# Municipal and Official Handbook of the City of Auckland, New Zealand/Parks and Recreation Reserves

Albert Park, formerly the site of Albert Barracks
PARKS AND RECREATION RESERVES.
Prior to 1900 the City possessed only three areas devoted to Park purposes, viz., Albert Park, acquired in 1871, Western Park, which became City property four years later, and the Domain, which was not vested in the City Council until 1893; but little was done in developing these areas until recent years. A period of activity in the acquisition of Park grounds commenced with the opening, in 1911, of Point Erin Park, and since that date many other grounds have been added either by purchase, gift, or lease, both within the City boundaries and beyond, At the present time the Council controls over 8,000 acres of Park and Reserve land. Development of these areas has also been stimulated, and in the last twelve years much progress in this direction has taken place.
ALBERT PARK (14 Acres).
ALBERT PARK.
ALBERT PARK. The Princes Street Border.
​marble tablet, bearing the following inscription, has heen placed:—
TO COMMEMORATE THE UNION AND COMRADESHIP OF PAKEHA AND MAORI DURING THE GREAT EUROPEAN WAR, THIS TABLET WAS FIXED BY THE AUCKLAND CIVIC LEAGUE, SEPTEMBER, 1915, ON THE REMNANT OF THE BARRACK WALL, BUILT BY FRIENDLY MAORIS, IN 1848, AFTER THE BURNING OF KORORAREKA.
The Park grounds are well laid out in flower beds and borders. The Princes Street border, running parallel with the street of that name, is about 600 feet long, and is continuously kept gay with a fine display of the gardener's art.
The lesser borders of the Park include the Boyd border and small beds, in which are fine displays of giant hydrangeas, as well as suitable flowering shrubs and plants.
The smaller beds are laid out during the year with spring flowering bulbs, and several are furnished during the summer and autumn with carpet bedding to design.
Roses, of which there are now nearly 300 varieties, occupy a prominent position. Fine specimens of Canary Island palms (Phœnix Canariensis), as well as many other exotic trees, such as Cedrus Deodara, Cedrus Atlantica, and many fine types of English and American oaks, English elms, birches, etc., have been introduced.
BOWEN AVENUE.
​has since been planted out in eucalypti and palms, and margined off in rock work, containing suitable plants for this class of gardening.
A fountain occupies the centre of the grounds, around which, artistically laid out, are four large panel beds with Spring, Summer, and Autumn bedding plants of gorgeous colouring. Inside the fountain basin, water lilies (Nympheæ) have been planted.
Near the fountain the Park Observatory is situated, where records of the meteorological conditions are taken daily by Mr. Burnett.
The Park is adorned with a number of statues, the chief one being that of Queen Victoria, which was unveiled on 24th May, 1899, by the Governor, the Earl of Ranfurly. This statue, which was designed by Mr. Williamson, was the first statue of the Queen erected in New Zealand.
A flag staff is erected on the apex of the slope, and here are located a collection of field guns, from the Crimean and South African Wars, as well as a number of trophies from Gallipoli and the battlefields of France, the latter having been presented to the City by the Defence Department.
On the western side of the Park, facing Wellesley Street, are situated the Public Library, Art Gallery, and Old Colonists' Museum, which add additional pleasure to the visitors to the Park grounds.
DOMAIN CRICKET GROUND: NEW CARRIAGE WAY IN BACKGROUND
WESTERN PARK (6 Acres).
This Park is situated between Ponsonby Road and Beresford Street, and is truly a scenic Park, possessing some good specimens of native and exotic trees. It was vested in the City Council in 1875.
The main path leads from Ponsonby Road to Beresford Street, other entrances being placed in Howe Street and Totara Street. Seats are provided, and on a warm day the Park is an ideal place of rest and refreshment.
DOMAIN (194 Acres).
The Auckland Domain, the oldest Park in the City, was vested in the City Council by an Act of Parliament of 1893. Prior to this date the area belonged to the Government, and was officially designated the Government Domain or Auckland Park.
The Domain consists of a large cricket ground, children's playing ground, a botanic garden, native bush plantations, tennis lawns, etc.
DOMAIN: VIEW OF MAIN DRIVE.
DOMAIN: THE BOTANIC GARDENS.
​final of the international tennis matches for the Davis Cup between Australasia and the United States was contested on this ground in December, 1920, special courts being laid down for the event.
Prior to the formation of the Cricket Ground, the area was a marsh. The drainage system, which was laid down, has transformed it into the splendid sports ground of to-day. It is also interesting to record that the site is reputed to have been a resort of the old-time Maoris as a place to procure eels for consumption.
The Auckland Exhibition of 1913–14 was held in the Domain, and this event has resulted in great improvements to this Park. A feature of the Exhibition was the manner in which the grounds approaching the buildings were laid out in walks and flower beds. These have been preserved and maintained, adding to the amenity of the Park. While the purpose of the Exhibition was primarily commercial, the executive decided that in the event of a surplus accruing from the undertaking it would be used in beautifying the area used for the Exhibition. The surplus available amounted to over £20,000, which has been expended in improving and beautifying the part of the Domain now officially named the Children's Playing Ground, but better known as the Outer Domain, on which a sports ground, of an area large enough to allow five football matches to be played at one time, has been formed, and new drives and paths made. A Winter Garden has also been erected out of the Exhibition funds, and ​is used for the display of palms and pot plants of various kinds. The Winter Gardens were officially presented to the Citizens by Mr. Geo. Elliot (President of the Auckland Exhibition, 1913–14), on behalf of the Executive, on October 12th, 1921. The Mayor of Auckland, Mr. J. H. Gunson, C.B.E., presided, and, on behalf of the Citizens, accepted the care of the new building. The Tea Kiosk and the Band Rotunda, the latter the gift of Mr. J. M. Mennie, are other survivals of the Exhibition. The same citizen presented, at a later date, a statue of Robert Burns, in bronze, which has been erected close to the Bandstand. The figure, which is of heroic size, was the work of Mr. F. W. Pomeroy, R.A., and stands on a granite pedestal, the height overall being 27 feet. It was unveiled by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey, P.C., on November 5th, 1921.
The Botanic Gardens occupy an enclosed area, neatly laid out in lawns and flower beds, on the north side of the Main Drive. The greenhouses, of which there are nine, are open daily, Sundays excepted, for public inspection, and are of interest and value to both the amateur and professional horticulturist. Plants for the City gardens and reserves are propagated here.
A commanding site in the Domain has been granted by the Corporation to the Council of the Auckland Institute and Museum, and in the near future Auckland's War Memorial and Museum will be erected here.
​The Domain may be reached from the City by Symonds Street and across the Grafton Bridge or from Manukau Road, Parnell.
VICTORIA PARK (18 Acres).
On completion of the Freeman's Bay reclamation, an area fronting Patteson Street, belonging to the Harbour Board, was leased to the City Council at a small annual rental on March 11, 1901. This the Council formed into a reserve suitable for sports and large enough to permit five games of football to be played simultaneously. Courts for tennis, bowls, and croquet have also been made. Part of the area has been surrounded by a rock garden, and the tout ensemble is both effective and pleasing. Children have also been catered for, a complete outfit of rockabyes, ladders, Roman rings, swings for babies, giant strides, etc., having been presented by Mr. J. Court, a worthy citizen and ex-Councillor. A lady supervisor of games and an assistant have charge of this section.
BAYFIELD PARK (6 Acres).
Bayfield Park is situated near the Herne Bay tram terminus, and is held in abeyance for further development. It was purchased by the City Council on 29th September, 1906. Part of the ground is used by the Y.M.C.A. for tennis.
GREY LYNN PARK (Approx. 30 Acres).
VICTORIA PARK. Showing the Children's Playground.
MYERS PARK. Showing (in centre) the Myers' Kindergarten.
​added to the City's breathing spaces at the amalgamation of Grey Lynn with the City, in 1914. It is situated in what is locally known as the Grey Lynn Gully. The area has been made into a recreation ground for young people.
COX'S CREEK RESERVE (32 Acres).
This Park, which is situated in the Ponsonby Borough, in 1909, and transferred to the City at the amalgamation of that district with the City. It remains undeveloped.
POINT ERIN PARK (12 Acres).
This Park, which is situated in the Ponsonby district, was purchased on August 8th, 1911, and opened by Mr. C. J. Parr, Mayor of Auckland, on December 16th of the same year. It has an ideal beach frontage to the Waitemata Harbour, and is adjacent to Shelly Beach, where safe bathing is to be had for old and young. A concrete swimming pond (150ft. by 60ft.) was opened on this beach in 1912.
MYERS PARK (6 Acres).
POINT ERIN PARK, SHOWING THE WAITEMATA HARBOUR.
​it has now been transformed into a delightful reserve, laid out in lawns and flower beds and planted with trees, palms and shrubs (native and exotic).
An additional attraction was provided to the Park grounds in the form of a children's playing area, where swings, rockabyes, Roman rings, ladders, sand pit and wading pool were placed for the enjoyment and pleasure of young boys and girls.
The Park was opened on January 28th, 1915, by Mr. C. J. Parr, C.M.G., Mayor.
Mr. Myers further displayed his interest in the children of the City by erecting at his own cost an ideal Kindergarten, which was formally opened by the Governor, Lord Liverpool, on November 15th, 1916.
PARNELL DOMAIN (11 Acres).
This area is situated on the western side of Gladstone Road. It was vested in the City Council in 1914, but has not yet been developed as a Park area.
MOUNT HOBSON DOMAIN (9 Acres).
The Mount Hobson Domain is one of the numerous extinct volcanic cones which abound on the isthmus; from it splendid views of the harbour can be obtained. It was vested in the City Council, in 1915, subsequent to the amalgamation of Remuera with Auckland. In 1921, 13 acres adjoining this Reserve were transferred to the Corporation by agreement with the Dilworth Trustees.
VIEW FROM PARNELL PARK, SHOWING NORTH HEAD AND RANGITOTO ISLAND.
PARNELL PARK (9 Acres).
Another Park, with a frontage to the harbour, was acquired in the Parnell district soon after the amalgamation of that Borough with the City, and was opened in 1915. The first section of the Park to be obtained was the Gillies Estate, which was purchased under the Public Works Act. Adjoining this property was "Kilbryde," which for many years had been the home of Sir John Logan Campbell, familiarly known as the "Father of Auckland." This was acquired from the Harbour Board, on January 21st, 1915, and the two properties combined were named Parnell Park, which was opened to the citizens on January 28th, 1915.
Very little required to be done to either of the grounds, and to-day the park forms an ideal and picturesque spot for spending a holiday, being in close proximity to Judge's Bay, on which stands the remains of the old cottage formerly tenanted by Judge Swainson. Delightful views of the harbour are obtainable from the grounds, and bathing may be indulged in on the beach. One of the residences in the Park has been utilised as a tea room.
EPSOM DOMAIN (19 Acres).
On the amalgamation of the Epsom Road Board with the City, in 1917, the Epsom Domain was acquired. Up to the present nothing in the way of improvement has been done to it.
WAIATARUA PARK (156 Acres).
This area of ground was acquired by the City Council in 1918, under an arrangement with Mr. R. H. Abbott, who presented 100 acres of the area to the citizens, and is held in abeyance for Park grounds at a future date. Situated within the property is a large fresh water lake. The grounds at the present time are let for grazing purposes.
CITY RESERVES.
Small Reserves, formed at the junction of wide City streets, or situated at vacant corners of streets, have become a feature of the City's thoroughfares. Some are merely grass plots, which are kept neat, while others are large enough to be described as miniature parks, being replete with flower beds, paths and lawns, where seats are provided.
EMILY PLACE RESERVE.
This Reserve is at the top of Shortland Street, and is kept in neat lawns and flower-beds. St. Paul's Church, the first church erected in Auckland, originally occupied this site. The monument to the Rev. J. F. Churton marks the position which the church occupied.
CITY RESERVES.
ALTEN ROAD RESERVE.
This is a large Reserve, situated near Government House and Supreme Court, planted with shelter trees and laid out in well-kept lawns.
SYMONDS STREET AND KARANGAHAPE ROAD RESERVE AND ROCKERIES.
Both the above Reserves are well laid out in rock-work and flower borders. Karangahape Road Reserve, which is situated close to Grafton Bridge, is very popular, and is in continual use as a resting place by City residents and country visitors.
WAKEFIELD STREET RESERVE.
This Reserve contains a fine monument made of New Zealand marble, at the base of which is a bronze figure, erected by the Auckland Branch of the Victoria League to the memory of the men of the Imperial Forces, Colonial Forces, and Friendly Maoris who laid down their lives in the New Zealand Wars. It was unveiled by the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, C.B.E., on August 18th, 1920.
OTHER RESERVES ARE:
Brooks Square Reserve, Ponsonby.
St. James' Square Reserve.
​Grafton Road Embankment.
Patteson Street Reserve.
Customs Street West Reserve.
The following Parks belonging to the City are situated beyond the City boundaries.
CORNWALLIS PARK (1,927 Acres).
Cornwallis Park, Auckland's largest beach domain, was presented, in 1911, to the Citizens by the Executors of the will of the late J. Mitchell McLachlan. It is situated on the shores of the Manukau Harbour, and extends from Nihotupu Park to Puponga Point. The area, from which extensive views of the Manukau Harbour and the Waikato country are obtainable, has been preserved in its natural condition, and contains fine groups of native bush. A monument, in memory of the donor's mother, was erected on Puponga Point by the City Council. To gain access to this domain, take train to New Lynn, thence by motor, via Titirangi.
TITIRANGI PARK AND SCENIC RESERVE (30 Acres).
This Reserve was gifted to the City of Auckland by the late Henry Atkinson, on February 17th, 1913. From the highest point of this Reserve, Mount Atkinson, which reaches a height of 654 feet above sea level, commanding views of the whole Isthmus and surrounding country can be obtained. A motor drive on a ​moderate gradient has been formed up Mount Atkinson, and motor-cars can easily ascend to the top of the hill. On the lower portion of the Reserve, pathways have been formed through the steep bush, to Titirangi Beach, an ideal spot for picnic parties, where bathing may be indulged in, thousands of people availing themselves of the opportunity thus afforded during the summer months. Motor-cars can be driven down to the beach in dry weather.
A motor road, named the Exhibition Drive, was constructed, at a cost of £1,000, through the joint effort of the City Council and the Auckland Automobile Association, and was opened on January 25th, 1914. The road follows the pipe line of the water supply from Nihotupu, and joins the West Coast Road from Waikumete. The drive abounds in native bush, Kauri and Nikau palms being most prominent. A fine specimen of the former (Agathis Australis) may be seen on Mr. A. Clark's property, situated a little beyond the settling tanks of the City Council.
PIHA DOMAIN (146 Acres).
Piha Domain, situated on the West Coast, is another asset of the citizens which was placed in the care of the Corporation in 1916.
KAITARAKIHE PARK (761 Acres).
This Park, also situated on the Manukau Harbour, which like the other Parks in this area is covered with native bush, was presented to the City in 1918, by Mr. ​Wesley Spragg, who erected in the grounds a handsome granite obelisk to the memory of his son, Lieutenant Neil Spragg, and of the men who fell during the great war. The Park was opened and the memorial unveiled by His Worship the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, on 17th March, 1920. To gain access to this Park, take the same route as to Cornwallis Park.
NIHOTUPU DOMAIN (4710 Acres).
The watershed in the vicinity of Nihotupu has been vested in the Council in connection with the water supply of the City.
CORNWALL PARK (230 Acres).
This Park, which is situated just beyond the City's boundaries, does not belong to the Council, but is vested in a Domain Board. It is nevertheless one of Auckland's principal reserves.
The grounds have been maintained as a scenic park, there being only a few flower beds laid down. A portion of it has been kept for sports, and the Maungakiekie Golf Club has a number of greens within the Park area. Picnic parties find it a favourite resort.
Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) is the highest point within this Domain, and from it magnificent views of the Hauraki Gulf, the Manakau Harbour, and the country surrounding Auckland can be had.
​The Park was the gift, in 1901, of one of Auckland's most venerable pioneers, Dr. (afterwards Sir) John Logan Campbell, who arrived in New Zealand in 1839, and took up residence in the City after its foundation. From then until his death, in 1912, he was continuously associated with the City. His remains repose on the summit of One Tree Hill. The Park was named in commemoration of the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, in 1901.
At the northern entrance to the Park stands a statue of Sir John Logan Campbell, which possesses striking features of style and workmanship, and worthily commemorates the "Father of Auckland."
T. E. PEARSON,
Superintendent of Parks.