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I went down there the other week armed with camera to take a few photos before the wooden stand was pulled down.
It was pissing rain, but i got there just in time - the wooden stand had already had the tin roof ripped off from the day before, and i haven't been there since but i'm fairly sure that the wooden stand is now no more.
I took more photos, but this is just the lot i can be bothered uploading now.
Around to the main stand...
To make a 60,000 seat stadium here you would have needed to either shift the railway or build the stand over it....
The above video of RL hakas between Tonga and Samoa appears to have been taken at Carlaw Park if people want to see what it was like in a more functional capacity. Also sows you how much ground international RL has to make. That footage was pre SuperLeague and there were big crowds for Pacific RL nationa playing against each other.
Did you get abused by the bums IanRitchie and have glass bottles thrown at you?
IanRitchie wrote:
What is this, by the way?
To me it looks like a wire ladder or rope gantry they may use to train firemen (or league players?). Then again it could be a crane!? Love the truck/train on it!
If I can find a scanner I'd post mine up which I took in May 2006.
Although the ground is pretty much the same it shows the old wooden stand with a) the Firestone roof b) has no temporary fencing and features perimeter advertising still.
As for the entrance gate, I managed to get it with the Lion Red League clock before it was defaced.
I wonder if this pic was taken after they had stopped using the ground? I know the dimensions were small by todays standard but the playing surface sure looks squat in that pic.
Was Carlaw Park always three sided? I know in that YouTube clip it is but I find it odd if there was nothing behind the Caltex servo at the city end.
Sad to see Carlaw Park in this state. It was once one of the premier grounds in not only NZ but rugby league in general. A piece of history is dying here. I wish they could have or will do something so that people can remember what it once was and future generations will know that the once great Carlaw Park occupied the site.
I've got about ten second of VHS footage of Carlaw Park from a Manly v Newcastle game in the early 1990s but it shows the eastern end (the Lion Red Hill). I know some friend who went to Carlaw Park. I can find out what was at the western (city) end.
Cam's photo (which is bloody awesome) probably dates from the late 1990s, looking at sponsors logos etc. After the Warriors chose to play at Mount Smart Stadium in 1995, the fate of Carlaw Park was sealed. It still hosted Auckland RL games (which explains the pristine surface) but they attracted few spectators (which explains the lack od devotion towards the facilties). The ground was still in use I think even after 2000 and that would represent the actual playing field dimensions (the width of the RL playing area was around 60m).
I understand the Auckland RL will retain ownership of the site and lease it to the developers of the retirement village. I am sure there will be a plaque or similar noting the history of the ground.
how'd they (NZ RL) or who ever owns it, let the place fall into such a sh*t condition? had they spent money on it, it looks like it could have been redeveloped easy enough, given its apparent proximity to the city, clearly a better option than that other piece of dog turd for a decent sized ground
... on a side note, does NZ have a home stadium the same way england has twickenham or wembley?
looks like a graffitti hall of fame / caprark more than a once grate sporting ground of NZ.
its no problem to build over train lines its happened else where and they dont look like they have electric lines over them which is often a big problem, altough these pics show them at quite an elevation in comparison to the field, so that may be an issue.
dont know what the train is on the gantry.....maybe some one pissing about got it up there! but it looks like a monorail for lifting things onto the back of a truck i reckon...the old hoist has gone and been replaced by a toy!
I think the Auckland RL did the right thing, Mt Smart was basically handed to them on a platter and it's a great facility. In the mean time they are left with prime inner city real estate to cash in on.
But damn it would've been great to watch a Test there packed to the rafters with people calling for the Aussies to be shot.
