Pa sites such as Whakawhiti, Autere, Te Ngaere and Puke Ariki.
One or two "oddities" such as Nob's Line refers to the time when the gentry (nobs) had to turn their hands to street line cutting to make ends meet. Doralto is made up of the first syllables of the names of the children of Thomas Kelsey, the land's subdivider.
Other's such as Belt Road refer to what was to have been the western side of Frederic Carrington's proposed town green belt.
Water Lane refers to the track used by early settlers at Devonport to get water from the Mangaotuku Stream.
In latter years street names became less important - often being named after trees or birds, but a little slice of history will always remain.