In this Auckland neighbourhood, giving directions sounds like rugby commentary
Directions here can sound like a replay of a 1990s rugby match.
Michael Jones, Frank Bunce, Robin Brooke, Marc Ellis—this is not a team sheet but a map of suburban Chapel Park.
Theme: The All Blacks Streets · 9 of 9 nearby roads
Theme map
Neighbouring names such as Michael Jones, Frank Bunce and Robin Brooke turn Chapel Park into a New Zealand rugby team sheet written across the map.
Evidence: Confirmed
Neighbouring names such as Michael Jones, Frank Bunce and Robin Brooke turn Chapel Park into a New Zealand rugby team sheet written across the map.
Neighbourhood story
In Auckland's Chapel Park, turn from Michael Jones Drive into Frank Bunce Grove, then pass Robin Brooke Drive, Cashmore Place and Dowd Place. The directions sound less like navigation than a replay of a 1990s rugby match. Marc Ellis Place, Eric Rush Place, Walter Little Way and Tonu'u Court sit nearby. Together, the names point to players associated with Auckland, the Blues and New Zealand's men's national rugby union team, the All Blacks.
This was not a sporting memorial assembled decades after the players retired. In 2002, the New Zealand Herald interviewed project manager Bill Haronga about the subdivision. He recalled that the Hawkins Construction team had found many conventional road names were already taken. During a brainstorming session, a company connection to the Blues made player names an available theme. When the roads were laid out, their namesakes were still contemporary figures on television, in newspapers and on the field.
New residents soon turned choosing an address into choosing a player. One homeowner took pride in living on Marc Ellis Place; others debated which player made the better address. The local postie encountered the less glamorous consequence: Frank Bunce and Marc Ellis arrived on envelopes in inventive misspellings. A grand sporting theme became part of mortgages, deliveries and the route home.
The players did not necessarily remember the process in the same way. Frank Bunce told the Herald that having a street named after him was an honour, especially as a South Auckland boy, but he disputed the suggestion that the players had given permission. A Manukau City manager said the city had become more careful about seeking consent after trouble with another potential namesake. Later Auckland guidance likewise said names of living people should be avoided.
The neighbourhood therefore preserves more than a generation of rugby stars. It also records a period when the rules of commemoration were still changing. The matches are over and the players have left those old line-ups, but whenever navigation calls out Michael Jones, Frank Bunce or Robin Brooke, Chapel Park briefly becomes a team sheet written into the city.
Your street
Michael Jones Drive
New Zealand rugby international Michael Jones
Sir Michael Niko Jones — Auckland, Blues and All Blacks flanker
Link to theme: A central road in Chapel Park's player-name cluster, identified in contemporary reporting as part of the subdivision's rugby theme.
The theme and namesake are clear; the original naming application and approval date have not yet been located.
Nearby theme streets
Michael Jones Drive
New Zealand rugby international Michael Jones
Sir Michael Niko Jones — Auckland, Blues and All Blacks flanker
Link to theme: One of the principal roads in Chapel Park's player-name cluster.
The original naming application and approval date have not yet been located.
Frank Bunce Grove
New Zealand rugby international Frank Bunce
Frank Bunce — Auckland, Chiefs and All Blacks centre
Link to theme: The contemporary report interviewed Bunce, who called the street an honour but disputed that players had collectively given permission.
The namesake is clear; the permission process was disputed at the time.
Robin Brooke Drive
New Zealand rugby international Robin Brooke
Robin Brooke — Auckland, Blues and All Blacks lock
Link to theme: Adjacent to Michael Jones Drive and Dowd Place in the 1990s player-name group.
The original naming application and approval date have not yet been located.
Marc Ellis Place
New Zealand rugby union and rugby league international Marc Ellis
Marc Ellis — All Blacks and Kiwis player, later television personality
Link to theme: Te Ara uses the road as an example of a street named for a prominent person using their full name.
The original naming application and approval date have not yet been located.
Dowd Place
New Zealand rugby international Craig Dowd
Craig Dowd — Auckland, Blues and All Blacks prop
Link to theme: Contemporary reporting places Craig Dowd in Chapel Park's player-name sequence of directions.
The road uses only the surname; the cluster and contemporary report identify Craig Dowd.
Eric Rush Place
New Zealand rugby and sevens representative Eric Rush
Eric Rush — All Blacks wing and long-serving New Zealand sevens captain
Link to theme: Located in the same compact player-name cluster in Auckland Council planning records.
The original naming application and approval date have not yet been located.
Cashmore Place
New Zealand rugby international Adrian Cashmore
Adrian Cashmore — Auckland, Blues and All Blacks fullback
Link to theme: Contemporary reporting includes Adrian Cashmore in the match-commentary sequence of directions.
The road uses only the surname; the cluster and contemporary report identify Adrian Cashmore.
Walter Little Way
New Zealand rugby international Walter Little
Walter Little — North Harbour, Chiefs and All Blacks midfielder
Link to theme: The contemporary report interviewed a Walter Little Way resident.
The original naming application and approval date have not yet been located.
Tonu'u Court
New Zealand rugby international Ofisa Tonu'u
Ofisa Tonu'u — Auckland, Blues and All Blacks halfback
Link to theme: The Spinoff and Auckland Council planning records place it in Flat Bush's player-name group.
The original naming application and approval date have not yet been located.
About evidence levels
Confirmed — A reliable source directly identifies the name’s subject or local naming reason
Inferred pattern — Nearby names form a clear shared theme, without a complete local naming file
Possible — The name fits a person, place or idea, but other readings remain open
Unknown — Not enough evidence yet
Names on the map can be a city’s coded note to later residents. Next time you pass by, follow these streets a little further.
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Chapel Park · Auckland · The All Blacks Streets
In this Auckland neighbourhood, giving directions sounds like rugby commentary
Directions here can sound like a replay of a 1990s rugby match. Michael Jones, Frank Bunce, Robin Brooke, Marc Ellis—this is not a team sheet but a map of suburban Chapel Park.
Scan to read the full story
Offbeat NZ · Street Name Detective
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