Flashback to carless days | Auckland News | Local News in Auckland

Those tangled in the motorway chaos from the closure of the Southern Motorway this weekend might consider taking the backstreets to revisit a time before Auckland went car crazy.

The Southbound lanes of the Southern Motorway will be closed for up to 36 hours from 5pm Saturday September 4 between Gillies Ave and Greenlane.

The closure is to prepare the new southbound Newmarket Viaduct in time for the Monday morning commute.

It's timely then that a new exhibition opens this weekend in Western Springs. I Am The Last Tram offers a glimpse back to the fifties when Auckland was in a time of post war transformation.

The Motat exhibition opens September 5 as part of Auckland City Council's Auckland Heritage Festival, which kicks off on September 18 and runs until October 3.

Open to the public for the duration of the Heritage Festival and for the remainder of the year, the exhibition showcases changes to traditional society, youth culture, global and political milestones and the tragedies that gripped a nation during the 1950s.

Tram 89 is the centrepiece of the exhibition.

Exhibition manager Robyn Winks says: "The last tram, 242, was demolished in 2006 so we have set out to keep its memory alive through repainting and redecorating tram 89. It is a faithful reproduction of how the last tram looked on December 26, 1956 as it made its final trip along the streets of Auckland."

Like most of the trams in the Auckland fleet, tram 242 was stripped of its brass and metal fittings and sold as a Kiwi bach. This veteran of Auckland commuting was eventually used at Turakina Beach near Wanganui as a seaside holiday home.

As part of the heritage exhibition, Tram 89 houses A Fond Farewell photo exhibition with some of the photos taken by Graham Stewart on tram 242's last day, a number of which have not been published previously.

In the I Am The Last Tram exhibition, Motat also explores various aspects of life in Auckland during the fifties such as the youth culture of the day in a recreation of the popular 'bodgies and widgies' milk-bar haunt - Somervells on Queen St. Visitors can slip into the retro booths and enjoy the sounds of the era playing from the jukebox or read about the milk bar murders and famous Parker and Hulme case.

Also fitting well during the Newmarket Viaduct closure, visitors to Motat can delve into the trials and tribulations of Auckland's motorists during the 1950s where significant changes were made with the construction of the Harbour Bridge, extending motorways and burgeoning suburbs as Aucklanders embraced the suburban dream.

The increasing numbers of Kiwis being able to afford private vehicles meant the beginning of the end for the beloved tram system.

Visitors to the exhibition can also stroll along MOTAT's recreation of Queen Street, which includes replicas of the Civic Theatre, complete with 1950s movie theatre, and Auckland's longest standing department store Smith & Caughey's.

"Motat is thrilled to be able to showcase these historic artefacts and to support Auckland heritage. We are pleased to be doing our part in bringing to life the stories and traditions that have made New Zealanders who they are today," Ms Winks says.

Take a trip

Motat is at Great North Rd and Meola Rd, Western Springs

Costs: The I Am The Last Tram exhbition is part of the standard entry fee to Motat.Family (2 adults and up to 4 children) $35; adults $14; children (under 16) $8; students $8; senior Citizens $7; children under 5 years are free

More info, ph 0800 MOTAT NZ (0800 668 286) or see www.motat.org.nz