Queens Park

In 1857, John Turnbull Thomson, the Chief Surveyor for the Province of Otago, laid out the new town of Invercargill, setting aside 81 hectares of land that would later become Queens Park.

Indigenous podocarp and swamp forest covered much of Invercargill at the time of Thomson’s survey, including the Queens Park area. This forest was called Taurakitewaru by Māori and is also shown as ‘Waihopai Bush’ on early European maps. Thomsons Bush north of Queens Park is a small remnant of this original forest.

Queens Park had various uses over the years and was known in early years as Victoria Park or simply ‘the Park’. In 1875, parkland was leased in 10-acre blocks to graze cattle. The Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association secured a lease in the 1880s to hold their shows in the park, which lasted for 30 years until 1911.

Other clubs to use the park in this period included the Caledonian Society, the Amateur and Irish Athletics Societies, the Cycling Club, the Invercargill Cricket Club and the Invercargill Tennis Club. A racecourse was also laid out in Queens Park, with first race meeting held in 1885.

In the early 1900s, the Invercargill Suburban and Beautifying Society began to advocate improvements to Queens Park. To celebrate the coronation of King George V, an avenue of trees was planted along Coronation Avenue in 1911.

Since that time, there has been continued development of the park as each successive Borough Gardener, Superintendent, Director and Manager have left their marks.