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Queens Gardens (officially but ungrammatically spelt without an apostrophe, but commonly spelt with one as Queen's Gardens) is a roughly triangular area of trees and lawn in central
Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
, New Zealand.


Geography

The Gardens sit at the northern end of the
Warehouse Precinct The Warehouse Precinct is an urban area of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. Sited on reclaimed land at the northernmost tip of the Southern Endowment, it lies between 1 and 2 kilometres south of The Octagon, the city's centre. Location The W ...
, and lie some 200 metres to the east of The Exchange, the city's former commercial hub on Princes Street. They are bounded by several major roads, among them the two one-way streets which form part of SH 1, one of which cuts through the westernmost tip of the Gardens. As such, the area around Queens Gardens includes some of the inner city's busiest traffic junctions. Several notable structures stand within the gardens: a Celtic Cross, symbolising the city's first European settlers and built in 2000 to mark the end of the second Christian millennium, stands at the northern end of the gardens. Statues to
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
and Donald M. Stuart, one of Dunedin's founding fathers, also stand in the gardens. The gardens are dominated, however, by the city's main war memorial, the tall eight-sided column of
Dunedin Cenotaph The Cenotaph in the southern New Zealand city of Dunedin stands in the centre of Queen's Gardens, close to the city centre. It is the city's main war memorial. Location and dedication The cenotaph stands in Queen's Gardens, an open park lying ...
, built between 1924 and 1927. A smaller memorial, listing New Zealand
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
recipients, stands next to the cenotaph. Several of the trees surrounding the perimeter of Queens Gardens were planted to remember various war anniversaries, and are accompanied by plaques commemorating these events, The gardens are the scene of commemorations on
ANZAC Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...
every April.


History and notable nearby buildings

Queens Gardens sit on reclaimed land very close to the original landing site for Māori
waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...
. The area of harbour where Queens Gardens now sit was reclaimed in the final years of the 19th century. Originally called The Triangle, it was officially named Victoria Gardens in 1904 but soon became known as "The Queen's Gardens", from which its current name developed. The gardens' location close to The Exchange means that it is surrounded by many notable buildings, many of them the legacy of the city's prosperity during the
Central Otago Gold Rush The Otago Gold Rush (often called the Central Otago Gold Rush) was a gold rush that occurred during the 1860s in Central Otago, New Zealand. This was the country's biggest gold strike, and led to a rapid influx of foreign miners to the area – ...
of the 1860s. Several of the Exchange's historic buildings in that area (such as
Consultancy House Consultancy House is a historic building in The Exchange, in downtown Dunedin, New Zealand. It has a New Zealand Historic Places Trust Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 20 ...
) overlook the gardens. The historic district of the
Warehouse Precinct The Warehouse Precinct is an urban area of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. Sited on reclaimed land at the northernmost tip of the Southern Endowment, it lies between 1 and 2 kilometres south of The Octagon, the city's centre. Location The W ...
runs south from Queens Gardens, with its main street, Vogel Street, ending at the gardens' southern edge, and the historic precinct of Burlington Street runs north from Queens Gardens to Moray Place. Several prominent landmarks surround Queens Gardens, most notably the former NZR Bus depot, at the gardens' eastern edge, which now forms the transport and technology wing of
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum The Toitū Otago Settlers Museum is a regional history museum in Dunedin, New Zealand. Its brief covers the territory of the old Otago Province, that is, New Zealand from the Waitaki River south, though its main focus is the city of Dunedin. It i ...
. Immediately to the south of this is the
Dunedin Chinese Garden Lan Yuan, Dunedin Chinese Garden, is located in the city of Dunedin in southern New Zealand. It is sited next to the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum close to the centre of the city and numerous other of the city's tourist attractions, including the ...
. The
First Church of Otago First Church is a prominent church in the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located in the heart of the city on Moray Place, Dunedin, Moray Place, 100 metres to the south of the city centre. The church is the city's primary Presbyterian church. ...
sits atop a rocky outcrop (the remains of Bell Hill) overlooking the northern end of the gardens. Further notable and historically listed buildings, such as the flatiron-like Imperial Building and nearby Commercial Building, are located nearby at the foot of Dowling Street, which forms part of the city's main arts district and contains numerous galleries and artists' studios. Other historically recognised buildings within Queens Gardens include Phoenix House (the former Equitable Insurance Association Building) and the New Zealand Insurance Company Building, both of which are listed as historic buildings by
Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...
. Dunedin's historic
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
, internationally regarded as a major architectural landmarkDunedin railway station up there with the Taj Mahal as a 'must see'
stands within sight of the gardens some 350 metres to the northeast.


References

{{reflist Parks in Dunedin Tourist attractions in Dunedin Squares and plazas in Dunedin Central Dunedin