Dower of Parks and Domains

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21647, 13 November 1933, Page 18 (Supplement)

Dower of Parks and Domains

NO city in all New Zealand is more lavishly endowed with natural beauty and idyllic holiday-making resorts than Auckland. Even those whose meagre lives are hedged in bv necessity may find fresh zest and health-giving recreation in the great out-of-doors without so much as crossing the city's bounds. There are hundreds of acres of splendid parks and playgrounds, beaches, wind-swept hilltops and peaceful waterways within less than half an hour's journey of Queen Street. Albert Park, the site of the old military barracks more than half a century ago, is a veritable haven of peace—and its acres of lawn, green slopes and llower beds stretch down into the very heart of the city. A little farther afield is the Domain, a beautiful reserve of nearly 200 acres, crowned by the magnificent edifice of the War Memorial Museum. A fine motor road runs through the Domain, and although a great deal of clearing away of trees and vegetation has been done during recent years, there is dignity and beauty in this unique sylvan retreat, and the wayfarer still may stroll down old-time, sequestered paths that bring back memories of days when Auckland was young. Tucked away in odd corners of the city are any number of little picturesque reserves, small areas of ground donated by generous-hearted citizens and beautified by the local governing body, so that the eye is rested and the spirit refreshed by the sight of green grass and flowers blooming sweetly at the pavement's edge. The Ellerslie Racecourse Gardens are the pride of Auckland, for there is nothing of the kind to rival them in tho South Seas. Maintained as a park by tho Auckland Racing Club these beautiful lawns and gardens are free to tho citizens and are among the most notable of the city's beauty spots. Not far distant are the open fields, groves and sun-bathed crest of One Tree Hill and tho great Cornwall Park Reserve, donated by Sir John Logan Campbell. Wo in our generation appreciate in fullest measure the wonderful heritage thus bequeathed, but doubly great will be the homage paid to this noble benefactor of Auckland by generations to come when the city shall have spread to north, south, east and west and this magnificent playground shall have increased an hundred-fold, not only in commercial value but ill tho great intrinsic value of properties that cannot bo measured in terms of money. Fringing Auckland's sea-ways are two charming little parks, Point Erin and Parnell Park, each unique in tho beauty of its setting. The

last remnant of the cliffs of Auckland's original waterfront to the west and the east have been transformed into lawns and gardens and shady retreats that make ideal picknicking places for those who cannot venture far afield. The blue seas lap the little beaches at the foot of the cliffs; the leaves of the ancient pohutukawas still stir in the soft sea breezes, and the crimson shower of the Christmas flower still falls oil the warm sand as it did in summers of long ago. The thickly-populated area of Ponsonby is beautified by the wooded slopes of Western Park, a quiet and restful haven of peace in one of the busiest parts of the city.

Within a stone's throw of Upper Queen Street, reaching down into a steep gully between the ridges of Queen Street and Grey Avenue is Myers Park, the gift of another of Auckland's great benefactors, the late Sir Arthur Myers. A couple of decades ago this area was a kind of no-man's land, a tangled wilderness of a place bounded by dilapidated backyards. All this is now a thing of the past and crisp green grass, flower beds, ornamental ponds and shady trees form a little oasis, rendered even more attractive to juvenile Auckland by the swings, see-saws and slides of a children's playground.

Very few cities of the size of Auckland can boast such a splendid dower of parks and open spaces as those thus briefly described. Thousands of Aucklanders pass through them every day, snatching a happy hour's respite from the routine of daily work amid the flowers and trees. They are the holiday resorts of the stay-at-homes, where tired feet may tread once more the soft green grass and tired hearts find rest and refreshment in the song of the birds and scent of summer flowers.

And out of evil is coming good. Auckland, like every other city, has not escaped the ill consequences of the world economic depression, and there is a host of men for whom employment has to be found. A great many have been given work in the p;irks and domains, clearing and improving, but, better still, new parks have been created. At Epsom, a rock and fern waste has been transferred into a scene of beauty, and an eyesore near Point Chevalier is now being cleared and grassed with the hope of many that it may become a golf course. School grounds have been made into attractive sports and garden areas—all the work of men out of their regular employment.