The only Māori Pā on the North Shore was at Rahopara Point (above Castor Bay). It is believed the Kawerau people were living there as early as 1492. Milford Beach is known to Māori as Onemaewao, “the beach of the fairy people”.
Milford’s first European name was Campbell’s Bush, after John Logan Campbell, who had acquired the land on either side of what is now Kitchener Road. Campbell was in Auckland in 1840 when it was named the new capital, and went on to acquire extensive property and business interests across Auckland.
Milford is generally thought to have been named by Edwin Harrow, who owned a grand two-storey Edwardian hotel in Killarney Street, Takapuna, and originated from Milford Haven in Wales. James Sheriff (after whom Sheriff’s Hill was named) was an early builder and settler in the area.