Queen's Birthday: New Zealand locations with a nod to royalty & More News Here

To mark Queen’s Birthday weekend, Peter Dragicevich explores a number of the Kiwi parks and sights named after our longstanding head of state.

There are Queen streets, Queen’s parks and Queen’s gardens the size and breadth of New Zealand, however most date to the Victorian period. Despite by no means visiting this most far-flung of her dominions, Queen Victoria had a complete city named after her (Queenstown) – as did her husband (Albert Town, close to Wānaka) and her daughter-in-law (Alexandra). The early colonists threw the title of their queen round willy-nilly, even slapping it on maunga in Auckland and Wellington that already had completely good names of their very own.

Attitudes have modified, and the naming of locations after Elizabeth II has been way more considered. You might even argue that it is shocking that there aren’t extra issues named after her, on condition that she’s been our head of state for greater than a third of the trendy nation’s existence.

And the listing has really shrunk in recent times, however not due to any republican push. QEII Park was a casualty of the Christchurch earthquakes and Auckland’s QEII Square disappeared beneath the brand new Commercial Bay improvement. Of these locations devoted to the current sovereign that stay, listed below are some nicely value visiting.

Crown jewel of the Kāpiti Coast

Stretching between Paekākāriki and Raumati on the Kāpiti Coast, 638ha Queen Elizabeth Park was opened by its namesake throughout her first royal go to in the summertime of 1953/54, mere months after her coronation.

This huge expanse of seashore, dunes, wetland and farmland has a giant vacation park at its southern finish, an historical pā website close to its centre, and a customer centre on the MacKays Crossing entrance with angular structure that references each wharenui and the tents of the US Marines stationed right here throughout World War II.

Our famously horse-loving Queen would little doubt be delighted that driving is likely one of the park’s predominant sights, with treks and pony rides supplied by Kāpiti Stables, primarily based inside the park. Nearby, the Wellington Tramway Museum preserves and shows carriages that first traversed the capital’s streets within the Twenties and ’30s. On weekends you possibly can take a journey in a heritage tramcar alongside a 2km monitor terminating on the seashore.

Of course, the seashore itself is the most important drawcard – a lengthy sandy stretch gazing out to Kāpiti Island. There are additionally six substantial strolling tracks, most of that are shared with bikes and horses. All are pushchair-friendly and one – the utterly sealed Te Ara o Whareroa, which cuts by means of the centre of the park – can be accessible to wheelchair customers.

Majesty in Masterton

As if to create a Tararua-filled Queen Elizabeth Park sandwich, the folks due east in Masterton discovered themselves with an identically named park throughout that exact same royal tour. However, this was an act of rebranding reasonably than renewal.

Masterton’s Queen Elizabeth Park was really based throughout Victoria’s reign, with its well-known cricket floor laid out by 1881. It is now top-of-the-line and most child-friendly city parks in Aotearoa, with a castle-like playground, a flying fox, a snazzy skatepark, a BMX monitor, a steam-powered miniature practice and pedal-boat rides on the lake in summer season. There can be a fenced-off deer enclosure, accessed by a swing bridge throughout the Waipoua River.

Adding additional incentive to go to are the wonderful Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History and the Wool Shed Museum of Sheep and Shearing, each throughout the street.

Tauranga’s titular honour

Memorial Park takes up 11ha of Tauranga’s harbourfront, crammed with playgrounds, a skate park, miniature railway, swimming pool, cenotaph, man-spreading Humpty Dumpty statue and a formidable illuminated fountain.

Added to the combo in 1967, the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre is extra sensible than fairly. With the capability to maintain 2580 folks, together with 850 in grandstand seating, it is a main venue for indoor sports activities (basketball, volleyball, badminton, netball and, even, curler derby), alongside with stay music and theatre exhibits.

Christchurch’s splash palace

Queen Elizabeth II Park – affectionately often known as QEII Park – was constructed to host the 1974 Commonwealth Games. Sadly, its stadium and pool advanced have been broken past restore within the February 2011 earthquake and have been dismantled the next yr.

Built in 2018, the Taiora QEII Recreation and Sports Centre contains a gymnasium, cafe and assembly rooms, however the massive attraction is its substantial aquatic centre – significantly its massive blue hydroslide. For the smaller youngsters, there’s additionally a play pool with a much less scary slide and an outsized bucket which periodically splashes water on squealing heads. More severe swimmers can swim laps within the 25m pool, then recuperate within the spa, sauna and steam room.

Incidentally, in case you’re travelling right here from the west, chances are high you may drive alongside Queen Elizabeth II Drive. It’s the foremost route linking Northcote with Burwood.

For extra journey inspiration, go to newzealand.com/nz.

Check site visitors mild settings and Ministry of Health recommendation earlier than journey at covid19.govt.nz

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