Albert Park

Albert Park, in Auckland

Albert Park is one of the main parks of the centre of Auckland, a fine verdant space with a rich history, a former Maori village then a military barracks. The Auckland audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this Victorian garden laid out in the 1880s, adorned with a statue of Queen Victoria, a cast-iron fountain and a pretty bandstand.

From the Maori village to the Victorian garden

You enter one of the main parks of the centre of Auckland, Albert Park. This peaceful place has known an eventful history: here was formerly a Maori village, before the arrival of the settlers on the territory. When the latter settled and founded the town, they built on this strategic location, dominating the bay, one of the first European military fortifications of Auckland, a barracks destined to host the soldiers charged with protecting the young colony. It is only in the 1880s, once peace was installed and the barracks become useless, that a park was laid out at this spot, running along the town centre from north to south. It was gradually endowed with elements characteristic of the Victorian era: a bronze statue representing Queen Victoria, an elegant cast-iron fountain imported from Great Britain, a pretty bandstand, as well as greenhouses, flowered flowerbeds and great trees sometimes a hundred years old. Ideal to stroll in its verdant paths, to make a pause in the shade or to picnic, Albert Park is a true haven of greenery in the heart of the urban effervescence, much appreciated by the students of the neighbouring university and the employees of the district. From its heights, you also enjoy fine views over the town. A Victorian garden and a green lung of the centre, Albert Park is a fine stop of the discovery of Auckland.

What to see

Here you discover one of the main parks of the centre of Auckland, a former Maori village then a military barracks before being laid out as a garden in the 1880s; you admire the bronze statue of Queen Victoria, a cast-iron fountain imported from Great Britain, a pretty bandstand, flowered flowerbeds and great trees, in a haven of greenery offering fine views over the town. Albert Park is a green lung of Auckland. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

Albert Park lies in the heart of the centre of Auckland, between Princes Street and Kitchener Street, near the university and the Auckland Art Gallery, reachable on foot. It is a public park freely accessible, embellished with paths, lawns and benches; some slopes are steep. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

What is the history of Albert Park in Auckland?

The site was first a Maori village, then, after the foundation of the town, the location of one of the first European military barracks of Auckland; in the 1880s, a park was laid out there, endowed with a statue of Queen Victoria, a cast-iron fountain imported from Great Britain, a bandstand and great trees, becoming one of the main green lungs of the centre.

Where is Albert Park in Auckland?

In the heart of the centre of Auckland, between Princes Street and Kitchener Street, near the university, in New Zealand.