in november 1881 st. heliers bay was bought by the st. heliers and northcote land company. the aim of this company was to make the land available for residential development. the company realised the area would be more attractive for potential future buyers if st. heliers’ connections to the auckland's town centre were improved. at that time st heliers was usually reached by boat, the trip from auckland taking only 30 minutes, whereas the land route via newmarket, remuera and meadowbank was usually much more onerous. during this period st heliers was a centre for local farmers and the location of the villas of a few rich business people. despite advertisements in "the new zealand herald", such as the example below, ultimately land sales were poor and the company's scheme failed: