The history of the site is described in a plaque that is embedded in a concrete plinth at the intersection of Portage Road and Great South Road.
Portage Road in the Ōtāhuhu suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, follows the path of Te Tō Waka, one of the Māori canoe portages between the Tāmaki River (an arm of the Hauraki Gulf) and the Manukau Harbour, which facilitated access between the eastern and western sides of the North Island.