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Albert Park

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UK Flower Girl
UK Flower Girl
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
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1
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6
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Albert Park

  • June 10, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by UK Flower Girl from Market Weighton, England
Albert Park

After breakfast at Denny’s we started walking back to the hotel to pack up our things and check out. Between the city centre and the Hyatt in the University district, is the lovely Albert Park. We climbed the footpath up the side of the hill through native trees to the flat area at the top. At the top we found flower gardens surrounding a water fountain and a statue of Queen Victoria.

The land where Albert Park sits is the Symonds Street ridge which was formed when 60,000 years ago a volcano erupted and a thick layer of ash covered the area. This park has served many purposes over the years to become what it is today.

A village called Rangipuke flourished here until the arrival of the Crown in 1840. Crops were grown here with irrigation from the spring near the High Court. Albert Barracks were built in 1845. Civil war between the Mâori and the Pakeha (the term used for non- Mâoris or foreigners) broke out when Governor Grey issued the 1863 Proclamation declaring all natives (Mâori) must pledge allegiance to the Queen or withdraw to the Waikato in the south. This civil war disrupted the relationship between the Mâori and Pakeha that was tough to build in the first place. By the 1880s most of the old barracks were cleared away and footpaths and gardens were established as well as the fountain.

The park has many natural features worth mentioning. You will find oak trees honouring 16 battleships in the fleet of the US Navy’s Great White Fleet, Moreton Bay fig trees, and Mexican washingtonia palms (or California fan palms). My favourite, the ombu tree that sits near Princes Street is native to Argentina. Its huge roots sit above ground and provide a shady place for a rest. Or you could use the park bench that sits right next to the tree!

The Queen Victoria statue near the fountain was unveiled to commemorate the sixtieth jubilee of her reign in 1899. The fountain pool used to be stocked with carp but I found it completely empty of anything, even water.

At the pedestrian entry point along Princes Street is an area of bedding plants with a pretty flower clock. I could make out the clock among the flowers, but going into winter, the hands of the clock had been removed. It was constructed here in 1953 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s first visit to New Zealand.

The Park has many other features such as a meteorological observatory that has been providing readings of weather since 1909. Albert Park house has a collection of clocks and ceramics donated to the city by Bruce Wilkinson. Watch for several sculptures situated throughout the park.

I would highly recommend taking a stroll through Albert Park. It is definitely an oasis from the city, a beautiful green space and especially quiet early in the morning.

From journal New Zealand's City of Sails

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