Queen Elizabeth Park is a regional park located on the

Kapiti Coast The Kapiti Coast District is a local government district of the Wellington Region in the lower North Island of New Zealand, 50 km north of Wellington City. The district is named after Kapiti Island, a prominent island offshore. The pop ...

in New Zealand. The park is managed by the

Greater Wellington Regional Council Wellington Regional Council, branded as Greater Wellington Regional Council, is the regional council overseeing the Wellington Region of New Zealand's lower North Island. It is responsible for public transport under the brand Metlink, environ ...

and contains the last area of natural

dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

on the

. Facilities and attractions at the park include walkways, a restored wetland, a campground, a visitor centre, the

Wellington Tramway Museum The Wellington Tramway Museum is located at Queen Elizabeth Park on the lower North Island of New Zealand, near the overbridge at McKay's Crossing between Paekakariki and Paraparaumu. Trams have been in operation on a line through the park si ...

, and an area for equestrian activities.

Geography

The park is bordered by

Paekākāriki Paekākāriki () is a town in the Kapiti Coast District in the south-western North Island, New Zealand, and one of the northernmost suburbs of Wellington. It lies north of Porirua and northeast of the Wellington CBD. The town's name comes from ...

Raumati South Raumati South is a coastal community on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is 50km north-west of Wellington, and immediately south of Raumati Beach and south-west of Paraparaumu. The Maungakotukutuku area is located inland.Raumati ...

, two state highways ( and ), and the

North Island Main Trunk Railway The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...

. The main entrance is at

Mackays Crossing Mackays Crossing is a locality in the Kapiti Coast District of New Zealand's North Island, located between Paekākāriki to the south and Raumati South to the north. Name The locality was previously officially named MacKays Crossing, but was of ...

; secondary entrances are in Raumati South and Paekākāriki.

History

The park is steeped in history including pā sites at Whareroa Beach and Wainui Beach. The

tangata whenua In New Zealand, tangata whenua () is a Māori term that literally means "people of the land". It can refer to either a specific group of people with historical claims to a district, or more broadly the Māori people as a whole. Etymology Accordi ...

of the park are Ngati Haumia, a hapu of the

Ngāti Toa Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and in the northern South Island of New Zealand. Its ''rohe'' (tribal area) extends from Whanganui in the north, Palmerston N ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

and Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai, who occupied the area for hundreds of years until the mid-19th century. The number of European settlers grew during the 1830s, and European farmers started to dominate the area from the mid-1850s. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the park was the location of two

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

bases, Camp MacKay and Camp Russell. U.S. troops were stationed at the camps in 1942–44 prior to being sent into combat in the Pacific Ocean theatre. Today, little evidence of the 20,000 strong military camps remains. A group of facades represents the huts of the marines who lived in the area during World War II, and there is also a sculpture memorial to ten marines who died when a vessel sank offshore. The park was named for

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

before her

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

and was opened during the 1953 Royal Visit. Many recreation facilities were developed in the 1950s and 1960s. The park has legal protection as a recreation reserve under the Reserves Act 1977.

Restoration of wetland

Two areas of wetland were created within the park in the 2000s near Mackay's Crossing, using excavation and plantings to restore the habitat. There is a renmant of native bush adjacent to the restored wetland. In 2021, about of highly modified peat land on the north-eastern corner of the park was replanted, to restore it to wetland and native forest by about 2026. Environmentalists wanted other farmland in the regional park to also be restored to wetland. In December 2021, of land previously leased for grazing stock was retired so that it could be restored.

Visitor centre

Ramaroa Centre - Queen Elizabeth Park -MC 01

Plans for the development of the park facilities at the Mackays Crossing entrance were announced in 2012. A visitor centre named Ramaroa was opened in 2017. The complex includes a meeting room with capacity for 60 people, a park ranger office and public toilets. The design of the Ramaroa Centre is unusual and includes a gullwing roof. The architecture takes inspiration from the history of the site, including Māori wharenui and the forms of the tents and huts used in the US Marines camp.

Recreation

Several expansive lawn areas near Whareroa Beach and the southern entrance at Paekākāriki provide plenty of space for picnics and recreational activities. Public toilets are located at the car parks at the end of the road to Whareroa Beach, and near the playground and car parks at the Paekākāriki entrance. A coastal walkway and an inland walkway run the length of Queen Elizabeth Park from Raumati South to Paekākārikii. Near the main entrance, a loop walkway leads through a wetland area and bush remnant with mature

kahikatea ''Dacrycarpus dacrydioides'', commonly known as kahikatea (from Māori) and white pine, is a coniferous tree endemic to New Zealand. A podocarp, it is New Zealand's tallest tree, gaining heights of 60 m and a life span of 600 years. It was firs ...

. The park also includes the

and several campgrounds. The park is open from 8am to dusk, year-round. Dogs are permitted, but must be kept on a leash in picnic areas and are not permitted on or near farmland. Fireworks are prohibited at all times.

References

External links

Queen Elizabeth Park
at Greater Wellington * {{Protected areas of New Zealand Kapiti Coast District Regional parks of New Zealand Parks in the Wellington Region