Table of Contents
Park Features
Here is a brief history of the development of various Park features.
Aotearoa
The proposal to put the Michael Smither’s sculpture, Aotearoa, in the Brooklands lily pond, was first put to New Plymouth District Council CEO Roger Kerr-Newell in December 2006, by architect Terry Boon, long-time friend of Michael Smither. Kerr-Newell liked the idea and put it to the council’s policy committee on 30th January 2007. Michael Smither wrote the following artist statement, which was presented to the committee.
“In the 1980s, when I lived up on Carrington Rd, I became a keen observer of clouds.
I made a series of drawings and paintings exploring, the rhythms and structures of clouds.
As a result of these works, I made another series of small three-dimensional wax sculptures, and in the 1990s, I developed these into larger plaster of Paris works that I cast into bronze, as I could afford it. The last of these, and the largest I began in my parents garage in Doralto Road, and after my mother’s death transported to my studio in Otama, where it was completed, in the summer of 2005, 2006. I had been working on this sculpture over a period of 15 years.
Its plaster version, it was heavy and required two or three strong helpers to rotate it into a new working position. As a consequence, it remained in one or other, of these positions, for long periods of time, and each position developed a very individual aspect. This enabled me to consider casting it four times, and by rotating each unit along its long axis, create a line of clouds. This rotation beautifully describes the evolution of the clouds structure.
It now became the long white cloud, and it was obvious it needed to hover over and be reflected in water. I could envisage no better position for Aotearoa, than in one of the Pukekura Park Lakes.
I’ve had a connection with Pukekura Park since my grandfather pushed me around the lakes in my pram. As a schoolboy on the lakes in rowboats. As a family man, caretaker, and resident artist at The Gables, which enabled daily contact with the Park.
Aotearoa with its symbolism and deeper meanings, will be a valuable development of the Parks already significant local, national and international reputation.
I am not asking for a fee for this work, and the work itself I would like you to consider as my gift to the city of New Plymouth. I would however, expect the expenses of casting, painting, transportation and siting of the work be met by the New Plymouth District Council. As the work is not a commissioned work. I retain the copyright of the sculpture itself, but would be happy for council to use its image in promotional or advertising for New Plymouth City and Parks.”
Artist’s impression of what the sculpture would look like in the lake. This was part of the presentation on April 3, 2007
The policy committee accepted the proposal and sent it to the full council meeting for final approval on 20th February 2007.
At this meeting George Fuller gave a lengthy submission, highlighting his concerns about the location in the lily pond. He asserted that to people entering Brooklands from Pukekura Park through the rhododendron dell, the sculpture hovering over the waterlily lake would be an, in your face experience, which would be setting a precedent without parallel in the Park’s history. He pointed out that features like the Fountain, the Waterwheel and the waterfall were unobtrusive, and if idle could easily be missed by visitors walking within metres of them. He was trying to make the point that they had to be discovered. This is also true for the Fernery.
Other concerns included, algae and mould, ducks fouling the sculpture, graffiti by people swimming out to it. People using it as target practice, hurling bottles at it etc. As curator, George had lived in the Park for 25 years, and he was well aware of the mischief people could get up to in the evenings. The main reason Smither picked the lake was for the reflection, and George suggested that keeping the lake clear of lilies to maintain the reflection, would be difficult. As an alternate location he suggested the sculpture would be better placed somewhere on the towns foreshore where Michael Smither had already contributed significantly to its improvement. Marise Keat and Joy Hall also made deputations expressing concerns about the location in the lilypond. Smither maintained that this was the only location that he would accept.
Smither, who attended the meeting rebutted all of George Fuller’s concerns and stated that: “As far as drunks swimming out to it, and posing on it for photographs, I think is a bloody good idea. He’s a bit worried about them throwing beer bottles at it and making it bong, that would be good for Womad. They could all be out there throwing bottles at it. It would take that sort of punishment.”
Because of the opposition, the decision to proceed was deferred until the next council meeting, which was held on 3rd April 2007. The estimated cost was $97,000, to be paid for by The Art in Public Places Fund, which was set up for purchasing works such as the sculpture.
The breakdown of the estimate was: $57,000 for the production of 4 cast bronze clouds, $10,000, for painting, $20,000 for fixings and foundations, $10,000 contingency.
At the next council meeting on April 3rd, George Fuller made another deputation. This time he concentrated on the fact that, the lilies would always be an issue, interfering with the reflection in the lake.
Michael, at the February meeting, had explained how he was inspired by a horse sculpture in Japan. He said he was able to get close to it, and from every angle, it was a masterpiece. George Fuller pointed out, that in the lake, you would neither be able to get close to the sculpture, nor walk round it, therefore, not benefit from the inspiration behind the piece.
Fuller offered an alternative location in the Park, between the zoo and the Gables, where he suggested elevating the sculpture.
Despite the opposition the council made the decision to proceed. Architect Terry Boon offered to oversee the project at no cost.
The 4 bronze clouds, were cast at the Monument foundry, in Auckland, and delivered to New Plymouth on June 7, 2007.
The clouds were painted by Greg Brown, Master painter, using a 4 coat 2-pack Resene system. The colour was alabaster. The system comprised a Resene vinyl etch adhesion primer, Resene armourcote 510 high solids epoxy, and a topcoat of, Resene Uracryl 403 gloss finish, which is good in a marine environment and also anti-graffiti.
George Fuller’s proposed alternative location for Aotearoa
Whitaker Civil Engineering Ltd carried out the foundation investigation, supplied the tanalised piles constructed and fitted the support assembly and erected the sculptures. Installation took place during September 2007.
The clouds sit on a platform, supported by 4 – 8 meter by 275mm Diameter, tanalised timber piles. The original design was to have each cloud, perched on its own concrete foundation, but following an engineering survey of the lakebed, it was discovered that the foundation would have to go down 6 meters to solid ground, instead of the estimated 3 meters. To keep within budget the design changed to a platform attached to wooden piles. The platform was designed by Terry Boon.
The final cost of the installation was $94,217, consisting of, $55,553 for the production of 4 cast bronze clouds, $970 for painting the clouds, $27,867 for fixings and foundations, and $9,827 for contingencies such as, internal staff costs, turf reinstatement, contract preparation costs and a plaque.
Below is a picture gallery showing the journey of the sculpure from being cast to being installed in the lily lake at Brooklands. Many thanks to Terry Boon for supplying these photos.
Band Rotunda
The story of the Band Rotunda, often referred to as a band stand or pavilion started in 1882 when the Recreation Ground Board was approached by architect, Henry Edmonds who submitted his plans for a rotunda. Edmonds probably had some tie to the town band. The design was considered both suitable and ornamental and was approved by the Board. The estimated cost was between £70 and £80. It was decided that the pavilion should be erected at the knoll on which Mr. Furlong’s mirror stood, on the south face of Cannon Hill. The Board anticipated that the cost would be raised from the proceeds of concerts given by the town’s band. Unfortunately, when the band was approached, they declined to make that commitment. Due to lack of finance the rotunda was put on hold until 1885.
Band Rotunda circa 1903
At their meeting in November 1885, the Board decided to erect a band stand and ask the local architects to gratuitously supply a plan capable of extension when funds permitted (Henry Edmonds had left New Plymouth). In other words, they wanted to build it in stages. A deputation from the New Plymouth Town Band met with J. T. Davis (Board Chairman) to fix a location. Again, the area where Furlong’s mirror stood seemed to be the most acceptable location. At that time Cannon Hill extended further south, so to accommodate their preferred location part of the hill had to be cut back and one of the largest pine trees in the grounds felled. The tree was probably planted on the opening day of the Recreation Grounds.
At the December 1885 meeting, the Board received a design from architect James Sanderson who in the early 1880s had been in partnership with Henry Edmonds. It was thought that the structure would be quite an ornament to the grounds. The rotunda was described as having a conical roof, supported on eight pillars, which rested on an octagonal shaped base of concrete, iron railings running from pillar to pillar. Entrance was by four steps which were continued all-round the structure. At the meeting Sanderson said he was willing to supply full detailed drawings and also offered to supervise the construction. In March 1886 Messrs. Scott Bros, of Christchurch, were asked to provide an estimate to supply the rotunda. The estimate was not well received by the cash strapped Board, and it was decided to ask Scott Bros. if they could supply the structure in parts.
Fundraising started in September 1886 with a fancy-dress ball organised by the Foresters’ followed soon after by a fireworks display. The Board received £25 from Jas Paul (Mayor) who was one of the patrons of the ball and £10 10s from the fireworks display. The work started by cutting back Cannon Hill and levelling a site for the Rotunda foundation. This was done by Mr. J. Roberts at 5½d a yard. The excavated earth was deposited below the dam in order to raise the pathway by the Lily Pond. It was noted in April 1887 Board meeting that Mr. Roberts had moved 151 yards of material.
The earthworks were finished by the beginning of March and Mr. H. Hooker, the contractor selected to build the base, began immediately. Unfortunately, two acts of vandalism caused delays in its completion, however it was finished in time to be used by a band during Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations in June 1887.
Another fancy fair was organised raising £61 14s. The Board went back to James Sanderson to see how they could progress. It is reported in the August 1888 Board meeting that the plans of the proposed band stand and the price from Oakey & Asher for erection, totalling £190 were approved. However, because the plans could not be executed in stages it was put on hold until sufficient funds were available.
Over the next two years many fundraising events were held until finally at the end of 1890 the Board was in a position to proceed. Tenders went out for the construction of the rotunda from drawings produced by Mr. A Mofflin who appears to have taken over the project from James Sanderson. Mofflin also supervised the construction which was awarded to T. Bond & Co., at a cost of £94 10s.
The cast iron components for the rotunda were manufactured by Scott Bros. foundry, Christchurch and arrived on the Takapuna in February 1891. The design of the rotunda had iron railings between the pillars which unfortunately did not get supplied. The Board were eager to get the structure erected before the start of the Taranaki Jubilee celebrations just a month later. They contacted Scott Bros. and accepted the structure without the railings after renegotiating the price. On March 31, 1891, over 5,000 people attended a sports event in the grounds. This was followed by a pyrotechnic display in the evening during which bands played under the newly erected Band Rotunda.
In 2013 the Band Rotunda underwent a major restoration. The roof was repainted in its original colours of red and white stripes.
Bathing Shed
Once the lake was established there was a call to use it for recreational swimming. The town did not have a swimming pool and the water in the Recreation Ground pool looked safe and inviting. Following a public meeting chaired by C. W. Govett, he and Mr. R. H. Thompson were charged with approaching the Board with a scheme to build a bathing shed and get permission to swim in the lake. The Board agreed but stipulated that swimming would not be allowed until a bathing shed was erected. Plans were drawn up by William Northcroft and then went out for tender.
How to pay for the bathing shed was a concern. A committee was set up to organise its construction and managed to solicit £40 by way of subscriptions, the remainder was found by other means. A couple of fundraising events were organised, one being the first swimming competition held on Wednesday, April 9, 1879. The competitors had to be suitably attired in drawers and singlets and get changed in the new facilities. The occasion drew a large crowd who sat on the banks overlooking the lake. At that time, the sides of the valley were basically treeless, so there was an excellent view of proceedings. Board member, Robert Clinton Hughes was one of the competitors.
Bathing Shed Circa 1900.
Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref: PHO2020-0014-022)
A fire at the bathing shed in March 1891was a bizarre event. The east end fire bell was rung, when people arrived at the bell the person sounding the alarm was the same person who had deliberately lit the fire. It later became known that the young man responsible wanted to go to gaol for lighting the fire to hide other more serious offences. He was charged with the more serious offences and sentenced to eight years in Mount Eden Gaol.
By the 1910s the lake was no longer the main swimming pool in town and the shed was repurposed as the curator’s tool shed. It remained next to the lake until the new Tea House was built 1931 at which time it was taken down and erected by the path leading from the Tea House to the Fernery. It remained there until it was demolished in 1969.
Bathing Shed being Demolished. TH, March 18, 1969.
Boat Shed & Boat Shed Bridge
Boats had been used on the lake since the day it was opened. However, the means to protect them did not come until some years later. The first mention of a boat shed was in December 1884. The Taranaki Herald reported that an application was made to the Recreation Ground Board by the High School for permission to excavate a piece of land at the head of the lake for a boat shed. The board acceded to the request but stated that the site and style of the edifice had to be approved by Mr. Skinner. There is no record of any action being taken with respect to the request, but later at the September 1893 Board meeting it was decided to ask Mr G. Brown to prepare a plan and estimate for a small bridge and boat shed at the upper end of the lake. In May of 1894 The Taranaki Herald reported that since the beginning of the year a new bridge and boat shed had been built at a cost of over £100. The bridge replaced one that was probably built in 1886.
Boatshed Bridge circa 1895. Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref: PHO2020_0014-017)
In 1924 the Boat Shed was severely damaged by a fallen poplar tree. On the Eastern Hillside above the Boat Shed there is an old Park boundary which was probably identified by poplar trees which were commonly planted for that purpose.
Auckland Weekly News, December 22, 1904.
On May the 25th 1953 the almost 50-year-old bridge suffered a catastrophic failure. During a tour of the Park, twelve members of a visiting rugby team, from Hinuera near Matamata, overloaded the bridge causing it to collapse. They found themselves in the water, fortunately no one was injured. It was acknowledged that the bridge was an old structure and had been deteriorating and likely needed replacing. This event just hurried things along. An initial estimate of £3,000 to replace the bridge evoked a lot of criticism and many people argued that the bridge should not be replaced. One person felt so strongly about it that they wrote the following ode.
In 1924 the Boat Shed was severely damaged by a fallen poplar tree. On the Eastern Hillside above the Boat Shed there is an old Park boundary which was probably identified by poplar trees which were commonly planted for that purpose.
TH, May 26,1953
PUKEKURA PARK BRIDGE
(With apologies to Longfellow.)
(To the Editor.)
I stood on the bridge at daylight,
As the workmen came and went,
And a groan rose out of the Gardens
As each thousand pounds was spent.
I saw the rich reflection,
In the waters under me,
Of this costly, extravagant spending
Of the Graham legacy.
And far in the hazy distance,
Of that crazy day in the Park,
The pine trees bowed in sorrow
And the tree-fern’s frown was dark.
And like lake waters splashing
Among the palatial piers,
A flood of thoughts came o’er me
That filled my eyes with tears.
How often, oh how often,
In the days that had gone by,
Had we prayed the Park Committee
Some saner schemes to try.
And whenever I cross that water
On its bridge like the “Golden Gate,”
I will sigh for the spent three thousand
And gasp at the City’s rate!
I will think of the many hundreds
Of rate encumbered men,
Who have paid their bills to the Council
And crossed the bridge since then.
And for ever and for ever,
As long as the waters splash,
I will think of that Park Committee
And the way they squandered their cash.
I will hope that no picture disturbing
Will rise from this Bridge of Sighs,
To hang itself in the heavens
And startle some watching eyes!
I am, etc.,
PONS ASINORUM.
New Plymouth June 30.
The bridge was replaced in the latter part of 1953, using funds from the Graham Bequest which had been left to the Park for expenditure of this nature. The replacement bridge was designed by the city engineer Mr. R. F. Mainland and constructed by Thomson and Williams, who tendered a price of £1,102 5s 10d for constructing the new bridge. A further estimate of £600 for materials brought the total price of the new bridge up to an approximately £1,800.
Work starts on the new Boat Shed. TH, November 13, 1957.
After several more years of indecision the Park Committee finally decided to replace the Boat Shed in 1957. Plans for the new Boat Shed were drawn up by Arthur Sandford with help from Fred Parker. With a tender price of £1,780, Mr. R. M. Clough was awarded the contract to build the Boat Shed.
Boating was for many years a good source of income for an often cash strapped Park administration. As an example, from Christmas 1947 to January 30, 1948, 4409 people went on the boats raising £224. Boats can still be hired to this day.
Bowl of Brooklands
The desire to have a soundshell in the Park was recorded as early as 1950 when Baden Winchcombe, John Bolt and some of their friend’s got permission from the Park committee to play recorded music from the Tea House on Sunday evenings during the summer. The concerts played from 8.15 until 10pm with 24 sides of records being played. The first half of the concerts were described as “light classical”, and the second half consisted of “major works” of a more “serious nature”. The equipment which Winchcombe and his friends supplied amplified the sound so it could be heard clearly around the lake. Having a soundshell would have made this experience better.
The Park Committee had highlighted a soundshell as a possible project in a list of over twenty possible projects in 1950. However, it was at the bottom of the list of priorities and probably would never have eventuated if left to them.
By 1954 the call for a soundshell was getting stronger and a committee was formed whose members came from the Community Arts Service, New Plymouth Ballet Club, Caledonian Society, New Plymouth Orchestra, Choral Society, Operatic Society, and the Philharmonic Society. A sub-committee recommended that the soundshell should be situated on the path on the south-west side of Cannon Hill facing towards the Tea House. The size of the stage was to be 38ft at the front, narrowing to 21ft at the back, with a depth of 20ft. This was apparently the size of the soundshell at Napier. (TH, July 24, 1954). Representatives from nine organisations attended the Park Committee’s August meeting with the proposal. The Park Committee decided they would defer any decision until 1955 as they were busy with other projects, mainly the Queen Elizabeth II illuminated fountain. Following the deferral, the proposal seemingly disappeared.
Brooklands paddock before it was transformed into the Bowl.
TH, June 11, 1957.
In January of 1957 the newly formed Public Relations Office organised a very successful 3-day Water Carnival in the Park organised by Eric Handbury the Public Relations Officer. This was so successful that it encouraged Eric to try and organise another event that was bigger and better, and to do this he realised he needed a bigger venue. He was shown the area at Brooklands and immediately saw its potential comparing it to the Hollywood Bowl at Los Angeles.
In June 1957 the Park Committee was approached by the Public Relations Office with a request to hold a festival in February/March 1958 on the site that would become the Bowl of Brooklands. The Park Committee gave them the green light. At the time the grassy slope that audiences now use at concerts, was a muddy, uneven paddock with a few cattle grazing on it.
Handbury called the event the “Festival of the Pines” because of the imposing stand of pine trees on the boundary between the racecourse and the Bowl.
With a budget of only £485 and no financial assistance available from the Park Committee or the City Council the development of the Bowl of Brooklands became a huge community effort with Eric Handbury as the driving force behind it.
When the Park Committee agreed to the Bowl of Brooklands being constructed, they also agreed to give the New Plymouth Public Relations Office Board of Control exclusive rent-free rights for five years to stage shows. At the same time the Park Committee made it clear that they would not put any money into the venture.
Work starts on the Bowl.
TH, August 17, 1957.
The original idea was to use two islands that were in the middle of the Brooklands Lake as stages, but Handbury realised that that wasn’t going to work and decided to build a concrete stage.
The stage construction was supervised by master builder Malcolm Lay and was designed to have 2400 square feet of acting space. The soundshell, designed by Robin Sinclair, consisted of a parabolic wooden arc supporting a cantilevered tubular frame which in turn had four separate acoustic baffles suspended from it.
Work started in August 1957. With the Brooklands lake drained, the first job was to remove one of the bigger islands and a few smaller islets. These were dug out by hand. The soil was wheelbarrowed away across the lakebed on planks of wood. Where the concrete stage is, was originally swampy ground that had to be consolidated.
Construction of the Stage.
Photo News, Dec 1957.
The bridge that crosses the Brooklands lake had been vandalised during the war years. To develop the Bowl, it was necessary to replace the bridge in order to carry materials to the Bowl site. Even though the Board had said they would not financially assist the Bowl development they did agree to replace the bridge. This was done by Fred Parker.
The first job in constructing the stage was building a concrete supporting wall. The stage itself overhung the wall giving the appearance that it was floating over the water. All the concrete was mixed on site and wheelbarrowed to where required.
A sound shed was constructed north-west of the bowl, near one of the plane trees, giving the sound technician Frank Stead line of sight to the stage. Baden Winchcombe advised on the sound equipment needed for the Bowl and instructed Frank on its operation.
The lighting system was designed by Caleb Wyatt, the electrical control equipment was housed in an old army hut supplied by the New Plymouth Savings Bank.
Bulldozers were brought in to even up the rough ground so seating could be installed. The seating took the form of 12ft long planks nailed on top of wooden stakes driven into the ground using sledgehammers. The timber was donated by Malcolm McAlpine.
Although the Festival of the Pines proved successful there were a few issues. The conveniences were makeshift and lacked privacy, and the changing facilities for the performers were very poor, and apparently lit by candles. Another issue was the croaking frogs which at times tended to drown out the performers.
Completed soundshell ready to go.
TDN, February 22,1958.
The first Festival of the Pines was a seven-night affair. The first two nights were performances of “Androcles and the Lion,” a play by George Bernard Shaw. Night three was a variety show featuring Irish tenor, Patrick O’ Hagan, N.P. Girls’ Choir and the N.P. Orchestra. Night four featured the Wellington Ballet, N.P. Orchestra, N.P.G.H.S Choir and the crowning of Miss Brooklands. Night five (Sunday) Thanksgiving Service. The last two nights were concerts by the National Orchestra conducted by John Hopkins.
In May of 1958 the Public Relations Office approached the Park Committee with an ambitious eighteen-point plan to improve the Bowl facilities which was accepted.
Before the 1959 Festival of the Pines the wooden parabolic arc and suspended baffles were replaced with a permanent soundshell supported by columns rising from the stage. The new soundshell was designed by Ted Borrell and constructed by Riddick Bros. & Still Ltd. Two wooden 9ft x 9ft x 25ft high towers were erected in the lake incorporating sound and lighting systems. These were 90ft apart to avoid affecting spectator’s view of the stage. The speaker system was designed by Baden Winchcombe.
New soundshell under Construction.
TH, October 30,1958.
An access road was created from the racecourse making better access for spectators from the eastern part of town. The audience seating was ripped up, the area regraded and new seating installed to accommodate 7000 spectators. The new seats were supported by concrete blocks.
To pay for the improvements the Brooklands development fund was created. This was a publicly funded scheme that would give members preferential treatment with Parking and ticket allocations. Another notable feature of the Bowl was a water curtain which sprang up from water nozzles positioned along the front edge of the stage.
In 1959 permanent changing rooms were built and a second stage known as the “Woodland stage” was erected to the right of the main stage.
New soundshell ready for action.
TDN, February 17,1959.
By 1960 the running of the Bowl had become too difficult for the Public Relations Office and so the Bowl of Brooklands Trust was set up. In 1961 the toilet block at the south-eastern end of the Bowl Lake was constructed which replaced a less permanent structure nearby.
In subsequent years more changes were made the most significant being in 1996 when the size of the concrete stage was increased considerably, and an arched roof extension was installed, designed by Terry Boon. This was also when the Baden Winchcombe sound towers in the lake were removed. These changes were completed in time for the ENZSO concert in February 1997. Another major development at this time was gaining the TSB Community Trust as a major sponsor and giving them naming rights for the Bowl for ten years.
In 1995 the stand of pine trees that were the basis for the festival name were deemed dangerous and were removed, around 100 trees. They were subsequently replaced with new pines, to recreate the skyline stand. The new stand of pine trees which can be seen above the roof of the Bowl on the photo below have now been removed.
Bowl of Brooklands 2024.
Brooklands Chimney
What is now known as Brooklands Park was originally part of a two-hundred-acre property owned by Captain Henry King, R.N. and his Brother-in-Law George Cutfield. They were both leaders with the Plymouth Company that established New Plymouth in 1841. Captain King was the chief commissioner for the Plymouth Company and arrived in New Plymouth aboard the Amelia Thompson in September 1841. The chimney is the remnants of the house that he built in 1842. The house was burnt to the ground in 1861 during the Taranaki Wars.
When Newton King moved to Brooklands in 1888 the chimney may have been in the house that the King family occupied until their new house was built circa 1897.
Captain Henry King’s property at Brooklands, sketched by Mrs Wickstead for Charles Hursthouse’s 1849 book.
An Account of The Settlement of New Plymouth.
Brooklands Chimney. 2024
Brooklands Zoo
The concept of building a zoo was first formulated by the Jaycees back in 1959. Realising the enormity of the project it was designed to be done in stages. They relied on public subscriptions, volunteers, and the good will of local businesses to supply goods and services at cost or at no cost, which was often the case.
Having the zoo at Brooklands and featuring monkeys as its main attraction was conceived in early 1964 by Ronald Brooker, Chairman of the New Plymouth chapter of the Jaycees. He felt that being centrally located the zoo would provide a means of recreation and education. Apparently at the time the closest monkeys were in either Wellington or Auckland.
After consulting with various people around the country who had knowledge of controlling large aviaries a plan was formulated and put before the City Council in July 1964 which was tentatively approved.
The first stage of the Jaycees plan was the construction of a block of 10 cages totalling 100ft in length each one measuring 10ft wide, 10ft high and 15ft deep. To pay for it the Jaycees started fundraising with a target of £2,500. £1,700 to complete stage one and the remainder to set up a fund for future developments. An initial £200 was put in from chapter funds. In total £2,175 was raised. So that the public could keep track of how much money was being raised a giant barometer was installed on the corner of Currie and Devon Street. The amount raised was painted on the barometer weekly.
The City Council gave final approval in August and construction began on October 3, 1964. The majority of the labour was carried out by members of the Jaycees, bringing in outside skilled tradesmen when required. The initial schedule was to finish by December but due to delays caused by bad weather it wasn’t completed until the end of February 1965. The Chapter had 70 members at the time, 65 of whom were actively engaged in the construction of the project, working a total of 1411 manhours. Expert outside help and advice often came without charge. The internal fittings and stocking of birds was done with the help of the Caged Bird Society.
Jaycees resume work at zoo.
TH, January 23, 1965
The zoo was officially handed over to the City on February 27, 1965, the name plaque was unveiled by Mrs Brooker, widow of Chapter President Ron Brooker who died suddenly in January 1965.
The keys to the zoo and documentation concerning ownership were handed over by the N.P. Jacee president Mr. R. James to the mayor Mr. A. G. Honor.
Zoo Opening. TDN, March 3, 1965
The zoo was stocked with 130 birds of 14 different species which had been donated, and two male monkeys, Joe, a five-year-old rhesus monkey, and Willie, a three-year-old bonnet monkey. Both monkeys were on a long-term loan from Wellington Zoo.
Brooklands Park and the Zoo were the joint location for the Arbor Day plantings in 1965. It was at this time that the first specimen trees were planted in the lawn areas of the zoo (some of the trees planted were quite rare, the zoo site was selected for these because of the presence of the security fence).
Joe and Willie
In 1967 a deer and Peafowl enclosure was constructed by the Jaycees costing £100. They followed that by constructing a wallaby enclosure and a kea pen in 1970. This depleted the Jaycees coffers which was the reason that the free flight cage wasn’t built until 1974. 1970 was also the year the zoo became a registered zoological garden. Some of the residents at that time included: Wally the wallaby, Willy the bonnet monkey, Bambi the fallow deer, Pete the peacock and Daffy the Paradise Duck.
Blackie, six-month-old fallow deer in a new enclosure.
TH, July 1, 1967.
The president of the NP Jaycees, Mr John Brocket (below) dedicated a memorial dovecote to former Jaycee president, Mr R Brooker and a memorial plaque was unveiled by Mrs M, Brooker. At the ceremony Mr Brocket officially handed over the wallaby pen and also informed the attendees that they were planning to build a free flight cage.
The next development was a free-flight cage, which was the first of its kind in the country. This was officially opened on 5th October 1974 by Mr V R Brownson of the Jaycees. The free-flight cage was a two-year project utilising many volunteer manhours and costing over $10,000. By 1974 the zoo was housing weka, kea and peafowl.
Opening of the Free Flight Bird Cage.
L to R – Mrs Audrey Gale, NP City Cllr; Denis Sutherland, Mayor; Vincent Brownson, Jaycee (Immediate PP) and Barry Sefton, project convenor. Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref:ARC2001-152).
A pheasant enclosure was added at the front of the deer enclosure in 1977. This was designed in house by Ian McDowell. It is not clear who built it, but it was probably the Jaycees.
In 1979 the Jaycees built a monkey enclosure. It was occupied at the beginning of 1980 by a colony of seven Capuchin Monkeys. Three males and four females. The monkeys were imported from Britain but were originally from Paraguay. The first baby monkey was born in June 1980.
Because of people going into the zoo at night leading to the death of some of the animals the Park installed a high mesh security gates in 1983.
In 1986 Golden-rumped (Red-rumped) Agouti were added to the collection, and a family of four gibbon monkeys came from Perth.
The zoo underwent a phased redevelopment starting in 1997. The redevelopment was designed by Alan Reed of Boon Goldsmith Bhaskar Team Architecture Ltd. Phase one involved
the construction of a barn and farmyard to replace the deer enclosure. Phase two in 1998 involved the renovation of the free-flight cage, including the addition of a waterfall, stream, raised walkway and refreshed plantings. Construction work for the first two phases was done by builder Mike Christianson. Around this time macaws and a kea were introduced to the zoo. In 2000 phase three included the construction of a new capuchin monkey enclosure, followed closely by phase four, new enclosures for the tamarin monkeys and otters. Clelands Construction Ltd carried out the construction work for phases three and four. The original birdcage enclosure from 1965 was finally demolished, and its footprint became part of the children’s playground. The playground was also redeveloped introducing new equipment and shade cloths.
Three cotton-top tamarins arrived in 2000, dad, Ivan, mum, Nancy and baby Niva.
Due to changes in the Health and Safety Act volunteers could no longer help in the zoo. Eleven-year-old Stephanie Oliver and twelve-year-old Holly-Mae Giddy were both gutted when they were given this news. They had both been volunteering on a Saturday for three years.
In 2004 Brooklands Zoo became a full institutional member of ZAA (Zoo’s and Aquaria Association). The following year two male alpacas, Sambuca and Cinnamon were introduced into the zoo.
Other species introduced to the zoo were African Clawed frogs and Mungo the red panda, in 2006. Mungo was brought in from Hamilton zoo to be part of an international breeding programme for endangered species.
Mungo. TDN, August 14, 2006
In 2007 three female Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Ashleigh, Sarah and Minera) got a home in the zoo. They were part of a National breeding programme. The enclosure for the Lemurs was enlarged from the original layout by removing partitions.
Five meerkats were introduced in 2010, two nine-year-old females, Fupi and Mtoto, and three six-year-old males, Imani, Zuri and Zambesi. A Butterfly garden was also established with the help of the Friends of Pukekura Park. The Friends were involved again in 2012 when they assisted with the installation of the Weta Hotels. In the same year five bachelor male Bolivian squirrel monkeys were added to the collection (Occupying the former lemur enclosure).
In 2013 Simon the red devil cichlid, who was in an aquarium in the barn, was rehomed. New to the barn were two twenty-three-year-old blue tongue skinks, Bert and Ernie. Also introduced into the barn were Oriental fire bellied newts. In the same year Mulloka a male brolga was added to the collection. He passed away in Feb 2020 and was not replaced.
Two adult female leopard geckos (Soha and Shirina) were added to the collection in 2015. They came from the Otorohanga Kiwi House and a bug hotel was added to the zoo’s Backyard Wildlife Display in the same year.
Bug Hotel opens at zoo.
TDN, December 8, 2015
In 2016 the zoo became one of only a few in New Zealand to complete the Zoo and Aquarium Association’s (ZAA) Animal Welfare Accreditation Programme. A number of animals were added to the collection that year including three female meerkats, Nala, Lindiwe and Zola.
Nephrite a cotton-top tamarin had to be euthanised in 2017. She was born in the zoo in 2002. This left only two tamarins, Nephrite’s daughter five-year-old Inca and Inca’s father fifteen-year-old Lorenzo.
In 2018, Takumi, a three-year-old male otter was brought in from Mogo Zoo, in New South Wales, Australia. He was introduced to partner Jemima, who had lost her previous partner Jala in 2017. Also in 2018, a permanent picnic shelter was erected in the zoo by the Pakeke Lions Club as part a project to celebrate 100 years of Lions Clubs around the world.
Animals introduced in 2019 included: Marcella, a female scheltopusik (European legless lizard), two red-rumped agouti and two leopard tortoises, Kobe and Kamba. A year later two capybara were added to the collection, brothers, Luis and Fernando from Auckland Zoo.
In 2021 little owls and red crowned kakariki were introduced to the zoo, for which DOC permits were required.
The zoo saw the return of otters in 2022 with the introduction of five one and two-year-old small-clawed otter sisters, Katara, Rani, Suki, Luna and Akira. Also, a new owl enclosure was opened. The enclosure houses morepork/ruru and little owl.
Brooklands Zoo Otters (2024).
Collection of Brooklands Zoo
More changes are coming to Brooklands Zoo with NPDC confirming $9m in funding in its 2024-34 10-Year Plan to improve visitors’ experience and ensure the zoo continues to comply with national standards. The council is also working on a wider vision for the zoo, to ensure it continues to be a destination of choice for kids and adults alike.
Cannon Hill
Cannon Hill has at times been a focal point in the Park, and at other times an overgrown jungle. It was certainly the centre of attention on May 29, 1876, during the opening ceremony of the Recreation Ground. The townspeople gathered there to begin a new chapter in the town’s history. To mark the occasion four ceremonial trees were planted on the slopes of Cannon Hill by Miss Jane Carrington, daughter of Fred Carrington, the father of New Plymouth. The trees were an oak representing the Great Britain, a pūriri representing New Zealand, a Norfolk Island pine representing the Pacific and a Pinus radiata representing the Americas. At that time there would have been a 360-degree panoramic view from the top of the hill.
Cannon Hill circa 1900. Collection of New Plymouth District Council Parks dept. On top of the hill can be seen at least two cannons and the seat that went round the flagpole. On the face of the hill are the whale bones.
The first man-made adornment on the hill was a large circular mirror presented to the grounds by Professor Furlong (TH, Aug 30, 1882), unfortunately there are no known photos of this. The next item to grace the hill was a flagstaff donated by Chew Chong in 1885. This was part of a mast recovered from the barque Australind which beached at Moturoa on July 26, 1882, while delivering bags of cement for the new harbour. In 1886 when ladies were granted permission the use the lake for bathing from 8am to 11am the flagstaff was used to hoist a red flag, warning the local gentlemen to stay away.
To attract more people to the hill a seat was erected around the flagstaff. Mrs Dougherty’s Egmont Academy scholars raised the money to build the seat, and it was erected by Mr. H Taylor.
The hill was cut back in 1887 to create space for the installation of the Band Rotunda foundation but was left in a rough state. In 1892 the southern end was neatly faced (this work was probably done by Darby Claffey), and new paths were cut to give better access. Cannon Hill was named at this time after the Recreation Ground’s cannons were placed on top of it.
There were four cannons donated to the Recreation Ground, two of which were said to have been used in the defence of Ōtaka Pā in 1832 (Dicky Barrett cannons), and one was said to have come off the shipwreck of the barque Harriet, which ran aground off the Taranaki coast in 1834.
Professor Furlong donated the first Barrett cannon as noted in the Boards minutes of September 1884 (TH, September 20, 1884). The stand for it was made by W. H. Skinner. A second cannon with carriage was donated by Board member W. L. Newman as noted in the Boards minutes of April 1887 (TH, April 25, 1887), followed soon after by a third accompanied by a 68lb cannon ball donated by W. F. Hoskins, of Waitara as noted in the Board’s minutes of August 1887 (TH, August 30, 1887). The fourth cannon was gifted by ex-Board member Reginald Bailey as noted in the Boards minutes of August 1891 (TH, August 10, 1891). The cannons were removed from the hill in 1928 and donated to the Carnegie Library in New Plymouth. They had been vandalized and were deemed unsafe.
AWN, July 9, 1903
The bones from a whale that had beached itself near Tataraimaka were an unusual feature dressing the hill in the mid-1890s. The whale was found by employees of the National Bank Farm, Tataraimaka. The bones were bleached at the farm before being given to the Board. They arrived in New Plymouth in March 1893. The original plan for the bones was to reassemble them as a skeleton (based on a sketch produced by Dr. Hector, Director of the Colonial Museum) and display them to the east of the Band Rotunda. The attempt at re assembly was unsuccessful and someone must have come up with the idea of placing the bones on Cannon Hill, which was probably done in 1894.
Baleen Whale. Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref: PHO2009-213).
In 1976 during the 100th Anniversary celebrations of the Park Cannon Hill once again became the centre of attention. A number of trees were planted on and around the hill, four of which still remain: a Norfolk Island pine on the top north edge of Cannon Hill, planted by Mayor Denis Sutherland; a kauri on top of Cannon Hill on the west side, planted by, D. F. C. Saxton and Alex Brodie; a Tilia x euchlora at the south east corner of Hatchery Lawn, planted by Councillor E. P. Allen and Mrs. Dorothy Eliot King and a Ginko biloba ‘Fastigiata’, planted by Fred Parker by the path on the eastern side of Fountain Lake.
In the 2024 Park Management Plan there is a proposal to redevelop Cannon Hill. Let’s hope that it comes to fruition.
Children's Playground
The site was originally covered with a stand of Cypress macrocarpa trees which were probably planted at the same time as the Torrey pine in 1888. These were grown from the seeds of American trees given to the Park in 1886 by the government.
In 1953 a group of macrocarpa trees were felled to make way for the development of the playground which included swings, seesaws, climbing frames, a merry-go-round, and a slide. There were already two swings in this area which were put up in 1922 and were the only children’s play equipment in the Park until 1953.
This picture shows some of the original playground equipment. TDN July 25,1983
A paddling pool was constructed as a community project by the New Plymouth Jaycees, in 1960, and was known as the Barclay Pool. Along with the paddling pool, was the installation of a drinking fountain on top of which the Don Driver ‘Cats’ sculpture sat. The sculpture was taken out of the playground when the paddling pool was removed in 2003. The original sculpture was refurbished and is now part of the Govett-Brewster collection. A replica was created in 2012 and was installed during the 2013 revamp of the playground.
Children’s Playground Paddling Pool under construction.
TH, September 24, 1960
Don Driver’s – ‘Cats” Sculpture 1971.
Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref: ARC2003-859-3)
The playground also underwent a redevelopment in 1986 at which time two wooden forts/tree houses were built. The larger of the two was constructed next to Hughes Walk and the second smaller one was next to the bridge that accesses Palm Lawn. At this time the old swings and seesaws were refurbished, and the merry-go-round was removed due to safety concerns. It was also at this time the TSB Bank were granted naming rights for TSB Children’s Playground.
The present design and layout of the playground took place in 2013 with the official reopening taking place in October 2013. The revamp required the removal of the forts as these no longer complied with the latest NZ/Australasian codes for playgrounds. The designer of the playground got ideas for the revamp by consulting with students from, Central School, St Pius School, and Highlands Intermediate.
Curator's House
The first curator’s house was built in 1876 and paid for by the government. The cottage was of modest proportions. It was located on Victoria Road on the site of the old Fort Carrington (Carrington Road Redoubt/Blockhouse). The location is immediately north of 25, Victoria Road which is also an old curator’s house built in 1930. The house was used by Darby Claffey, Charles Edgecombe and W. W. Smith. Smith vacated the house in 1920 when he resigned, at which time the house still did not have electricity. The Board were too mean with money. After Smith vacated the house, it was used as a scout den. The building was demolished in 1930 when a new curator’s house was built on an adjacent section. A visitor of Smith’s described the house as “a poor, mean little cottage”.
T K Skinner’s 1880 map showing old curator’s cottage.
Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref: ARC2010-220).
After years of deliberation a replacement house was built in 1930. The location chosen was on Victoria Road (now 25 Victoria Road) between the old curator’s cottage and the Park Tennis Club. The main reason for building the cottage was to hopefully deter vandals, and with this in mind several pine trees were cut down giving a view into the Park from the house. This was controversial, many people were not happy at being able to see the house from down in the Park so a group of native trees were planted on the slope below the house that would eventually hide it. The drawings for the house came from the Borough Engineer, and the house was built by Mr. L. F. Hand at a cost of £1,080.
25, Victoria Road.
Fernery
Prior to the creation of the Fernery as we know it today, there had been other outdoor ferneries established in the Park. The first of these was planted by Smith in 1908, on Manhattan Island at the southern end of the Main Lake.
A proposal for a new fernery was put forward at the beginning of 1918. This was partly because plant theft from Manhattan Island had been an issue. Board member C. E. Bellringer set about strongly urging the Board to adopt a policy for establishing a fernery that would be second to none in the country. He also suggested that the curator’s time, given his botanical talents and knowledge was being wasted on mundane duties and that his skills should be put to better use. Bellringer suggested the area in the gully below the people’s stand at the racecourse (Stainton Dell) as he felt this was the most picturesque and ideal spot. Smith reported in October 1918 that preparations for the new fernery were complete, and planting would take place as soon as the ferns were received.
In 1919, C. E. Bellringer, now chairman of the Park Board continued pushing for the establishment of a fernery, this time promoting the building of a bush hut to house the ferns. The raw materials were available to make a hut, but the manpower was lacking. It was noted at the A.G.M. that a local gentleman had a large collection of ferns that he was ready to donate.
Smith resigned in 1920, which probably stalled the fernery project until June 1922, when it was reported that preliminary work for shaping and grading land for a fernery had begun. The location was on the banks of Stainton Dell below the Racecourse Walk, where an area was fenced off and planted. The work was carried out by John Gibson, a prominent horticulturist, of Frankley Road.
In November 1923 a fernery committee consisting of C. E. Bellringer, James McLeod and W. H. Besley were appointed to make arrangements for the establishment of a first-class fernery. At the Board meeting of May 1924, the Pukekura Park Board instructed the fernery committee to submit plans for a fernery costing approximately £500, to be considered by the Board at its next meeting. The project became financially possible after a very successful Queen Carnival netted the Board over £1,400. At the following meeting in June William Besley outlined a plan to excavate three chambers, one in front and two behind. The walls separating these chambers would be 8 feet thick, in order to support the roofs, which would be glass. The dimensions of the chambers, taken from the roof level, would be 30 feet by 50 feet for the front one and 60 feet by 30 feet for the two rear ones. Terracing of many of the walls was proposed, meaning the area at the bottom of the chambers would be considerably less than that at the top, and the terraces would be planted with the many varieties of available ferns. By adopting this scheme, it was hoped to cover the whole face of the walls with a screen of growth, and walks would be constructed in a way that would enable the public to gain the best views of the place. At the same meeting of the Board the chairman Mr. Dempsey thanked Mr. Besley for his trouble and stated that a great deal of work had been done by Mrs. Lovell, of Hāwera, to whom the board were deeply indebted. Work on clearing the site of trees etc. started immediately.
At a meeting of the Board in April 1925 plans to build the Fernery were officially put on hold due to financial constraints.
After many years in the planning work finally started on the Fernery construction in June 1926. This was a huge undertaking, involving the creation of three 60ft x 40ft grottos linked by tunnels, and covered with glass roofs. The front chamber lay east-west, with the other two chambers behind, side by side laying north-south, and raised 10ft higher in the hillside than the front one. Stage one of the project involved removing approximately 12ft of earth from the side of the hill forming a plateau above where the Fernery chambers were to be excavated. The plateau was roughly 180ft x 90ft. The topsoil from this excavation was put to one side and later used on what is now the Fred Parker Lawn. The Fernery
was designed by Mrs. Lovell of Hāwera, who had a similar fernery in her own garden. Approximately 4000 cubic yards of subsoil was excavated during the construction, all dug manually with spades. The cost of disposal of this material off-site would have been prohibitive, fortunately, there was a swamp nearby which could be filled in.
Fernery Entrance. TH, Xmas Supplement December 15, 1928.
The level of the swamp was raised by as much as 12ft, to form a lawn (subsequently named Fred Parker Lawn). Subsoil was used for the bulk of the land reclamation, which was then top dressed with the black topsoil that had been put aside. They also decided to form a second lakelet using some of the excavated subsoil to create a dam. The excavated material was transferred approximately 100ft to the dam site using a truck on rails supplied by Boon Bros. The person in charge of constructing the Fernery was Mr. W. Holmes, of Putaruru. Six labourers were employed, four dedicated to excavation of the soil, one the levelling of the swamp and one in charge of the truck. Thomas Horton was the overall supervisor of the project, which took about 5 months to complete, sometimes under very trying conditions.
By October the superintendent reported that the excavation of the fernery chambers had been completed as far as it was advisable before the carpentry work and glazing were done. He also noted that the concrete foundations were completed. Unfortunately, a delay in the delivery of the glass for the roofs meant that the roofs were not completed until mid-1927.
While construction was ongoing many people went out collecting ferns, the Fernery Committee visited Taranaki Forest properties especially in the Koru district (Oakura). Messrs Maxwell and Davies collected ferns on a trip to King Country, Rotorua, Bay of Plenty and Auckland. Many friends of the Park from around the country also sent ferns.
The Fernery was officially opened at 1.30 p.m. on January 28, 1928, with the Mayor Victor Griffiths doing the honours. The opening was arranged to coincide with the last day of a Shopping Week organised to promote the businesses of New Plymouth. Later that afternoon a floral fete was held in the Park and in the evening a Pierrot entertainment under the direction of Mr. Wauchop. Both events were fundraisers.
The scheme cost approximately £1,150. The excavation cost about £917, and £50 to £60 was spent in beautifying the surroundings and the swamp. The nucleus of the fund was a sum of £500 which was earmarked by the board from the proceeds of the Queen Carnival in 1924. Every penny of the sum spent was provided by public subscription.
In 1929 a new propagating house was built near the entrance of the Fernery, paid for by donations. Also, a rockery was developed and planted at the approach to the Fernery.
New Propagating House. TH, October 18, 1929.
In 1938 a begonia house was constructed using materials salvaged from one of the old glass houses that were part of the Brooklands estate. By the end of the year the begonia house was constructed, and a new tunnel dug out connecting it to house 3 in the Fernery. The following year another glasshouse was moved from Brooklands to the Fernery site and used as a propagating house. Along with the glass houses some of the first orchid’s came into the Park collection. These were slipper orchids, Paphiopedilum insigne. Other plants such as tuberous begonias and other flowering and foliage greenhouse plants that had been part of the greenhouse plant collections of Newton King also made their way to the Fernery.
Front left: Begonia House, back right: Propagating houses. Collection of Puke (Ref: Ariki ARC2011-029)
Fernery Views. TH, Christmas Supplement, 1935.
At the beginning of 1939, Miss Evelyn Lawson was employed as the first female staff member at the Park. She started on a casual basis to help in the Fernery. When Ivan Waddle (Fernery manager) went off to war Miss Lawson’s position became permanent. She was joined by her sister Noline in 1942.
The Lawson sisters.
private collection, Warwick Horton
In December 1953 the interior of the Fernery was lit up for the first time as part of the summer lighting festival. This has continued on and off for a number of years. The lighting in the Fernery as part of the larger Festival of the Lights has always been popular.
In 1956 a glass walled shade house with a lath roof was built for growing on ferns and the following year another shade house was built for growing palms which also had a lath roof and side walls, but the west side was open.
The mid-1960s was a busy time for redevelopment of the Fernery. The Nova roof shade house which is adjacent to fern house number one, was built in 1965 by Fred Parker using plans drawn up by Mr Sandford. This shade house replaced a set of cold frames. It was built to house a collection of cymbidium orchids gifted by Fred Parker in memory of his wife Agnes Mary Parker. House No 2 was modified with the addition of a pyramidal stand, on which the orchids were displayed when in flower.
In 1967 the old begonia house erected in 1938 was pulled down and replaced by a new structure paid for by a donation from George and Mable Kibby. The project also included a new boiler and boiler house. The house was considerably larger and warmer than the house it replaced. Over subsequent years Fred Parker gifted the remainder of his very extensive orchid collection to the Park.
Ailsa McCrone and Garry Carradus making the final preparations for the official opening of the new Kibby House.
TH, January 28, 1970.
In 1967 it became necessary to construct a purpose-built glasshouse at the Parks Department Nursery at Brooklands. This was to house the rapidly growing collection of orchids, when they weren’t on display. The collection grew from the many donations from growers around the country, at its height the orchid collection was one of the largest municipal collections in the country. This house was eventually demolished in 2005 and the collection was moved entirely to the Fernery. Considerable rationalisation of numbers was required to fit them in.
In 1998 there was a major rebuild of the roof structures over houses 2 and 3 and the cold frame area between them. They were amalgamated into one structure (2, 2A, 3), and an extension of the complete structure to the north created the annex. This new structure replaced the original houses built in the 1920s and the new roof line was considerably higher allowing taller plants to be more easily accommodated.
In 2001 the Kibby house was rebuilt and extended to the west. The steel framing in the old structure had started to fail. The top propagation house was rebuilt at the same time and incorporated as a side wing of the new Kibby House (House 4) with the floor area doubled. Previously the top propagation house had been a standalone structure.
In 2013 the final stage of the Fernery redevelopment was completed. This included a new roof structure over House 1 and new Propagation house with a new Park office/ staff facilities underneath. There was also a new potting shed and chemical store. New boilers were installed and the glasshouse venting system was automated.
The latest addition is a small glasshouse donated by The Friends of Pukekura Park in 2023.
Forts and Rifle Range
During the Taranaki Wars of the 1860s New Plymouth was transformed into a fortress. An entrenchment was dug around the town. It went from the beach, up Liardet Street, across to Marsland Hill, down Robe Street, down Queen Street to the stockade at Mount Elliot. Around the entrenchment protecting the town were nine blockhouses /redoubts/forts, two of which were in the confines of what is now Pukekura Park.
Fort Herbert was a single-storey blockhouse within a stockade, which housed friendly Māori. There were three thatched buildings inside the stockade. It was on the flat area behind the sportsground’s eastern terraces. In July 1860 a fire destroyed the buildings. A replacement wooden building for the guard was brought in from Captain Atkinson’s farm at Hurworth.
Carrington Road blockhouse was a cross-shape structure surrounded by an earth parapet and housed approximately 50 men. This was on the flat north of 25, Victoria Road.
Carrington Road Blockhouse in the middle distance. By Colonel Edward Arthur Williams, 1864.
(Hocken Library Collection, Dunedin. Accession 75/131).
Rifle Range
During the 1860 a rifle range was used for target practice and competitions. The distance from the firing position to the targets varied, the longest being 600 yards. The location of this firing position was somewhere near the junction of Gilbert Street and Victoria Road. The targets were set on the hillside to the east of The Poet’s bridge. They were set into the hillside to avoid stray bullets going into Brooklands. Unfortunately, this may not have always worked. The use of the range was stopped when complaints were received from George Cutfield who lived on the Brooklands estate.
At the end of 1868 a new rifle range was created on the beach between the Te Henui and Waiwhakaiho streams.
Section of map drawn by Thomas Mould in Sept 1860 showing entrenchment and blockhouses.
The rifle butts and 600-yard firing location have been added as well as a rough outline of Pukekura Park.
Cannon Hill, The Poet’s bridge and Tea House are added to give context to the map.
Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections Map 3673.
Fountain Lake
When the Recreation Ground was formed it included an area of privately owned land of approximately 1.5 acres: Māori Reserve No 12. It covered what is now Palm Lawn and the northern half of Fountain Lake. This package of land was purchased in 1891 from Mr. Fookes for £125. This opened up the area around the original waterfall and presented the possibility of creating a second lake.
Little is known about the lake’s construction other than it started early in 1893. During construction in July 1893 the lake filled prematurely flooding part of the Recreation Ground. The Taranaki Herald of December 4, 1893, reported that work was complete, and the lake had been filled. There is no reference to outside contractors working on the lake leading the writer to believe that it was excavated inhouse by Darby Claffey aided by his donkey and cart. There may also have been some prison labour involved.
The kidney shape of the lake was determined by the stream to the west and a footpath already in situ to the east. This footpath which ran from Liardet Street to Cannon Hill was probably the earliest formed in the Park and would have been used on the opening day of the Recreation Ground.
Fountain Lake circa 1897.
Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref: PHO2020-0014-008).
In 1933 a decision was made to desilt the lake for the first time since its creation 40 years earlier. The process brought to light some interesting finds and caused the problem of disposing of a lot of silt. Work commenced on April 24 and was completed by mid-July.
Approximately 2350 tons of mud and slush was removed. 1100 tons were carted to the Fitzroy golf links and Rugby Park, the public took about 250 tons and approximately 1000 tons were used in the Park for such purposes as top-dressing flower beds and filling a depression at the top end of the Lily Pond.
Work was scarce at the time because the country was in the middle of a depression. Fourteen men from all walks of life were employed. Eleven of whom worked two days per week and three worked three days per week over a period of 50 working days. Some returned soldiers and permanent staff also helped.
The work was dirty and difficult involving the shovelling of the silt into wheelbarrows then pushing the barrows over greasy planks laid on the lakebed. According to Thomas Horton who was curator at the time none of the men complained.
In a 1951 report Don Saxton (Pukekura Park Committee Chairman) and Jack Goodwin (Park curator), identified a number of projects aimed at attracting more people to the Park. One of which was the building of a fountain. The projects were possible because a bequest of approximately £21,500 from the estate of Walter and Leah Graham, former licensees of the Criterion Hotel.
During the Park’s committee meeting of June 1954, it was suggested by Stanley Anchor that the fountain could be a memorial to returned soldiers and the lake be called Memorial Lake. The following month the idea of having it as a memorial for the Queen’s visit was suggested. The Council had a plan to plant trees along Coronation Avenue as a memorial for the visit, but that was abandoned. Commemorating the Queen’s visit was thought to be the best way to get the public behind the proposed fountain. The plan met with a lot of public opposition and the local newspapers received many letters expressing disapproval. However, once the fountain was completed, opposition disappeared, drawing large crowds to see it play and with everyone thinking it was fantastic. At the time it was built it was considered to be state of the art.
The location chosen for the fountain was where an island stood in the middle of the lake. In anticipation of large crowds gathering to see the fountain a decision was made to fill the Lily Pond and create the Hatchery Lawn. Some of the fill came from the island.
Truck delivering fill to the Lily Pond.
TH, January 27, 1955.
The fountain was designed by the electrical engineering firm of Turnbull & Jones Ltd, Wellington, who had a lot of experience in this field. They also supplied the technical equipment including control panels, spray jets, underwater lights etc. To keep the cost down local tradesmen volunteered to do much of the construction work free of charge. Plumber, Stanley Anchor organised a group of fellow plumbers to install the pipework, and local builders arranged the construction of the fountain bowl and pump-house. Mr G. T. Payne supplied the labour, but the cost was borne by New Plymouth builders jointly.
Plumbing the Fountain. TH, March 28, 1955.
Local consulting civil engineer Alex Brodie acted as supervisor, also gratis. The concrete basin sits on three wooden piles which were driven in by Roebuck Construction Company. Funding for the project came from the Graham Bequest and public donations.
Construction began the first week in February 1955, with the building of the pump-house. The fountain was complete and ready for its official opening on April 9, 1955. The honour of starting the fountain display was given to Miss Judith Saxton, the Park Committee Chairman’s daughter. There was a crowd of 6 – 8000 people in attendance.
Following the opening the fountain played daily from 2.30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Times varied depending on the time of year and later in 1955 were reduced to playing only three evening a week due to power shortages.
During construction there were a few mishaps, with vehicles getting stuck in the mud on a couple of occasions, and the Rhind wrought iron gates at the lower Victoria Road entrance being badly damaged when they were hit by a truck.
Some interesting details about the fountain
Total water pumped | 366 gallons/ minute |
Total number of Jets | 228 |
Main Jet operating at 30 feet | 21 G. P. M. |
Inner Ring – 23 Jets operating at 25 feet | 125 G. P. M. |
Sprays 4 Jets | 25 G. P. M. |
Outer Ring – 132 Jets operating at 10 feet | 130 G. P. M. |
Edge Ring – 66 Jets operating at 6 feet | 65 G. P. M. |
Pump – 3 inch single stage | 1440 R. P. M. |
Pump Motor – 15 H. P. | 1440 R. P. M. |
Number of light changes. | 22 |
Time for full sequence of light changes. | 6.6 minutes. |
Number of water changes. | 14 |
Time for full sequence of water changes. | 5.2 minutes |
Combined sequence–Time including each effect and each colour | 45 minutes
|
15 Under water lights each 1,000 watts –3 each Red, Amber, Green, Blue and White.
| |
Hatchery Lawn
When the land was given to the Recreation Ground Board in 1875 the stream which flowed through the valley went through the middle of what is now the Hatchery Lawn. When the dam was put in to form the main lake a spillway was constructed at the northwest corner of the lake and flowed through to the Hatchery Lawn area, down a small waterfall and back into the original stream bed.
By 1882 a lily pond had been formed, and an ornamental fountain was constructed between the pond and the back of the main lake’s dam, courtesy of Professor Furlong. The fate of Furlongs Fountain is unknown.
1882, Furlong’s Fountain.
On the hillside above the fountain is a glowworm cave.
Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref: PHO2004-027).
In 1902 the Board agreed to allow the Acclimatisation Society to build trout rearing ponds, and the area that is Hatchery Lawn was chosen as the most suitable site. There were several ponds forming an arc around Furlong’s Fountain. Fry were put in the ponds and fed on mashed liver until they were big enough to fend for themselves. Then they were released into local rivers throughout Taranaki. During the first world war the ponds were abandoned, and they were filled in for safety reasons.
Fish Rearing Ponds, circa 1906.
In 1921 the Recreation Ground Board were again approached by the Acclimatisation Society with a plan to develop a hatchery. Permission was granted and a hatchery was built, taking the form of a Māori whare. The site was chosen due to the difference in elevation between the water level in the main lake and the hatchery lawn. As the water fell it was aerated which was vital for the hatching process.
Rainbow trout ova were brought in from Rotorua, while brown trout ova were brought in from Hakataramea in the South Island. Initially this venture was successful, however problems with water quality became an issue. From records it would appear that the hatchery ceased to be used circa 1928. The building remained on site for a number of years and a concrete water tank from the hatchery can still be seen at the southern end of the Hatchery Lawn, hidden in the undergrowth.
The following article published in the Taranaki Daily News, August 20, 192,1 gives an insight into the operational workings of the hatcheries in the 1920s.
PUKEKURA PARK – TARANAKI ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY’S WORK.
These hatcheries are now in full swing, and have been largely patronised by the public of late, who have been full of appreciation of the work of the society, and in particular of that of Mr. W. J. Bell, who is superintending operations. Indeed, one visitor from the South Island remarked that it was well worth travelling to New Plymouth to see the hatchery alone. There are now some 275,000 Ova and young trout on view, but would-be visitors are urged not to delay if they wish to see them, as they are progressing rapidly that the commencement of liberations takes place at once. Briefly, the series of operations now going forward is as follows:- The ova arrive packed in butter-cloth, resting upon moss; the case in which they travel is also arranged to carry a quantity of ice. This keeps the vitality of the eggs down, so that, being semi-dormant, they are less likely to sustain injury on their journey. Even then the boxes of ova have to be handled with extreme care. For instance, a heavy blow to the case is sufficient to kill a large number of eggs. Arrived at the hatchery, the ova are carefully unpacked, or floated off the butter-cloth into a bowl of ice-cold water, and then spread on the hatching trays. The troughs which contain these also contain at first large pieces of ice. This gradually melts, and the water rises to its normal temperature without injuring the ova, which otherwise would be killed by the shock. The trays are placed in tiers in the troughs, and by an ingenious arrangement the water is made to rise through them all from bottom to top in succession. On examining the eggs, it will be noticed that there are two black dots, some way apart, in each of them. These are the eyes of the future fish, and when they are present it is certain that the egg is fertile. When nearing hatching, it is possible to see the eyes moving about in the egg, through the semi-transparent shell, giving it a somewhat uncanny appearance. In a few days, depending upon how far advanced the ova were when received, and upon the temperature of the water, the young trout commence to burst their shells and to make their appearance. They do not look very much like fish, for each troutlet has attached to its abdomen a sac or, rather, one might say, each sac has a troutlet attached to it. This is the remainder of the yolk of the egg, and the fish gradually absorb it, growing fast all the time. When it is just absorbed is the time plant the fish in the rivers.
There are many queer freaks of nature among the baby fish. Some have two heads, some two tails and some are Siamese twins. These, of course, live only a very short time. In liberating the fish the greatest care has to be exercised in bringing the temperature of the water in the fish cans to that of the river. This is accomplished by pouring water out of the can and replacing it with water from the river, and often takes some time, and many changes. It is only necessary to state that a difference of over two degrees will kill every fish, to show the importance of the above, indeed, many fish must have been killed by liberators at times simply owing to their ignorance of this point. The system of liberation is based on the fact that three or four tiny fish are unnoticed by big trout, eels, etc., as being in no sense a meal. To liberate young fish of any sort in a body is a great mistake. They invariably form a shoal, and naturally attract attention which their enemies are not long in giving to them.
The present-day liberator passes along the river with a receptacle of fish. Here and there, whenever he finds a quiet little shallow, he dips out a very few never more than six. It takes a long time, but the results that follow prove it to be the right one. Indeed, the excellent waters of South Taranaki were made by this process. The little fish now fend for themselves. Never having been artificially fed their natural instinct teaches them what to look for and what to eat. They are spread all over the river, so there is food for all. They thrive and grow in their new environment at an enormous rate in this Dominion, and nowhere in it is there better trout water than in Taranaki.
The secretary of the Acclimatisation Society (Mr. Val. Duff, New Plymouth) would be glad to hear from gentlemen willing to assist in liberating fish, especially in the following districts:- Opunake, Inglewood, Okato, Warea, Lepperton, Oaonui.
Hatchery -Wonderbook of Taranaki 1926 27 TRCT 993.48 WON
Part of the southern end of the Lily Pond was reclaimed early in 1933 using silt from the lower lake, and Robert Clinton Hughes planted a ceremonial kauri tree there the following year. Unfortunately, the site was too wet, and the tree did not like it and died in the early 1950s, and was removed by Jack Goodwin.
In 1954 the Lily Pond was completely filled in. An island in the middle of Fountain Lake was removed when the Queen Elizabeth II fountain was constructed and some of the spoil was used to fill the Lily Pond. Most of the fill came from Fitzroy Golf Club. There is a belief that the Lily Pond was filled in so as to dispose of the island, that is not the case. The reason was to create extra space for people to congregate to view the fountain.
House by the Zoo
This attractive bungalow was constructed for Newton King in 1925. It was designed by noted New Plymouth architect Thomas Herbert Bates. Bates advertised for tenders for its construction in early August 1925, but construction appears to have been delayed for some months, with a permit for its construction not being granted by the Borough Council until 13 November 1925. F. D. Payne was the builder, and the estimated construction cost was £1,275.
Newton King had the bungalow built for his son Waldyne who at the time was employed by his father as a chauffeur.
When Brooklands was handed over to the Park Committee in late 1933 the house was unoccupied. The electric range, copper and tubs had been removed so had to be replaced before the house could be inhabited.
Once refitted various staff members lived in the house including; Alex Dent, Arthur Cleaver, Albert James and Mr Rae. Tom and Shona Wagstaff lived there from 1955 until Christmas 1961. Alan and Gael Jellyman lived there for 10 years from 1962. Alan was at first assistant curator to John Goodwin, then became deputy director and later director of Parks. Glyn Church and his wife Gail lived there from 1978 – 81. Ken Davey and his wife Adrienne occupied the house after the Church’s. The house was convenient for Ken because he was manager of the Parks Department Nursery which was next to the house.
In 2022 the house was converted into an envirohub. The Brooklands Enviro-Hub aims to be a centre for groups and individuals to meet, work and learn about our local environment and ways to improve where we live while minimising our impact on the world.
Bringing together people with a passion for sustainability and the environment, it is a place of collaboration, advocacy and learning, welcoming anyone with an interest in the environment and a sustainable future. The hub has been created to promote positive ideas and actions that can be incorporated into everyday lives.
Japanese Hillside
The Japanese Hillside was developed in response to requests for a Japanese garden. The opportunity arose in 1992, when it was decided to remove the original aged pine trees from the hillside to the west of Hughes Walk. A proposal was put forward to establish the hillside with Japanese trees, as the framework for a feature which fitted into the wider park landscape, but whose structural features would have a Japanese theme. The proposed concept was the idea of the Park curator, Anthony Joines and other Parks Department managers.
The concept meant that the hillside was planted to look like a piece of forest that might naturally be encountered in Japan. Some of the trees planted on the hillside were grown from seed that came from Japan. They included Japanese maples, Acer japonicum, and Hinoki Cypress, Camaecypais obtusa, which were raised in the Park Nursery and were planted out in 1993. Most of the Japanese Cedars, Cryptomeria japonica, were sourced locally from Cedar Lodge Nursery, and the azaleas came from Living Light Nursery at Omata. The positioning of the paths on the Japanese Hillside were determined by the access tracks cut by diggers during the process of removing the pines.
The lower part of Japanese Hillside between Hughes Walk and Fountain Lake wasn’t developed until 2001 and was the idea of Park Manager, Bryan Gould. Some trees had already been planted close to the Hughes Walk by Anthony Joines in 1993, but the rest of the slope was covered in native trees and shrubbery. In order to strengthen the identity of the Japanese Hillside. Ian Hutchinson (Botanical Records Officer at Pukekura Park) was asked in 2000 for hard landscape feature suggestions by the Park Manager and suggested a Torii Gate. This suggestion was made because Tori Gates are usually red, meaning they would match up with existing features such as the Park bridges.
Subsequently the Torii gate was built by the Parks construction team, based on design guidance/plans from New Plymouth’s sister city Mishima. The construction of the gate and the planting of the lower slope with azaleas, Pieris and some additional trees selected by the Park staff opened up the whole hillside to create a complete Japanese vista.
The Torii Gate was officially unveiled in May 2001 following a sister cities convention in New Plymouth. The ceremony was attended by a New Plymouth District Council delegation including deputy mayor Peter Tennent and a delegation from Mishima City. At the ceremony the gate was named ‘Mishima Gate’.
Jubilee Drinking Fountain
A Sports Ground Committee was set up in late 1889 with a mandate to develop the Sports Ground to a point where it could be used for most sports including rugby and cricket. At the end of seven years members of the committee felt they had achieved their goal and decided to dissolve the committee and hand back the running of the Sports Ground to the Recreation Ground Board. However, at the time the committee dissolved it still had some funds left over and the members thought it could be expended on laying on water from the town supply for a small drinking fountain in the grounds.
The executors of the Sports Ground Committee, N.K. McDiarmid and G.W. Browne, met with the Recreation Grounds Board offering the £13 they had in hand as the nucleus for a fund for a drinking fountain. They suggested that the remainder be raised by public subscription as they estimated up to £50 would be needed. Agreement was reached on the idea of constructing a fountain and its being located near the Band Stand. Mr Browne had plans drawn up for a drinking fountain which would stand twelve feet high, be on Marble columns and have marble facings.
Construction of the drinking fountain proceeded rapidly under Mr Browne’s supervision, even though the subscriptions for covering the cost of it were slow in coming in. It was decided that as the Diamond Jubilee, celebrating the sixty-year reign of Queen Victoria, was coming up the drinking fountain should be dedicated to commemorating this occasion. The drinking fountain was unveiled on behalf of the Sports Ground Committee by Mr. H. Brown, H.H.R. at the Jubilee celebrations in the Grounds, on the 22nd of June 1897.
The fountain was built by Stonemason Mr. J Russell.
Jubilee Drinking Fountain.
New Zealand Graphic, January 23, 1904
Kunming Garden
Kunming Garden in Brooklands was a gift to New Plymouth from the mayor of Kunming city, in the Yunnan province of China, following the signing of a sister city agreement in 2003.
The pavilion, moon gate and paths were all constructed by Chinese craftsmen from the city of Dali which is a four-hour drive west of Kunming. All of the materials for these features came from China. A total of 34 tonnes of stone, timber and carvings were shipped before the project began. Limestone for the garden’s stonework, came from the Kunming Stone Forest, a tourist attraction, one hours drive east of Kunming city.
The plants in the garden are all native to Asia but were all sourced in New Zealand.
The garden was officially opened on February 27, 2005.
The Spring Wind Pavilion was put together without using power tools, nails or screws, and the intricately painted ceiling of the pavilion was created in situ by two talented artists who created the design without a plan to follow. The designs were started with blocks of colour and developed into symmetrical shapes inside which were painted small classical landscape scenes.
Spring Wind Pavilion.
Freestyle Hand Painted Roof.
The path in Kunming Garden incorporates a floral design. All the stones were placed individually. Look carefully and you will notice that the stones do not touch. Paths like this are common in Asia and are sometimes called foot chi paths or reflexology footpaths.
Moon Gate
Ladies Pavilion
Early in 1948 a request for a ladies dressing shed was made to the Park Committee by a deputation representing the New Plymouth Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club and the Girls’ Marching Association. It was pointed out that female athletes competing at the Park’s sportsground were getting changed in their cars or in the bushes. It was hoped that the building would contain two rooms measuring 15ft x 12 feet, with showers and other amenities at the rear.
The deputation pointed out that in 1949 several women’s events may be held in New Plymouth, including the New Zealand women’s and junior track and field athletic championships, the national marching championships, as well as hosting a visiting team from America. The Park Committee was sympathetic to the request provided finances for the project could be found.
TH, March 23, 1949.
Representatives of the New Plymouth Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club attended the Park Committee meeting in May 1948 reiterating their request for changing facilities at the sportsground. The deputation stated that holding the New Zealand women’s and junior track and field athletic championships at the Park in 1949 was dependent on changing facilities being available, otherwise they would have to be held at Rugby Park. After the deputation left the matter was further discussed, and it was resolved that “every effort should be made to proceed with the erection of the necessary conveniences with the least possible delay, and subject to the necessary materials being available that the committee approves of the work proceeding immediately.” The Committee received an interest free advance of £2,000 for the project.
To raise funds for the construction a committee was set up, which included representatives from the Park Committee and several local sporting bodies. One of the committee members was renowned javelin thrower Stan Lay.
The site chosen for the changing rooms was located at the south-west corner of the sportsfield. A large cutting was made into the bank creating a suitable space for the changing room as well as a future staff building. For safety reasons, ten pine trees were felled on the hillside above the new building between the Sportsground and the Tea House. An old tractor shed was removed from the site and relocated to the Fountain Lake section of Smith Walk, where it remains today.
The changing room was designed by then borough engineer Mr. R. F. Mainland and was constructed by Messrs. Curd Bros. It was completed sometime during February 1949 and construction cost was £1,318. Unfortunately, showers were never fitted.
Liardet Street Entrance
Originally the plan was to have the main entrance at the northwest corner of the grounds onto Carrington Road (now Victoria Road) and run a path along the western bank of the stream down to Brooklands. From this a second path was to run at right angles across the valley past Breidecker’s vineyard (in what is now Stainton Dell) and exit at the racecourse. Unfortunately, it was difficult to proceed with the main entrance at that location because the Board did not own town sections, 1084 and 1065. A decision was made to move the entrance to Liardet Street which at the time was the only reasonable alternative.
Although people could come up Liardet Street it was not ideal. A stream that crossed the street had to be bridged and a large hill outside the entrance to the grounds had to be scrambled over. Take a step outside of the Liardet Street entrance and look at the cutting either side of the road, that cutting did not exist when the Recreation Grounds was officially opened in May 1876.
The first proper gates to be erected at the entrance were donated by George Rhind in 1885. Rhind had come to New Plymouth in 1881 to help with the unloading and erection of machinery for the new harbour. He was kept on and made Superintendent of Works. Rhind worked for the Harbour Board for about 10 years, then briefly as the proprietor of the Taranaki Hotel.
The gates were built by blacksmith James Revell. They were made of wrought iron and hung on large iron posts. Unfortunately, the foundations were not built as solidly as the gates themselves and soon collapsed leaving the gates impassable.
Main Entrance – Fillis Street – circa 1919. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 35-R925
In 1890, Robert Hughes Senior took it upon himself to fix the problem. He engaged Arthur Mofflin to design a new entrance which included rehanging the existing gates.[[1]] A full width concrete foundation was laid with concrete pillars supporting the gates. On the west side a smaller wicket was added for foot traffic. What was described as a smaller wicket was an opening with a turnstile.
There is a question as to whether the old gates were rehung or new gates were built. It is the author’s opinion that the old gates were rehung.
In 1936 a decision was made to replace the gates with something much more imposing. At the Park committee meeting in April 1937 Mr. Syme of Messrs. Syme & Griffiths presented a sketch of the proposed new gates. The following month it was resolved that the plans as submitted by Messrs. Griffiths & Syme be approved, that they be appointed architects to the Board for this work and that they be authorised to prepare specifications and call for tenders at their earliest convenience.
Memorial Gate Sketch presented to the Pukekura park Committee (Puke Ariki ARC2011-083)
The pylons and walls were designed to be finished with Mount Somers Stone but the construction estimates using this material were far more than the committee could afford. The architects came back with an alternative, which was described as “water-proofed stone, tinted blocks marked out to represent stone courses.” The fake stone finish did not sit well with long time committee member William Short who was a stonemason. The lowest tender using Mount Somers Stone was £3,636 and the lowest tender using the alternative finish was £1,575 by Boon Bros. Ltd., who were given the contract. The following month the architects came back with a finer finish which incorporated mica.
New Sanders Gates -AWN, May 24, 1939
The gates were advertised as being memorial gates, however, the names of the benefactors that should appear on the memorial plaques was not clear. A marble tablet inscribed with the names of deceased benefactors including J. T. Davis, Martha King and others had been erected on the face of Cannon Hill in 1906. By 1937 the tablet had fallen into a state of disrepair and was removed. It was probably the intention to add all of the names from this tablet onto a plaque on the new gates, however, because the gates were being funded from the Sanders bequest it was felt it was only proper that his name alone should appear on the gates which is as it is today.
The old gates were taken down and relocated to the Victoria Road entrance at the end of Gilbert Street where they remain
Relocated Rhind Gates
Main Lake
When provincial Secretary, Thomas Kelly selected the site for the Park, he did so because of the stream running through the valley. He could see the potential of damming the stream to make a lake and have the area as a recreational reserve. He laid this out in a letter sent to Fred Carrington the Superintendent of New Plymouth on June 8, 1875. This letter was published in the Taranaki Herald, June 26, 1875.
To form the lake a 110 ft long dam was constructed across the stream, between today’s Band Rotunda and Waterfall. The plans and specification were supplied by Thomas Kelly. Originally the stream followed the west bank of the lake and went through the middle of the Hatchery Lawn. At the point where the dam was constructed the bed of the stream was approximately 5m below the level of today’s path.
Because of interest in the construction of the dam the Taranaki Herald published an article, June 13, 1878, describing how it was constructed. The article highlighted many problems encountered by the contractor. It was a large undertaking and everything was dug out by hand. During construction there were changes made for safety reasons. For example, an under sluice was added to the design. There was a fear that if the dam collapsed the water released would inundate the town causing a lot of damage. The under sluice was added so that the lake could be drained in case of an emergency. Following is a transcription of the article.
Taranaki Herald, June 13, 1878 Dam Construction.
As the public have shown a great deal of interest in the formation, construction, and the progress made with the works connected with the dam in the Botanical Gardens, and as they are now completed, a short resume of what has been done may not be out of place, and will be interesting to many of our readers. It is now nearly five months since the contract to do the work was taken by Mr. Neil, and, not withstanding many drawbacks, it has been completed to the entire satisfaction of the Board.
Before, however, proceeding to describe what has been done, it ought to be stated for general information that had not the members of the Board pledged their own personal credit to the amount of £150, the public would not now possess as fine a piece of artificial water as there is now to be found in New Zealand. The public are certainly indebted to those gentlemen for their spirited action in the matter. We trust that members of the community will attend the Bazaar to be held in aid of the grounds, and be but half as ready to spend their money in the purchase of articles as the ladies of New Plymouth have been in making them, and a large addition to the funds of the Board will be realised.
The greatest difficulty which the Contractor had to contend with was the water. Owing to the peculiar formations of the ground it was not possible to divert the stream, therefore it was found necessary to form a coffer dam some little distance above the works, in order to carry the stream by a race cut in the side of the hill clear of the proposed foundation, about 80ft across. The excavation was then gone on with, although water was still coming in too fast to admit of the work being carried on with satisfaction. The spring burst out in many directions, the strongest ones at the sides of the excavations. These springs did not show until the Contractor had got down about 7 feet through a stiff black soil, very much like peat, evidently the stream’s deposit for many years, for it was full of leaves, sticks, &c., some of them being as green as if plucked the day before. The Contractor now introduced a Californian pump, and found that by plying it every half-hour the water could be kept down. Beneath this Iayer of black soil was a bed of volcanic ashes about 2 inches thick, resembling powdered pumice stone. It was quite gritty, and evidently not wood ashes. This was resting on a bed of very greasy white clay, about 2 feet in thickness. At sight this seemed to be a sound bottom, but the sounding bar disclosing gravel underneath, it was found necessary to remove the clay. Large rocks then began to show themselves, and limbs of trees with the leaves still attached and quite green. Thousands of hinau berries were turned up with shells of mullusca 3 inches long. A further excavation of 2 feet brought the contractor to the bottom, which consisted of a stiff clay. Then being then down about 11 feet below the surface their contention against the water was very laborious. It was now found necessary to run a bank of clay across the excavation, 12 feet from the upper side to the former level of the stream. This being well puddled the benefit was seen at once, for the water collected behind it during the remainder of the time the contractor was at work and the excavation was tolerably dry. The foundation for the puddle wall then carried down 2 feet into the bottom. The excavation being completed the filling-in commenced, the puddle wall being kept about 2 feet below the sides, as they rose guided by plank there to prevent it spreading. This system was followed till the completion of the work.
The intention of the Board in the first instance was to have formed the dam without a scouring sluice, but further consideration induced them to alter their plans, and a deep under sluice was cut on the east bank. It was found necessary to use dynamite in making this cut, as large rocks kept cropping up; but most of the cutting was through very compact gravel cement. Three box culverts were made, each ten feet long by twelve inches clear inside, and carefully laid in a bed of puddle and well rammed for two feet over. The frame for the lift was then placed, the uprights sunk one foot in the ground and well tied at top, bottom, and middle, and collared round the mouth of the culvert to keep it rigid. A lip from the culvert went down about ten inches in the solid, and the race in front was well rammed and beaten for about twelve feet. The front of the lift is boarded with planks two inches thick up to the top, and let into the sides of the race one foot; and the puddle is continued behind all the way up, six feet in breadth. The remaining twenty-four feet is filled up with earth, and kept from falling out into the race at the end by a rubble wall eight feet high. There are of course many other little things that deserve to be noticed, but the foregoing are the principal ones. That it was a large undertaking is manifest, and that the contractors have ably performed their work, the proof is its impermeability.
We have not as yet, been able to obtain exact information to the amount of earth removed, area of water. &c., but the following is an approximate estimate :- about 3,000 yards of earth have been removed, and the area of water obtained is nearly two acres. The length of the sheet, in our estimation, comprises its beauty, as it will run back nearly 400 yards, with varying breadth. The total length of the dam across the way on top is 110 feet by 10 feet wide, with a breadth of 80 feet at the foundation. The pressure of water on the embankment will be over 400 tons—a weight which need not alarm the most timid, as the stability of the work is unquestionable.
In conclusion, we can only wish that the Board had more funds at its disposal, in order that it might continue improving and beautifying the Grounds, which are being made a popular resort for the public for pleasure and amusement.
Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref: PHO2001-396).
This photo shows a path to the right of The Poet’s Bridge leading to a small bridge crossing onto a spit of land. This was the original track on the east side of the lake to the south of the Park. This path continued down the Park through what is now Goodwin Dell. This changed in 1894 when the Boat Shed Bridge was constructed. Soon after this the spit of land was removed apart from two islands which remain today. The third island on the west side of the lake was formed in the same manner.
When the lake was filled two boats were donated, one from Mr. Hirst which was described as a neat and commodious pleasure boat and one from Mr. Nicoll (blacksmith) which was a 15ft iron outrigger christened “Lady of the Lake”. The Board decided that they would charge one guinea if the public wanted to put their own boats on the lake for private use.
After completion of the lake the Acclimatisation Society approached the Board with the intention of forming a union so that they could use the grounds for rearing fish and birds. Unfortunately, the society also wanted to ban boating and swimming in the lake which was unacceptable to the Board.
In early 1879 a bathing shed and diving board were built and the lake became the first public swimming pool in town. Initially bathing was restricted to before 8am then in 1886 the hours were extended to 11am for women and children. A red flag was hoisted on the Cannon Hill flagpole to warn men to stay clear. Swimming in the lake became less popular after the public baths were opened but it was still used occasionally in the 1920s.
In 1886 the area of the lake was increased by over an acre by removing a spit of land on the east side of the lake immediately south of The Poet’s Bridge in a section of the lake known as the Dardanelles.
Three islands were formed in the lake in the mid-1890s. The two islands on the east side were originally part of a spit of land which extended north from Monument Hill between the two streams feeding the lake.
Newly formed islands, circa 1893.
Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellinton. N.Z.
Ref. G-21383-12.
Manhattan Island circa 1900.
Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref: ARC2004-248)
When the lake was originally formed it extended as far as Goodwin Dell. The first 100 metres at the southern end was narrow, shallow and full of raupo. This area was reclaimed in 1899 and made into what was known as Manhattan Island. T. K. Skinner supervised the project. The stream to the west of the island was filled in at some point. There was a record of the channels around the island filling with silt following a major downpour. It may have been that they decided not to reopen the channel following that event (Ref: TH, April 4, 1935 page 9).
The other major work on the lake was the extension beyond the Boat Shed known as the Serpentine. This was designed and supervised by Percy Smith in 1908. One of the streams feeding the lake comes through the valley where the Serpentine is. This was dug out to form the lake extension. A gang of Māori labourers were hired to do the job and they camped in the Park during the project. Newton King was so impressed with them that he hired them to dig out and create the lake at Brooklands when work on the Serpentine was complete. While digging out the Serpentine an eel was caught weighing 25lb.
Silt has always been a major problem in the Park lakes. In 1926 when construction got underway on the Fernery it was decided to clean the lakes. The silt was so bad at the upper end of the main lake that it was becoming difficult to get the boats out of the Boat Shed. A novel approach was taken. Buckets were filled then hauled out of the lake by a winch which was pulled by the tractor the sportsground had acquired the previous year. Subsequent desilting operations have been carried out in 1966, 1996 and 2020.
Maze
Back in 1892 a chap named Archibald Hood made a request to plant a maze in the Recreation Ground which was granted. Unfortunately, the maze had a very short existence, but still managed to leave a lasting impression.
Hood had seen active service with the Royal Artillery during the Crimean War and came to New Plymouth in 1861. In New Plymouth he was attached to the Army Supply Department during the Taranaki Wars. After taking his discharge he remained in New Plymouth.
He made the proposal to construct a maze in September 1892 and by October it was reported that, “under Mr. Hood’s supervision ‘a maze’ of box thorn (between 3 and 4000 roots being used) had been made towards the head of the gully above the lakelet”. Later, in May 1893 it was reported that, “The ‘maze’ that has been formed at the southern end of the reserve will, in the course of a couple of years, be one of the attractions of the place, as the box thorn hedges are growing vigorously.” It soon became apparent that the maze was going to be high maintenance when at the end of the year Charles Edgecombe put in an account for £3 3s for labour at the maze. The Board resolved not to spend any more money on the maze for at least six months.
To try and recoup some of the money Hood had spent, he wrote a book called Johnny Fro which went on sale for 6d in October 1894. Hood was a literary man and had previously published a few short stories and poems. The story of Johnny Fro starts in the Park when Johnny meets a young girl named, Miss Marimemonia Breenge and it concludes in the Park when Johnny and Marimemonia get married in the maze. To read the story of Johnny Fro click here.
For health reasons Hood was unable to tend to the maze himself and in November 1895 launched an appeal to raise money for the maze maintenance. A man was employed for several days in December 1895 putting the maze in order; however, it would appear that the maintenance became too difficult. In a Board meeting in 1900 it was reported that two hundred trees had been planted around the site of the old maze.
The exact location of the maze is unknown; however, it was described as being made towards the head of the gully above the lakelet. At that time the lake extended all the way to Goodwin Dell suggesting that the maze was probably in that location. Also, at that time the path to the south end of the Park went through that area.
Old Curator's Office
In a report in 1946 Thomas Horton highlighted the need for new staff offices. He was working from part of the original tea house, built in1905 adjacent to where the current Tea House now stands, which was moved in 1931 (when the current Tea House was built) to a dark damp spot along the path to the west of the Fernery. It had been repurposed as a ladies toilet and curators office, and because of the location the building was always cold and damp. The remaining staff were housed in the old bathing shed which had also been relocated along the same path.
In 1948 when a site was selected for a ladies dressing shed at the south-west corner of the Sportsground a decision was made to excavate the site to be large enough, that in future a curator’s office/staff room could also be erected.
Plans were prepared by the City Engineer and Graham Harvey, which were presented to the committee at their December 1950 meeting. The plans were approved at the next meeting in February 1951. Due to work pressures, Harvey was unable to finish the final plans and specifications until November 1951. The following month a tender of £2,996 13s submitted by Messrs. Ashman Ltd was accepted for the construction of the building.
Old Curator’s Office
The Board decided to dedicate the building to the memory of Mr. & Mrs. Graham, and a dedication plaque was subsequently fixed on the exterior of the building. A couple of months earlier the committee had received notice that they had been left a large bequest on the death of Mrs. Graham. During their time in New Plymouth in the 1920s and 30s the Graham’s were the proprietors of the Criterion Hotel and were strong supporters of the Park. The bequest stipulated that it had to be spent on permanent structures. Their bequest was more than £21,000 given to the Park over a period of several years. Even though the building was dedicated to the Graham’s memory, their money did not directly pay for the construction of the building.
The final cost of the building was £3,296 12s 8d of which the council paid £1,500, the remaining £1,796 12s 8d was paid for using monies from the following bequests: Sanders, Attrill, Mary Freeth, Annie Hulk, Clara Bingham, E. F. Fookes and A. R. Standish.
Construction started in February of 1952 and was completed in May 1952. It comprised an L-shaped workshop accessed by a large double door, a staff lunchroom, a small dressing room with a shower, a storeroom and an office for the curator.
The building was used as the office for the Pukekura Park Curator and the Parks & Recreation Department as an administration centre. The building ceased being the base for the Parks & Recreation Department in the late 1980s but continued to be the office for the curator up until June1999 when the curator role was disestablished. Subsequently it was reoccupied in March 2007 as the curator’s office when the Park’s curator role was re-established.
More recently the building has largely been vacant except for use by the Events Team during the Festival of the Lights, and as a base for the “Energy City Harriers”.
The building became vacant when a new Curator’s Office was built near the Fernery in 2013.
Pukekura Park Tennis Club
The Pukekura Park Board received a letter in June 1910, at its monthly meeting stating that: “a movement was on foot to form a tennis club in Vogeltown, and the promoters are very desirous of utilising a portion of the Park fronting the Carrington Road and adjoining the Vogeltown entrance― lying between the entrance and the caretaker’s cottage. At present the piece of ground is hardly used and it is the very place for such a purpose as we propose. We are asked to ascertain whether your board will grant us a lease of this ground at a nominal rate. If so we are prepared to call a meeting forthwith, have the club formed, and the courts prepared for next season’s play. It is hardly necessary for us to point out that the laying out of courts and the subsequent care of them will greatly enhance the appearance and usefulness of this portion of the Park.” This was viewed favourably by the Board.
Following a meeting at the Park with the group of individuals promoting the tennis and croquet club, the Park Board received a formal application which asked for a seven-year lease, with the right of renewal for a further term, and enough ground for four tennis courts and a croquet lawn. It also requested that the courts be entirely under the control of the club and stated that the public would be admitted to the enclosure, and that none of the existing footpaths or gateways would be obstructed.
The Board decided to grant the lease of about an acre of land as pegged out, for seven years, the first two years at a shilling a year, third year £4 a year, and the remaining four years £5, payable half-yearly in advance, upon certain conditions. Two of the conditions were that the land be cleared of fern weeds and rubbish and that notice boards be put up stating that public would have free access at all times. These two conditions were later rescinded by the Board.
On June 30, 1910, a meeting for the purpose of forming a lawn tennis and croquet club, chaired by the Mayor at the Council Chambers, was attended by about seventy ladies and gentlemen. The club was formed and named the “Park Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club”. The officers elected were: president, Mr. R. Cock; vice-presidents, Messrs. G. Tisch, T. C. Schnackenberg, and Mr. Rudd; trustees, the vice-presidents; general committee, Messrs. F. W. Sandford, F. C. Tribe, T. C. List, H. J. Wells, and S. L. Mark; ladies committee, Mesdames. R. Cock, Dowling, F. C. Tribe, T. C. Schnackenberg, and Misses E. Smith, T. Okey and Hammond; treasurer, Mr. A. T. Moore; secretary, Mr. J. J. Staples. Prior to the official formation of the club the group had already been active attracting 54 men and 48 lady members. They had also sought tenders for the laying of the grass courts and the quote from A. J. Cole was accepted.
The club soon realised that their initial layout wasn’t adequate and employed surveyors, Sladden and Palmer to lay out the courts differently. After a retendering process, the job of laying the courts was given to A. J. Cole. The courts were ready for sowing by the middle of September. To get the grounds in order several working bees were organized. At one of the working bees at the end of September, the ladies selected the location for the clubhouse. It was located near Carrington Road in between the tennis and croquet lawns. In November George Lynch was appointed groundsman for the club.
The erection of the clubhouse started in mid-December. It was designed by Committee member Major F. W. Sandford who drew the sketches and supervised the building work. The construction was mainly carried out by himself and Mr. F. C. Tribe with some additional help from other club members. Major Sandford was a woodwork teacher and leading light in the scout movement in New Zealand. He was a personal friend of Lord Baden Powell, the founder of the scouting movement.
A garden party was organised at “Overdale”, the residence of Richard Cock, to raise funds for building the clubhouse. Unfortunately, inclement weather meant it wasn’t as successful as hoped. There was a write up about the event in The Daily News under the heading of “Woman’s World”, which included a description of what some of the ladies were wearing, for example: Mrs. Cock, black chiffon taffetas, black and white hat, with feathers; Mrs. Roberts, pretty crush strawberry linen, faced with black, saxe blue toque, trimmed with brown.
The tennis and croquet courts were ready for opening by the end of the year and were described as follows: “The courts are conveniently and picturesquely situated on the hill overlooking the big lake, and front on the old Carrington road. The area under the control of the club has been terraced, and the courts are on three different levels, with gradual slopes from the first pair to the second pair of tennis courts, then a smaller promenade lawn in front of the club house on a lower level, and just below it the croquet lawn. This latter has not thrived too well, and for this season the promenade lawn will probably be kept for the croquet ladies. The tennis courts are fenced with wire netting twelve feet high, and this will permit of the wide walk along the side being used with absolute safety by the spectators, whilst the players will also be relieved to know that no one can wander sort-of-aimlessly on to the playing area. A walk, to be planted with shrubs, and perhaps with flowers, will be made right round the courts; in fact, there is a very complete beautification scheme to be carried out, sufficient ground having been placed at the disposal of Club to make the courts very attractive. A handy little clubhouse has been erected, comprising an afternoon tea room, ladies’ and gentlemen’s dressing rooms, etc., and caretaker’s room, besides a small apartment sacred to the providers of the cup that cheers.”
The “Park Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club” was officially opened on January 3, 1911, by the Mayor Mr. G Tisch.
In 1923 the tennis club decided to change from grass courts to asphalt covered concrete courts and reduced the number of courts from five to four.
A new club house was built in 1933. It was designed by club member Frank Tett, who was a drawing teacher at NPBHS. Tett was a mentor to architect Terry Boon and artist Michael Smither. The clubhouse was constructed by Messrs Peterson & Co.
Frank Tett designed Tennis Club House still in use today
In 1939 the tennis club was advised by the Pukekura Park Board that they would have to move from Victoria Road within five years because the Park Board needed the land for planting a shelter belt. This was a blow to the tennis club as they had built a new club house only a few years earlier. The Park Committee considered offering a piece of land next to the Gables which Thomas Horton said was big enough for six tennis courts and three croquet greens. Because of the war the club’s relocation was deferred.
The Park Tennis and Croquet Club was eventually relocated in 1953 to its current site at the end of Kura Street. The clubhouse was dismantled and rebuilt at the new site by the Council in July 1953.
The Park Lawn tennis and Croquet Club officially changed its name to “The Pukekura Park Tennis Club” in 1975 although “Pukekura” had appeared in its title as early as the 1920s.
Sports Ground
For many years the Sports Ground was the centre of outdoor entertainment in New Plymouth, hosting cricket, rugby, soccer, floral fetes, athletics events, brass band competitions, Anzac Day parades and several receptions for royal visitors and other dignitaries.
From its beginnings as a swampy area to becoming the famous sporting venue it is today the Sports Ground is probably the most interesting development in the Park’s history. Looking closely at the Fred Carrington contour map, a ridge can be seen behind the present eastern terrace extending northward across Fillis Street. The ridge extends westward on the north side of Fillis Street, across Liardet Street, then southward across Fillis Street back into the Park. Combined with the hill of the southern terrace the contours formed a huge almost complete basin that contained a swamp that drained westward into the stream running through the Park. At the southeastern corner of the Sports Ground is King Fern Gully which in 1875 was part of the same swamp. The current level of the playing field is probably two or three metres higher than it was in 1875.
In mid-1881 it was decided to try and reclaim part of the swamp to form a croquet lawn. This required carting in a lot of fill from somewhere; where better than the ridge outside the Liardet Street entrance. The Board applied to the council to take the fill from the ridge running across Liardet Street, and were given permission to remove two thousand cubic yards provided it was taken off the brow of the hill and for the full width of the street. Alfred Wells won the contract to excavate the fill by which time the plan was to use the ground as a cricket pitch.
In February 1882, the Board were told not to remove any more earth because Liardet Street had been left in a dangerous condition. It would seem that the Board had run out of money and the contractor had stopped work. In November of the same year work restarted on filling the swamp using a new contractor, Mr. G. Thompson. Then in early 1883 the Board called for tenders to expand the lawn. The Board’s accounts show that they purchased grass seed in July of that year. By September 1884 the swamp had been filled and turfed to the extent that consideration was given to its use for cricket; however, the cricket community deemed it unsuitable and looked elsewhere.
In 1885 the Board granted the local rugby team use of the ground for practice but there are no records of any matches being played there. Although the ground had been reclaimed and grassed it was very soft when wet and not suitable for sport.
Because of its proximity to town and the protection from the southerly wind the Recreation Ground was seen as an ideal location for sport; however, the Board made it clear that they did not have the funds or desire to further develop the area. So, in 1889 a group of local sports administrators approached the Board with a plan to set up a Sports Ground Committee, independent of the Board, and develop the area into a sports ground. This was agreed to, and a Sports Ground Committee was set up in October 1889 consisting of Messrs. W. H. Skinner, H. Dempsey, R. B. Roy, W. Bennett, A. Goldwater, F. Watson, J. M. Lightfoot, W. Parker and E. Humphries.
The area was given over to the Sports Ground Committee for a seven-year term at a rent of 1s per year. They were allowed to charge for games or fetes on twelve occasions each year provided the whole of the takings were spent on improving the grounds.
A plan for the development of the Sports Ground was drawn up by T. K. Skinner, which the Sports Ground Committee felt was effective and got behind it whole heartedly. Skinner also agreed to supervise the work. Fundraising and clearing of trees and shrubs started immediately. Messrs. George Bros., of Omata were selected to form the athletics track, and working bees were organised to clear the surrounding hills of ferns.
The first athletics meet was on Easter Monday, April 7, 1890, in front of a crowd of two thousand people, and went off without a hitch. The events included: One Mile Handicap, Half-Mile Handicap, Boy’s 200 Yards Handicap and 120 Yards Hurdle Handicap, Pole Vault, Running High Jump, 100 Yards Handicap, Quarter-Mile Handicap, Ladies Bracelet 220 Yards, 120 Yards Hurdle Handicap. There were a number of other events such as, Tug of War and 100 Yards Pick-a-back. Further improvements followed, and by the time a sports meeting was held at Easter 1891 some seated terracing had been formed.
In June 1892 the committee met with local cricket and rugby club representatives. It was agreed to allow the New Plymouth Cricket Club to play all matches and practice on the ground. Rugby was restricted to interprovincial, inter-club and cup matches, but no practices. New Plymouth Cricket Club had laid down a pitch by September of that year and the first match between teams from the East and West ends of New Plymouth was played on December 15th.
At the end of its seven-year tenure in February 1897 the Sports Ground Committee was dissolved. It was decided any remaining funds would go towards making a drinking water fountain in the Recreation Grounds (Queen Victoria Jubilee Fountain).
In 1900 there was a call for more improvements to the Sports Ground and T. K. Skinner was again asked to produce a plan. He produced a very ambitious plan estimated to cost £2,000. He wanted to remove what is presently the western terrace, reclaim part of the lower lake and extend into Fillis Street. This plan met with resistance and never got off the ground.
1903 the Board asked Percy Smith and Lance Sladden to prepare a scheme to solve the problem of the ground’s poor drainage. The plan was completed but not acted upon. In 1904 more schemes were put forward including one from the photographer W. A. Collis.
Following five years of procrastination the Board was approached by the United Sports Committee. They proposed to take control of and develop the Sports Ground over a seven-year period, estimating to spend up to £1,300 in the process. This was a similar arrangement to that of 1889. After some negotiating the committee was given the go-ahead. The new Sports Ground Committee had its first meeting in November 1905, headed by Arthur Larwill Humphries (Skinny Humphries) an accountant and ex New Zealand halfback who had represented his country on 15 occasions.
The plan was to make the playing area larger by moving the southern terraces back 16½ yards, moving the eastern terraces back 11 yards and cutting into the hill on the western side of the main gates 16½ yards, laying new drains and raising the playing surface 4ft. The scheme was basically the same as one proposed by Collis the previous year. A lot of the fill to raise the pitch was to come from cutting back the terraces. The ground was handed over to the Sports Ground Committee on, August 1, 1906. Fundraising started immediately with door-to-door canvassing for subscriptions and a handsome donation of £100 was received from the Licensed Victuallers’. By the end of the year, they had raised almost £200.
One of the first actions of the new committee was to secure 1300 yards of fill from the railway deviation being worked on in Molesworth Street. Until then the railway had run parallel to Vivian Street, then across Devon Street on the west side of the Huatoki River. C. Kyngdon secured the contract to transport the material by horse and dray at 1shilling/yard. During the process he had several mishaps.
The work of reforming the terraces moved rapidly taking the number of terraces from six to twenty-two. The seating capacity was increased from five hundred to two thousand with an estimated overall capacity of up to ten thousand. Four thousand drainpipes were laid, fourteen tons of special soil for the cricket pitch was transported from Longburn, near Palmerston North and the grass seed was provided by Messrs. Tothill & Co., of Invercargill. The first cricket game on the new pitch was Taranaki v Wanganui on December 26, a few days before the Sports Ground’s grand opening on January 1, 1908. During the period of construction, the Liardet Street entrance was closed for safety reasons, which led to the formation of the Gilbert Street entrance.
At the beginning of 1908 electric lighting was installed, described as follows:
Electric light poles have been erected around the Recreation Sports Ground. Four powerful arc lamps will be used in addition to several smaller ones. An admirable effect will be realised in the future at all evening entertainments in the grounds, the lamps having been fixed in such a manner that not only the sports arena but the whole of the terraces are admirably illuminated. An arc lamp is also being fixed at the main entrance to the grounds.
(TH, Feb 4, 1908)
Until 1924 dressing rooms took the form of basic wooden sheds, the first of which was built in 1891. A second shed was built in 1897 by H. Roberts, followed by a third in 1909. This was an 18ft x 18ft, shed located in the vicinity of the Bellringer Pavilion.
The first substantial building was erected in 1924. It was a single storey concrete structure designed by well-known architect Thomas Bates and built by Jones and Sandford. The walls of this building still exist today inside the ground floor of the Bellringer Pavilion.
Original Sports Pavilion, circa 1930
An iconic item at the Sports Ground was a Fordson tractor purchased in 1925. It served in the Park for over 50 years. The tractor is now in the Taranaki Aviation Transport & Technology Museum on Kent Road. This tractor was used to winch up buckets of silt when the main lake was desilted in 1927.
The Terraces were improved during the 1920s and 1930s. There was a major development in 1936. The eastern terrace was remodelled, and the bottom two terraces of the south and east terraces were connected. Also, a small set of terraces at the south-east corner of the grounds were removed and replaced with a grass slope. It was estimated that the changes would increase seating capacity by 1000 spectators.
In 1930 the New Plymouth Amateur Athletic Club paid for a new Sports Ground lighting system Installation. It cost approximately £700. It was considered one of the best in the country. Walter Graham of the Criterion Hotel donated £300 towards the cost. The running costs and maintenance was the responsibility of the athletic club.
!956 Upper Floor addition almost complete. TDN, December 7, 1956
The original pavilion building remained unaltered until 1956 at which time a second storey was added costing £5,840. The extension was designed by Ted Borrell, the structural engineer was Alex Brodie, and built by Messrs. A. L. Roberts & sons. Viewing from the upper floor was restricted by two old cabbage trees that had been planted in the 1880s, so they had to go.
Comprehensive floodlighting was installed at the Sportsground, consisting of twenty-one 1500-watt lamps mounted on 30-foot poles. The twenty-one lights were expected to produce 48,300 candlepower.
The pavilion was extended again in 1988 costing $160,000. On completion it was dedicated to Brian Bellringer, in recognition of his services to the community and to Taranaki Cricket. The original stucco building can be seen when entering the changing rooms on the ground floor.
Tea House
The Board was aware that the ladies of New Plymouth needed a meeting place and in 1905 decided to take action. The following article appeared in the Taranaki herald on March 22.
“Recognising the need for a ladies’ room at the Recreation Ground the committee of management have had plans prepared for a suitable structure, neatly designed and convenient.
The committee have been unable so far to carry out the work owing to lack of funds but are now in a position to allocate £15 for the purpose, besides having a quantity of suitable material available. The master builders of the town on being approached have generously offered to supply the labour for the erection of the building free of cost. Before it can be put in hand, however, a further sum of £25 is required and the committee trust that the ladies of the town will interest themselves in raising this amount. A united effort would undoubtedly be successful, and enable this necessary work to be undertaken without further delay. To date the fair sex have made no move in this direction but it is hoped that the committee’s offer will be taken advantage of otherwise the proposal to add to the ground’s attractions will lapse.
The plans, which were prepared by Mr J. A. Maisey, architect, may be inspected at the office of the secretary. Mr Tribe, Egmont Street.
These provide for an attractive little structure with ladies’ retiring rooms, spacious verandas and ample seating accommodation, and there is to be a tea room attached, the dimensions of which will be 10ft by 15ft. Among the conveniences will be a large copper, which will prove of service in case of public gatherings. The tea rooms are designed with sliding doors so that upon special occasions they can be opened out and the accommodation largely augmented.”
The Board used the Tea House as a meeting room in September 1905. It was first opened as a Tea Rooms under the supervision of Mrs. Connop in November of that year.
J. A. Maisey, the architect who designed the tea house left New Plymouth for Wellington in 1905 and the Tea House may well have been his New Plymouth swansong. He also designed the saltwater baths at Kawaroa.
Replacing the original Tea House with a better building was discussed as early as 1919 and the Mayor Mr. Burgess donated two years of his honorarium (£300) supplemented by £100 of his own money for this purpose. Unfortunately, the cost of building a new tea house was still beyond the means of the Board. They made do with some minor improvements to the old Tea House, carried out in 1921.
The Park got its new tea house in 1931 courtesy of Mr and Mrs Burgess. Mrs Burgess organised the tendering process herself and ultimately chose the final design. The Mayoral honorarium of £300 had been invested and was worth £430 in 1931. This sum was put towards the cost of the building. Mrs Burgess chose the design of Inglewood born architect Surrey Allerman and employed Frank Hartnell as the builder. The tea house was opened on November 14, 1931, with a grand opening ceremony. The Burgesses gifted the tea house to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary. The building cost approximately £1,000, but their generosity did not stop there, they also donated £150 for furnishings and later another £60 for silverware.
Before the new tea house was constructed the old bathing shed and the old tea house were relocated. The bathing shed was moved halfway along the path leading from the tea house to the Fernery. The old tea house was moved along the same path closer to the entrance of the Fernery, and it was repurposed as a ladies rest room and an office for the curator.
Opening Day of the Tea House,
Mrs Burgess standing at the doorway.
AWN, November 18, 1931.
Below is a list of most of the Tea Rooms operators.
OLD TEA HOUSE | NEW TEA HOUSE | ||
Mrs Connop | 1905 – 1908 | Mr Burrows | 1930 – 1942 |
Mr Legg | 1908 – 1910 | Miss Price | 1942 (2 months) |
Mrs Cory | 1912 – 1915 | Mrs Pascoe | 1942 – 1950 |
Mrs Phipps | 1915 | Mrs Luxton | 1950 – 1957 |
Mrs Webb | 1921 – 1925 | Mabel Jensen | 1957 – 1964 |
Mrs Ainsworth | 1925 – 1930 | Lola Jane Mancer | 1964 – 1970 |
Molly & Tom Nagle | 1979 – 2005 | ||
Eurest | 2005 – 2009 | ||
Orsborn family | 2009 – 2024 | ||
Marnie and Simon Johnston-Saywell | 2024 – present | ||
The Gables
The Gables was originally built in 1848 as one of four Colonial Hospitals commissioned by Governor Sir George Grey, built to cater for both Māori and European patients. The building was designed by Frederick Thatcher and built by local builder George Robinson. The building was constructed using rimu except for the floor, which was Norway spruce.
The hospital was originally located on Mangorei Road (then Hospital Road) where New Plymouth Girls High School now stands. It was mainly used by Māori until Rawiri Waiaua died there from a gunshot wound received during an intra-hapū affray that started the Puketapu Feud in 1854. Following his death Māori were reluctant to use it. The hospital was not popular as it was very cold in the winter.
Not knowing what to do with the property the Hospital Board approached the Borough Council and suggested swapping the land that the hospital occupied for six town sections (404 – 409) on Fulford and Dawson Streets. After the exchange the Council assessed the old hospital building as being of no use to them and decided to sell it at auction for removal.
During the Taranaki Wars of the 1860s the building was used as a military outpost. Later it was put under the governance of the Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board and was converted into an old man’s refuge, housing five residents. The men were left to look after themselves and the property became dirty and neglected, and in 1903 a decision was made to move the residents to better accommodation.
The Gables in the 1860s.
Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref: ARC2004-248).
Before the exchange the building had been inspected and found to be solid except for the ground plates, and the Hospital Board said that it would help to accommodate anyone interested in saving the building. W. H. Skinner called a public meeting on behalf the Scenery Preservation Society to see if that was possible, unfortunately nothing came of it.
AWN, July 12, 1901.
The old hospital went to auction on July 9, 1904, at the Newton King auction rooms, with the stipulation that it had to be removed within 14 days. The highest bidder was published as being a “well-known ‘house breaker’”. It is possible that the ‘house-breaker’ was representing Mrs Newton King at the auction. It is said that Mrs. King, daughter of Doctor George St George was the person who wanted to save the building. It was purchased for £10, then a further £500 was spent on its relocation and rebuilding.
The transfer of the building would have been complicated as it was taken down piecemeal and all the timbers thoroughly cleaned and restored before re-erection at its current site at Brooklands. Newton King engaged the services of prominent local architect James Sanderson, to supervise the relocation. To celebrate the relocation Mr and Mrs Newton King hosted a dance in the reconstructed building. Mrs Newton King was dressed in a black silk gown, with a white fichu, pink flowers in her corsage. (Ref: NZG, February 4, 1905 page 47.)
Following the erection of the building at Brooklands it was used as a temporary residence by several members of the King family, as well as being rented out privately. When Brooklands was gifted to the city of New Plymouth in 1933 The Gables as it had become known, was part of the package. Again, it was let out to private renters until 1983.
Following a two-year restoration by the New Plymouth District Council, in association with the Taranaki Branch of the Historic Places Trust and Dr Peter Wilson’s biographer Gail Lambert. It was opened as an Arts Centre in 1985.
In 2017 the Gables was reroofed using 20,000 cedar shingles imported from Canada. Corrugated iron was considered, fortunately that idea was rejected.
It is now regarded as a building of national significance and has a ‘Category 1’ rating with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
The Gables opening day as an Arts Centre.
Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref: PHO2014-0204).
The Poet's Bridge
The Poet’s Bridge was originally built in 1884 costing £155. James Davis one of the Recreation Ground Board members funded the bridge’s construction. Davis who was an original Board member spent many hours in the Park and often thought how building a bridge halfway down the lake would prompt people to explore the Park more. At that time the lake extended down to what is now Goodwin Dell and the path around the lake was no more than a grass track, probably impassable if wet and certainly not suitable for mothers pushing prams. Few people would have ventured south of the Bathing Shed.
The amount of money to build the bridge was beyond the means of the Board so Davis with Richard Cock decided to pool a sum of £10 and enter a series of national sweepstakes costing £1 per ticket. They had some success with several small wins but eventually their pot was gone. When the £10 was lost Richard Cock decided he would drop out of their little syndicate. Davis however, continued to gamble and two weeks later won a sweepstake, winning £500, which at that time was a small fortune. (In 1883, £300 would have bought a substantial 7 room house.) The winning horse in the sweepstake was called “The Poet”.
The Poet’s Bridge, Collection of Puke Ariki (Ref: PHO2007-030).
Probably taken on February 11, 1885, during a swimming carnival.
In June 1883, with funds available, an advert was placed asking people to kindly submit designs for a bridge spanning the upper portion of the lake. The design by Henry Vere Barclay was chosen from the eight submitted. Mr. Hooker was selected as the contractor to build the bridge, assisted by carpenter, Mr. Campbell; painter, Mr. Bellringer and blacksmith, Mr. Revell.
The construction of the bridge was supervised by Vere Barclay and was completed by early March 1884. The opening ceremony took place on the evening of March 10, with a lot of fanfare. A flagpole adorned with bunting was erected by the lake opposite the Bathing Shed. The Bathing Shed was illuminated with Chinese lanterns which were also suspended from the bridge. The Mayoress Mrs. Bayly performed the official honours naming the bridge “The Poet’s” bridge. (TH, March 11, 1884). Following the opening the officials went to an area near the Bathing Shed and were entertained by a brass band, a fireworks display, and a group of Volunteers who performed a gun volley.
In 1936 Thomas Horton raised the issue of the safety of The Poet’s Bridge and on inspection by the Borough Engineer (Mr. Clarke) it was deemed unsafe and closed to the public. The cost of repair and the cost of replacement were considered, and replacement was chosen as the way forward. Mr. Clarke’s first design was a cheap metal bridge which the Park committee were not enamoured with. The bridge originally built in 1884, designed by Henry Vere Barclay was an iconic part of the Park. The view from the Tea House was used in all the promotional advertising and the Park committee wanted to maintain that. Bearing that in mind Clarke offered to come up with a design which resembled the original, which he did at the beginning of 1937. The original bridge was made from tōtara, but Clarke recommended building the new bridge from Australian hardwoods. The building contractor selected to build the bridge was F. W. Whitaker who unfortunately died of a heart attack on the bridge during its construction. The new bridge cost £1,011 0s 8d.
When the issue of replacing the bridge came to the public’s attention, Richard Cock shared an interesting story about the funding of the original bridge (see below).
STORY OF SWEEPSTAKES – MR. R. COCK’S RECOLLECTIONS
BUILDING OF THE POET’S BRIDGE
(TH, February 19, 1936)
The story leading up to Mr. J. T. Davis’s winning of a prize In a sweepstake and his subsequent donation of “The Poet’s” Bridge, as told to a Taranaki Herald reporter by Mr. R. Cock, is of full interest. Mr. Cock was a great friend of Mr. Davis, and together they were members of the original Park Board, then known as the Recreation Grounds committee. Mr. Cock is the only surviving member of the original committee.
The sweepstake in which Mr. Davis was so successful was held in Auckland and was one of the many conducted by Mr. Adams. The sweepstake was named Tattersalls. When objection was taken to the running of sweepstakes in New Zealand Mr. Adams moved to Sydney and from there to Hobart, Tasmania, where the sweeps are still being conducted.
At the time of which Mr. Cock was speaking there was an agency for the sweepstake in New Plymouth. Mr. Davis and Mr. Cock endeavoured to persuade the others on the board to take a ticket,
but they would not be persuaded. In view of this the two put £5 each in the Post office savings Bank, then called “Von Rotter’s Bank,” and periodically sent for a ticket in Adams’ sweep. It had been agreed that it either of then won a substantial prize they were to have a bridge built across the main lake at the Park to save the long walk round.
They won a £5 and a £20 prize and put this money back in the bank for the purchase of further tickets. At last the money was exhausted, and Mr. Cock declared that he was going to have a rest
from the sweeps for a while. Mr. Davis however, purchased two more tickets, and in one of these sweepstakes drew a horse called “The Poet.” The Poet won, and Mr. Davis collected the £500 prize.
He remembered the agreement regarding the bridge, which cost in the vicinity of £300, and had it built.
Mr. Cock stated that many tickets used to be bought in the sweep, and they cost £1 each.
The committee could not decide what colour to paint the new bridge so asked the public for suggestions. The suggestion adopted came from a gentleman who had recently returned from Japan, he suggested using the same colour that he had seen on the Shinkyo Bridge at Nikko Japan. As far as the author is aware the bridge has remained red since then. The replacement bridge was funded by the Sanders bequest.
Waterfall
Below is an extract from an article written by George Fuller (Ref: The Magazine of the Friends of Pukekura Park, Volume 12, Number3 October 2017.) who was the curator of the Park when the waterfall was built and played a major role in its construction.
“…..1967-68. Fred Parker was a well-known horticulturist with a garden open to the public. He was also an influential member of the Pukekura Park Committee of the day and began agitating for a waterfall in the Park. His suggestion was that it be sited on the northern face of Cannon Hill, visible from the Main Gate. Practical J.W.G. (Jack Goodwin) was concerned that it would create a ‘Scotsman’s Grandstand’ for the Sportsground! He appointed G. Fuller, now Curator, and C.I. McDowell to seek an alternative, preferably in what has become its present site. Subject to removal of a specimen weeping elm it seemed a perfect location.
Work was to proceed as time/opportunity permitted. I had a team from the Park staff and Ian was in charge of a roving team of gardeners and maintenance crew servicing all other Parks and Reserves in New Plymouth.
The weeping elm transplanting embodied a strange coincidence. The site of the present Band room had been a private residence with a large weeping elm in the garden. When the house was demolished, the tree was re-sited beside the Fountain Lake. We now took the obstructing specimen from the newly chosen Waterfall site and relocated it in, of all places, close proximity to the newly constructed Band room! This cleared the site for action.
After the contribution of ideas from many sources had been considered, Ian McDowell with the uncanny skill for which he was noted came forth with what could be called ‘an artists impression’. Alex Brodie, a retired civil engineer on the Pukekura Park committee checked mechanical details and approved. No other documentation was made!
The fall was to be constructed of boulders set in concrete as naturally and as unobtrusively as possible. The bank allowed for a total drop of about ten metres, but this was to be broken up into four separate cascades, the uppermost violently turbulent, the lowest a broad tranquil water curtain.
Vertical reinforcement of the structure was to rely on placement of three eleven metre power poles provided by the New Plymouth District Council Electricity Department forming a strong backbone. These would be set, slightly reclining into the bank with the tops tapering in towards the centre, then each projection for
the cascades later would be secured to that tripod with hoops of steel as work progressed upward. The placement of the poles was the start of construction on 13 August 1969.
When the poles had been seated in recesses in the almost vertical bank a depression was excavated in front of, and beneath them to form what would become the pool. Several cubic metres of concrete were poured into the depression to stabilise the bases of the suspended poles and form the bottom of the pool. One hundred tons of boulders was donated and delivered on site when the parameters of the pond were defined, but before a start was made on incorporating these a relatively formal base of squared blocks hewn by prison labour was laid in the area below the full width of the lowermost water-curtain cascade. This zone is devoid of water during operation, unlike all cascades above it. Each block/boulder was individually selected visually for specific placement by Ian or myself and I recall that we wore the skin off our fingers in our early enthusiasm. Before being bedded in concrete, each had to be rolled or slid by hand across the heavy plank spanning the pool cavity. This involved intense ‘hands-on’ activity.
The fluidity of un-set concrete meant that we could only complete about two rows of boulders in a day and because this work could only be carried out sporadically when free of our normal commitments, progress was slow. The plank method was practical up to about the level of the third cascade from the top then I think we had the assistance of a crane. A selection of boulders was saved for the top section and carted to the top of the bank from where they were rolled down into place as required.
Lighting was to be totally concealed by location beneath each cascade, shining down onto the wet rocks below. This is a unique and very special feature. Not least, it avoids the need for floodlighting. Fluorescent lighting was chosen because of low maintenance and high light efficiency, the colour integral to each tube as distinct from colour filters customary with incandescent lighting.
The pumping machinery was to be the same as for the fountain, a fifteen-horsepower electric motor driving a 4 inch (100 mm) centrifugal pump supplying about 200,000 litres per hour.
As the new feature began to grow and assume the proportions of a spectacle and gain credibility the NZ Insurance Company contributed a gift of $1,700 toward the waterfall costs in commemoration of opening a new building in New Plymouth.
The unveiling of a plaque recording this took place on 21 October 1970. The Mayor, D.V. Sutherland officiated. I’m not sure if it was our original concept, but it became clear as we progressed that this waterfall would simulate the dynamics of the passage of water from the source of the Waiwhakaiho River on Mount Taranaki where it crashes and tumbles over boulders then the turbulence is diminished as it approaches its confluence with the sea.”
Proposed Waterfall drawing – 1969.
Collection of New Plymouth District Council Parks Dept.
Waterwheel
Following: is an article written by George Fuller in September 2004, which tells the story of the Waterwheel. Collection of New Plymouth District Council Parks dept.
History of the Heritage Centennial Waterwheel
“J W Goodwin was appointed to take charge of the Park in 1949 when it had declined largely as a consequence of unavoidable neglect during World War two. His brief was ‘to attract visitors back into the Park’. He drafted a very comprehensive and forward-thinking proposal which amongst many other suggestions, emphasised maximum exploitation of water. Features suggested were a fountain, a waterfall, a waterwheel, a windmill and a water ram. By the time he retired in 1977 he had overseen the introduction and unveiling of the first three in the years 1955, 1970 and 1976.
Mr. Goodwin was very heavily involved personally with the design and installation of the fountain commemorating the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in January, 1954 but he delegated the design and construction of the waterfall to the late Ian McDowell and myself (George Fuller). This set the scene for a great working relationship to flourish and upon its successful completion, we were on the lookout for a waterwheel as our next challenge. The breakthrough came in the form of a pure accident in February 1973 when, in visiting a son engaged in holiday work at the Omata Dairy Factory, there was an electricity cut. I turned the conversation with staff to the pre-electricity era and it was revealed that relics of the waterwheel which originally provided power were still present beside the factory. I was shown the remnants of a wheel that had not turned for about forty years. It was no less than 12ft. (3.64m) in diameter by 6ft. (1.83m) wide. Twelve feet was the head of water entering the dell near Gilbert Street, making it the perfect site for such a waterwheel!
Although all the woodwork was in an advanced state of decay, the bearing housings, axle, hubs and a mass of cast iron gearing were still in great condition. Having gained acceptance of the prospect that there was a good chance that the wheel would be restored if the relics were donated to the Park, I arranged for Fitzroy engineering to carry out an inspection. They gave a strong thumbs-up and later would not only transport the prize but also clean all the iron work and paint it where appropriate.
Meanwhile, permission had to be gained from the council to carry out the work. With a stroke of customary genius, Mr Goodwin proposed that the wheel be restored and installed in the Park as a centennial (1976) project and even got the Taranaki county council to assist with a $500 donation.
Ian had been involved with the negotiations from the outset and given this clearance, set about preparing scale drawings of the wheel before anything was removed. Based on these drawings, the joinery firm of Jones & Sandford reconstructed the wooden components and the Taranaki Harbours Board donated the two large hardwood bearing beams.
Preparation of the site was a massive undertaking because Ian and I had agreed to carry out the work with our respective teams and there weren’t even access paths down into the area. In order to fully exploit viewing potential and provide the unique opportunity of being able to pass behind the wheel we laid a pathway which encompassed the entire rim overlooking the site then completed the almost parallel loop at the level of the wheel.
Excavating down to solid ground upon which to establish the foundations for the walkway and wheel was very laborious manual work. Ian’s team concentrated on the solid stonework required behind and to the side of the wheel, using in the lower courses large blocks hewn by prisoners originally for the vault of the old New Plymouth Post Office and for kerbstones.
We were very anxious to preserve the integrity and character of the mostly native trees growing around the rim. At the time there were no mobile cranes available with telescoping derricks strong enough to be able to thread the bulky almost tonne load of the wheel between the trees so we opted to have each rim divide into two halves then carried the four components down, plus the axle assembly etc and assembled the wheel on site.
I located the wheel in 1973. Work started on the site in the summer of 1974. Assembly of the wheel started in 1975. It was commissioned to commemorate the centennial of Pukekura Park on 29th May 1976. The festival of the lights in the summer of 1976/77 was centred around the Fountain Lake, Children’s Playground area so that the wheel could be featured for the first time and was certainly an unforgettable spectacle.
The stream is renowned for quickly rising into a raging torrent after rainfall, particularly through the narrow ravine just above the wheel. Had this eventuated during the prolonged activities preparing the site and assembling the wheel, the consequences would have been disastrous because the flow of the stream was carried over the site in nothing more than a flimsy ramshackle aqueduct constructed of bent sheets of corrugated iron! We were exceptionally lucky.
We were elated when upon completion and after final trimming to a tolerance of 25mm both laterally and in throw, a 10 litre (10kg) bucket of water was all that was required to get it to turn.
Over the years it has given great pleasure to an enormous number of visitors and provided a reason for many to reflect on our past and ponder over the impressive size of the machinery once required to generate the amount of power that would now be supplied by a relatively small motor. In so doing, it has earned a significant place in the history of the Park. In support of this and before elaborating on its retirement, I feel that I should record some special features that my research has disclosed.
Mechanical Details: the wheel is of ‘overshot’ design. That means that in order to function it requires a ‘head’ (height) of water greater than its diameter (12ft (3.64m)) delivered just over the top dead centre. In most situations this would involve the construction of a water-race (headrace) a sufficient distance upstream to gain the head but the problem was solved in a rather ingenious way by the Omata Dairy Company. The factory was sited on the lower side of a long spur of land around the end of which the natural flow of a stream extended. All that was required was to dig a relatively short tunnel through the ridge for the headrace to intercept the stream at its higher level and the required head was readily gained. The required volume of water was regulated with a control gate and after use was returned to the stream via a tailrace.
I suspect in the case of most waterwheels, the power would have been taken off to the machinery at rotational speed by means of a pulley mounted directly on an extension of the wheel’s axle, but this model has a very different method of power take-off. Around the radius of one rim is bolted a very heavy duty cast-iron inward-facing ring gear. In the working site this meshed with 1ft diameter (30cm) cog wheel mounted on what is called the counter-shaft. This meant that the power was delivered not at the rotational speed of the wheel but geared-up x12. This I find rather strange because the major load at Omata, the massive butter churns would have rotated at only a very slow speed, therefore gearing down would have been necessary for that particular task although other machinery would have operated at higher rotation speeds. I suspect that this feature makes the wheel somewhat unique, designed perhaps more to power a sawmill where high rotational speed is critical.
The power output of the wheel was calculated at about 4.5 horsepower (3.5kw). The butter churns were like large wooden vats turned on their side, rotating on a horizontal axis like a drum on its side. Once the cream had been added each was sealed. Around the inner surface of the churn wall was mounted a series of paddles through which the cream surged in agitation as the churn rolled. While it was still in fluid form the burden of rotation was even and therefore relatively light but as the agitation of the paddles transformed it into butter that all changed because as a solid it was scooped up by the paddles and for a critical short period the loading became very uneven and taxed the waterwheel to its limit. The manager revealed that a critical skill was to be able to anticipate this stage at a point just before it happened, disengage the wheel, allow it to rev up unladen then re-engage it whereupon the momentum gained from its spinning tonne weight would generate just enough power to jolt the churn into completing the process.
Most waterwheels to my knowledge are evenly balanced, both in vertical as well as horizontal plane; i.e. a line taken through the centre in both plan or side elevation will produce mirror images. Not so with this wheel because in plan the massive weight of the cast iron radial gearing on only one rim results in major structural imbalance. Add to this the heavy unbalanced stress imposed by the operation described above and it is no surprise that such wheels were of such rugged construction.
There is another significant difference between the two rims. It relates to the fixture of the hub of each to the axle. With all the structural drama that has occurred since installation in the Park, both have been radically modified. That on the power take-off side was a snug fit on the axle and keyed rigidly to it in a conventional manner but the other had several millimetres of tolerance, the slack of which was ‘taken up’ by tapping in a series of thin wedges and sheet-metal shims, some of them piggy backed.
The significance of this was explained to me by the manager. Being aware of the inherent imbalance of the wheel and fact that the late stages of butter churning imposed extreme unbalanced loading on the same side, it is very easy to understand that the wheel would become stressed out of shape (trim). To counter this, when it was idle and as required, someone would enter the wheel with a hammer and tap back into place any dislodged wedges or shims and replace any that had vibrated out and been lost. This maintenance procedure would have been used to restore the trim on a regular basis but because the wheel would never be laden in its new site, we foresaw no reason to make provision for the procedure.
When we had the faithfully restored wheel installed in the Park we did not couple the counter-shaft because of constraints of space, sound and safety. Another modification was to replace the grease-cup bearing lubrication with two copper high pressure hydraulic lines for remote servicing with a grease gun. Locke access was provided to both sides but because the wheel would never be laden, somewhat naively as has transpired, we presumed that it would turn ‘forever’ with very little need for servicing. It quickly shattered our dream. The incessant turning of the unbalanced tonne mass at idling speed 24 hours per day over a prolonged period without regular attention was sufficient to gradually work the authentic shims and wedges loose and upset the trim. We just could not keep up with the demand for attention and at one stage replaced the steel shims and wedges with wedges of puriri hardwood but they were also chomped up.
There ensued a period of years during which numerous very clever and generous well-wishers offered ‘the perfect solution’ to the point where the original hub assembly is no longer recognisable having had spacers, brackets and flanges of various types welded in for stability. However, the relentless movement continued to impose stress on weaker components resulting in breakage of diagonal wooden braces and wear around the seat of steel tie-rods etc., progressively destroying equilibrium.
With the advent of mobile cranes with telescoping derricks the wheel was removed for ‘repair and strengthening’ between Sept. and Dec. 1989 and yet again in the 1990s but it has continued to relentlessly self-destruct into what is now a very unsafe condition. This coupled that with the benefit of hindsight it is obvious that it was unwise to locate it in direct line with the ravine upstream which converts high flows into an uncontrollable raging torrent of immense destructive power means that its removal and replacement with a wheel of simpler, balanced design is the logical action to take.
In the foregoing I have endeavoured to record the historical background of the wheel but perhaps of greater importance, I have gone to some length to emphasise what I consider to be the great mechanical and heritage significance that it embodies. My purpose has been to impress that this is no ordinary waterwheel and therefore in retirement, still justifies a high level of recognition.”
George Fuller
The Waterwheel was formally opened on 1 May 1976, by Mr L.D. Hickford (County Chairman) and Mrs Audrey N. Gale (Chairman of the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee). It was finally retired in December 2004, and replaced by an entirely new Waterwheel, designed by New Plymouth engineer Michael Lawley and built by carpenter Dave Carnahan. The installation of the replacement wheel took place in November 2005, in time for that year’s ‘Festival of Lights’.
The replacement Waterwheel is 3.6 metres high and 1.6 metres wide, replicating the dimensions of the centennial heritage wheel. The new Waterwheel has been sited to the east of the main stream so it is out of the firing line of the stream when it is in flood. The flume has a controlled intake designed to guarantee a constant regulated flow of water to turn the wheel, even when the flow rate of the stream is at its lowest or highest. Unfortunately, the old cast-iron gear ring was fitted to the new wheel. This was done to keep some of the wheel’s authenticity. The imbalance caused problems, and the new wheel had to be removed in September 2007 for repair. The cast-iron ring was removed and the wheel has been relatively trouble free ever since.
Wiggins Memorial
The name Monument Hillside relates to a memorial built in 1903 for Trooper Wiggins who died of enteric fever (typhoid) while on active service in South Africa during the Boer war.
The Recreation Grounds Board was approached by Wiggins’ work colleagues from Bank of New South Wales, regarding the construction of a memorial. The Board agreed to the proposal even though there was some opposition to siting it in the grounds.
The memorial was an obelisk made of imported polished grey granite. The stone arrived in August 1903. The erection of the monument was entrusted to W. F. Brooking (builder / undertaker).
Postcard circa 1906. The Wiggins memorial is above the path at the right side of the picture.
Unfortunately, the monument was subject to vandalism on several occasions. In 1919 the marble column was rolled down the hill and some of the iron railings were smashed but subsequently repaired. It was damaged again in 1929 and again repaired. It was finally removed from the Park in November 1934.
AWN, February 4, 1904.