A big loss for the blues

People in Onehunga say some stonewalling is going on over their bluestone kerbing. It's here today but gone tomorrow, writes Valerie Schuler.
Look around older Auckland suburbs and you'll find solid bluestone kerbing.
Traditionally mined in quarries around the region, stocks of precious basalt are running out and the stone is slowly disappearing from our streets.
Spring St, Onehunga, is the latest to fall victim to the great bluestone removal. Locals say Auckland City Council stripped the northern end of the street of its stone kerbs in December. In its place, stark concrete borders the strip.
"It's ridiculous and one has to ask: 'Where are they taking it?' says resident Junella Kaiawe.
"Do they take it to more expensive areas and give us ugly concrete instead? It seems odd that they would strip the whole lot, almost like a bit of a scam."
Maungakiekie Community Board agrees.
"There's a big difference between bluestone and concrete kerbing," says  chairwoman Bridget Graham.
"An older area like Onehunga does not suit the stark, clean look of concrete. The other thing that concerns us is that it was done without consultation."
The removal of Spring St's bluestone blocks has an element of mystery to it.
The council denies removing  any stone kerbing. It says  the northern end of Spring St already had concrete kerbs and these were simply renewed.
But Mrs Graham insists this is not true: "The bluestone has gone and I saw them taking it. How can they deny it?"
Across the bridge in historic Devonport, residents echo Ms Kaiawe's concerns. "Our bluestone seems to be wandering off into other parts of the North Shore and we are not very pleased about it," says Mike Cohen from the Devonport Community Board. "If bluestone is removed from our streets it should be recycled and come back to our area, not stockpiled and used in Takapuna.
"It is very important to maintain consistency in a heritage area," says Mr Cohen.
Auckland City Council says bluestone is replaced with concrete in areas that already have predominantly concrete kerbs. Bluestone is recycled and put in storage for use on streets that have mostly bluestone kerbing.
A similar "like with like" policy exists on the North Shore.
In line with its policy on footpaths, the North Shore council is required to retain bluestone kerbs in existing areas.
It is also meant to consult community boards before any removals take place, but replacements are subject to "financial considerations".
Council communications adviser Francis Martin says: "There may be the opportunity to rationalise the use of bluestone kerbing by relocating it from some lower-profile areas to higher-profile town centres." However, he said, this would be subject to consultation.
Len Lavas, from Auckland Stonemasons - a Whitford company that sells imported bluestone - says there is a shortage of the material because there are no basalt quarries left in Auckland.
"All the new bluestone kerbing comes from China," he says. "Making it here is unpractical because it's so labour intensive."
Mr Lavas says imported bluestone can cost five times as much as concrete kerbing.
Rock of ages
Bluestone is a variety of volcanic basalt. A blue crystalline form of copper sulphate gives it a blue-grey appearance. Mined in Mt Wellington quarries, the stone was a popular paving and building material in the 19th century. Kerbs in the Auckland central business district and historic areas, including  Onehunga and Ponsonby,  were  made from bluestone blocks. The historic Bluestone Store in Durham Lane, once a customs agency which has been turned into a pub, was built from it.
Solid investment
The Auckland City Council spent $625,603 last year to renew 617m of footpath on Lincoln St in Ponsonby, figures from the New Zealand Herald show. About $150,000 of that cost was for removing and cleaning bluestone blocks. John Fillmore contractors was paid about $65 a metre to excavate, clean and deliver four rows of pitchstones to a council depot.