[1] The area that was covered comprised what is today the central business district.
[2] Four people were nominated for the 1881 election: William Lee Rees, who had previously represented Auckland East, Thomas Peacock, William George Garrard, and Thomas Thwaites.
[3][4] Thwaites soon withdrew from the contest,[5] and Peacock narrowly defeated Rees, with Garrard coming a distant third.
[8] Three people were nominated for the 1887 election: the incumbent, Thompson; Samuel Vaile, a merchant and land agent, and Harry Farnall.
[9] The latter withdrew before the election, and Thompson achieved a narrow win over Vaile.