Albert Park, Auckland
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Albert Park is a public
park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
in central
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, bounded by Wellesley Street East, Princes Street, Bowen Avenue and Kitchener Street. From the entrance at the corner of Bowen Ave and Kitchener St, sealed footpaths climb steeply through native trees to the large flat area at the summit, where a formal layout of paths and flower gardens encircle a
fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...
.


History

While Albert Park is formed from sandstone, to the north-west of the park is the Albert Park Volcano, a scoria cone which erupted approximately 145,000 years ago and blanketed much of Albert Park in ash. Albert Park is the location of a Māori kāinga (village) known as Rangipuke, with a defended
The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...
located at the park's northwest named Te Horotiu Pā. Albert Park was the location of a
Waiohua Te Waiohua or Te Wai-o-Hua is a Māori people, Māori iwi (tribe) confederation that thrived in the early 17th century. The rohe (tribal area) was primarily the central Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau area (the Auckland isthmus) and they had pā (for ...
settlement called Mangahekea, sacked in the 1740s by
Ngāti Whātua Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi (tribe) of the lower Northland Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island. It comprises a confederation of four hapū (subtribes) interconnected both by ancestry and by association over time: Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa ...
. Albert Park occupies much of the site of the Albert Barracks, one of Auckland's early European military fortifications. In the 1850s and 1860s, Albert Barracks to many soldiers including those of the 58th Regiment. The barracks consisted of a number of wooden and masonry structures standing in an enclosed area surrounded by a rock fortification built of the local volcanic stone. A portion of this wall remains visible in the adjacent
University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...
grounds, and is registered 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; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...
as a Category I historic place. The Park was set aside as a reserve in the 1870s, and developed as a park in the 1880s. It originally had commanding views over the city and harbour. The view now is of modern office blocks, except where mature trees have hidden the buildings. The park contains a number of interesting specimen trees, with over 80 species planted between 1874 and 1908. A caretaker's residence was provided which still stands on the eastern side of the part adjacent to Princes Street. After 1906 this Gothic-styled cottage was occupied by the City Park Superintendent Thomas Pearson, who died here in 1931. It is currently empty. The park's layout and design have not greatly changed since 1882. Due to the park's proximity to the University of Auckland, it is a popular location for students to relax.


Features

The design of the park was the result of a public competition and follows a formal layout with a main north-south axis. To the north of the axis is a bronze statue by Francis J Williamson of
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 January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
(1897); to the south is a bandstand (James Slator 1901). Between them is a large cast iron fountain imported from Great Britain in 1881 which forms the centrepiece of the park. The fountain is distinguished by statues of dolphins ridden by cherubs blowing horns that spout water. The fountain is surmounted by Aphrodite that also has a horn spouting water. The statue of Queen Victoria was one of several similar sculptures installed by municipal authorities throughout the British Empire following the monarch's
Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...
in 1897. This sculpture was cast in London and unveiled with considerable ceremony here as part of the Jubilee celebrations. The red granite pedestal is intact but the ensemble originally included a cast iron ornamental fence that has been removed. There are several other artworks and memorials in the park, including a marble Boer War memorial, and an over life-size marble statue of Sir George Grey also by F J Williamson that was relocated here from its original site outside the Auckland Town Hall. There are two Edwardian marble edifices near the band rotunda, one being Andrea Carlo Lucchesi's ''Love breaking the sword of hate'' (1900) and the other a memorial drinking fountain. Many of these memorials and artworks can be seen in the numerous images of Albert Park printed as postcards since the early 20th century.See the compilation of images by Jeff Pyl

Near the flagpole and Boer War Memorial on the north side of the park are two large field guns that were once part of the defence system set up during the Russian Invasion Scare of the 1880s. Near the Princes Street exit in front of the
University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...
clock tower is a large floral clock that was constructed in 1953 with funds donated by Robert Laidlaw, founder of the Farmers department store chain, (this was intended to commemorate the 1953 visit of Queen Elizabeth the Second). Near the Art Gallery is a large modern sculpture from the 1990s called 'Tilt'. Surprisingly an operating Victorian Gas Lamp survives in the Park, on the stairs leading from Kitchener Street. Beneath the park are the extensive Albert Park tunnels. They were built in 1941 to be used as
air raid shelter Air raid shelters are structures for the protection of non-combatants as well as combatants against enemy attacks from the air. They are similar to bunkers in many regards, although they are not designed to defend against ground attack (but ...
s, but were decommissioned and sealed up before
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
ended. The tunnels were largely forgotten for many years and, although periodically over the last decades there are calls for them to be opened up, nothing has happened (probably purely for logistical reasons). There were large tunnel entrances at the top of Victoria Street, adjacent to the Art Gallery on Wellesley Street and from Constitution Hill. One can still be seen on Kitchener Street between Courthouse and Bacons Lane.


Climate


Notes


Gallery

Image:Albert Park - Princes Street.jpg, View from Princes Street Image:Albert Park - Wellesley Street.jpg, View towards Wellesley Street Image:Albert Park - Floral Clock.jpg, Floral clock Image:Albert_Park_-_Sir_George_Grey.jpg, Sir George Grey statue Image:Albert_Park_-_View_-_01.jpg, South-east view Image:Albert_Park_-_View_-_02.jpg, North-west view File:Auckland_Lantern_Festival_-_Year_of_the_Ox.jpg, Auckland Lantern Festival 2009 File:Albert Park with Sky Tower in background.JPG, Two phoenix palms frame a view of the Sky Tower File:AlbertParkAucklandSummer.jpg, Albert Park in early summer


External links


Albert Park
Auckland Council
Plans of the tunnels, and a tale of explorationAuckland City's Management Plan for Albert ParkAuckland Regional Council's Volcanic Hazards website
*Archaeopedia New Zealand
Albert ParkAlbert Park Fountain 3D

Albert Park TunnelsPhotographs of Albert Park
held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections {{Learning Quarter Parks in Auckland Urban public parks Auckland CBD Learning Quarter