The village of Albany today is as compact as it ever was, but with the spread of growth to the south it is hard to know where the area of Albany really begins and ends.

The country is close to the high street.

With Massey University, the Stadium, the industrial zone, the various roads and of course the mega centre it is hard to define just what this bustling and thriving part of the North Shore really is. It has certainly been transformed from a once quiet rural area into a very busy urban one.

Rural Living spoke to Peg Welsford who assisted her husband to write a history of Albany, and who still lives close to the village. “I think the village was founded in about 1850, when there were only four or five settlers here,” explained Peg.

“My husband felt that there was a strong danger a lot of memories and information was being lost as older people died off and few of their memories were being recorded. Hence he decided to collect as many of these reminiscences he could and write a book, which he really didn’t think there would be much interest in. Initially he printed ten copies to allow for the local libraries and one or two special friends. However demand rose, and he eventually drew the line at 80 copies, all of which he had had to photocopy! The book is called ‘The Station’ and is available in the local library.”

“Most of the area surrounding Albany was farmland, a lot owned by my family. In 1963 we were informed that we were to be booted off as the government needed the land. Under the Public Works Act the government was allowed to acquire land it needed without explanation to owners for roading purposes.

"Rather than buying strips and having to pay compensation they decided it was easier to acquire all the farms in the area. In fact they needed it for state-housing and Massey university, but we had no entitlement to that information. The law didn’t get changed for a few years after that – I think just before the Birkenhead by-pass was built. Anyway I think we were lucky, we ended up with a couple of hectares at the northern end of Albany village and I still live there.”

Given its name, Bush Road is probably one of the oldest access ways to the southern part of Albany, and today it is a bustling lane of 20th cent traffic.

Scott Lewis of A1 Homes believes the road has one of the highest traffic counts in the country, around 30,000 car movements a day. A1 homes offers one of the widest ranges of residential kitset homes in the country. “We have standard plans for 56 models,” Scott explained .

“Anything from a 46 to a 300 sq meter, with any number of bedrooms and double garaging. The great thing about A1 homes is our flexibility. We can meet any budget and any level of construction. We can complete any home anywhere to the highest specification or the client can project manage the construction themselves. We are in an excellent zone as well.

"People actually like the ‘touchy-feely’ aspect of choosing their own home. They like to come in, see the potential, walk round the kitchen feel the surfaces and touch all the fittings, and this is something A1 homes is happy to provide. We are getting a lot of enquiries at present from people with a bit of land wanting to put a secondary dwelling on it. Albany is certainly thriving – it is all happening here and there is no real need to go into town as there are any number of bars and cafes close by, and plenty of nightlife too!”

Good news for the many ‘lifestylers’ who live in and around the North Shore, Auckland. There is now a STIHL SHOP™ conveniently placed on Albany Highway Rosedale. It’s the latest of over 50 such up-to-date stores in the country specialising in power tools, from chainsaws, brush cutters to ride-on mowers, generators and power drills.

Jude and Baden at the Stihl shop.

The even better news for locals is the store has opened under the practiced eyes of Baden and Jude Beard, who are in business in Kaitaia, Kerikeri, and now Albany. “Baden really likes a challenge, and is not one to watch the grass grow under him,” Jude explained.

Two years ago they put their hands up to open STIHL SHOP™ Albany - the first of its kind on the North Shore and it has taken all that time to get the doors open. This was far longer than anticipated, but has offered the Beards the opportunity to have input into every aspect. “It allowed us to incorporate all we know to be trailed and true,” Jude said , “and we have got the very best of everything!”

The store presents itself in a warm, welcoming and homely manner, and everyone and everything is completely immaculate. The gleaming nature of every single display item made me feel as if I could have eaten a meal off any surface without any danger.

“We’ve been successful in business because we’ve placed so much importance on building great relationships with people and communities based on mutual trust and respect.  It’s not about selling – but about caring for people’s wants, needs and situations.

"No matter where you are and what part of the world you may be in – one factor remains constant – it’s people that have the ability to make the difference – and we sincerely try to achieve this result in a positive manner in every aspect of our business.  It’s a little like don’t tell me how great – show me.”

Albany continues to expand and grow, as anyone who travels through knows. The Megacentre has drawn crowds since it opened, and has the big advantage for everyone north of Auckland of being so convenient to the motorway. The local business association has continued to promote the area and work towards safeguarding the village as an entity.

Older Albany - the library.

Over the years they have been successful in many projects, from the development of the Albany Village Centre Plan to getting Christmas Tree lighting on the Totara tree outside the old Library.

Albany has an airport far closer than people probably realize. It is alongside the motorway at Dairy Flat.

SaltAir are now operating a commuter service from the Far North to Auckland that is saving business travelers a great deal of stress. The scheduled service flies from Kerikeri to Whangarei and North Shore Airport five days a week plus a return service on Sundays.

The innovative service provides a courtesy shuttle coach connection that will get commuters to Quay Street by just after 8am each weekday. The return service leaves Quay Street at 5.15pm, and the bus is registered to use the dedicated bus lane, meaning it cuts out all the jams.

SaltAir has been operating the service successfully for the last year and according to Wendy it has transformed the lives of some people in the north. “If you are obliged to come to Auckland for meetings now and again, there is real merit in avoiding hours of driving. We have one lady who commutes about once a fortnight, and she says our service has almost saved her life. It used to take her a couple of days to recover from the hassle and stress of all that driving; now she hops on our ‘plane and can complete her day’s business without battling northland roads for six or seven hours!”