Grey Lynn is an inner suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the west of the city centre.

[4] Prior to the arrival of Europeans in Auckland, Grey Lynn was a frequent transit point with abundant food sources and access to freshwater.

[5] Food sources included several kūmara plantations in Grey Lynn, on the hill slopes above Opoutukeha, Coxs Creek.

[3] In the late 17th or early 18th century, there were a series of raids in the area led by Kāwharu (Tainui), known as Raupatu Tīhore.

[7][8] Grey Lynn was part of the first 3000-acre block of land gifted by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei in October 1840.

[11] In the early 1840s, John Monteforte bought Surrey Hills, which encompassed much of the land from Ponsonby to Richmond Roads, totalling 198 acres (80 hectares).

[12] In 1847, Thomas Crummer and James Williamson bought Surrey Hills and eventually owned all the land bounded by Ponsonby, Great North and Richmond Roads, except for "three blocks at the northern end where Tutanekai, Hakanoa and Sackville streets run," the majority of modern Grey Lynn.

[14] When Williamson was facing financial hardship in the early 1880s, Surrey Hills was bought by the Auckland Agricultural Company.

[20] In 1871, Thomas Faulder was appointed night soil contractor for Auckland, and used his land between Surrey Crescent and Tuarangi Road for its disposal.

[25] In 1883, the 127 hectares (310 acres) that was the Surrey Hills Estate was subdivided for residential purposes, the largest subdivision in the area at the time.

[31][32][33] This resulted in a number of non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers to establish operations in the Grey Lynn area.

[34][35][36] In 1938, the existing store fronts on the corners of Williamson Avenue, were replaced with the Grey Lynn Post Office and the ASB Bank.

[41] In the 1940s, state-owned units for pensioners were built on the Great North Road and on the corner of Surrey Crescent and Gilbert Avenue.

[44] The 1970s saw a renewed interest in older Victorian properties, and from that period onwards many young professionals began buying dilapidated kauri villas in areas like Grey Lynn and renovating them.

[44] From the early 1980s, this gentrification began to visibly change the area, resulting in an increase in house prices and in higher rents.

[59] The event, which attracts on average 100,000 visitors each year, is organised by four people who raise money from stall fees and charitable grants.