NO.1B

RE: 'THE NATURAL LIFE OF THE QUEENSTOWN GARDENS' by majo00

'A Very Warm Welcome' to one of the 'brightest gems' of the town.
The 12 hectares = 29.65 acres in area.

You will just have to come and explore the 'Queenstown Gardens' sometime. It will be worth it. Every season has it's beauty. There are seats strategically placed for you to sit on to sit, relax and enjoy the mountains, the lake, and the Gardens – everything to do with nature. To 'switch off' from the business of life for awhile (and hopefully if you can, a little longer.) There are a number of paths to explore throughout the whole of the Gardens - some small, some long. We won't cover them all. I have to leave something for you to explore and find out for yourself. For the energetic - people can play 'Frisbee Golf' in the Gardens.

There are lots of different shrubs and trees that have either been introduced or cultivated. A very small amount have been 'brought in' by the birds - eg. Cotoneaster (but some Cotoneasters are Cultivated.) There are flower beds (both in the ground and in raised containers) with different varieties of flowers etc. in them. There are an assortment of ferns all along the 'Bowling Green' stone walls. There are other plants strategically placed throughout the Gardens. There is a variety of land and water birds. And of Butterflies, different kinds of Bees, and other Insects.

It will be impossible to photograph and/or mention every flower, plant, tree, bird, insect, etc. in the Gardens. Through this project we hope to give you a 'glimpse of the natural world in the Queenstown Gardens' and we hope you will enjoy them.

Have a look at the map on the Project. As the 'Gardens' cover such a large area – I will divide it into 5 areas. It'll make it a bit easier.

1. MARINE PARADE – (Lakeside) 'Memorial Gate' to the stone bridge.
   The 'Memorial Gate' is a tall, stone archway with the name 'SERVICE ABOVE SELF'. This is the start of 'Queenstown Gardens'. Walking along the pathway you will pass Silver Birch trees, a variety of flax, an ivy, while making your way towards a stone bridge which will take you into the other gardens. Just before the bridge there is a small Restaurant and children's playground.
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NO.1B. CONT.

1. NATIVE GARDEN - 'The Top Garden' going up towards Coronation Drive.
   After entering the Park from Marine Parade, cross the bridge and turn left onto the pathway (near the 'Bronzed Sculpture Of A Fern Leaf'. On the right is a tiny 'nook'. After doing this, go back onto the path and continue following the path through the NATIVE GARDEN. When you reach the large Strawberry Tree (on the corner of Coronation Drive & Park St) you can opt for continuing on the path/paths through the Native Garden (or going onto the sidewalk of Park Street and following it around until you get to the overhead 'Queenstown Garden' sign beside the very large English Oak tree which is the start of the 'UPPER HALF'.)

(Or continue down towards the Ice Arena, and on the left side of that is the other entrance to the Peninsula Track - see No.5).

1. THE UPPER HALF' of the Gardens. From an Entrance of the Park (in Park Street) which has the 'Queenstown Garden' overhead sign that you walk/drive through. It is next to a very large English Oak Tree. This part of the Park goes towards the Bowling Club and also down the right side gentle slope to the Peninsula Track. There is a small Bandstand just inside the Entrance.

There is a long 'DUCK POND' which has water lilies out during the warmer months. It has a stone bridge crossing over the middle of the pond. The pond also has a water fountain that goes from small to tall and has different colours at night. Very colourful. The 'WATER BIRDS' you will see, will be - Mallard Ducks, Paradise Ducks, Some Crossbreeds (eg. Domestic Ducks with Mallard Ducks), Scaup Ducks, and occassionally other kinds of ducks, etc. A lot of people and children get a lot of pleasure feeding the ducks with bread etc. either on land or in the water.
There is a statue near the pond.

THE 'LAND BIRDS' INCLUDE: Tuis, Bellbirds, N.Z. Pigeons, Tuis, Fantails, Blackbirds, Sparrows, Chaffinches, Gold Finches, Dunnocks, Silvereyes, Song Thrush, an occasional Quail or two, and Green Finches (during the colder months), etc.
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1. 'THE LOWER PART' of the Gardens - from the Tennis Courts (which are behind the Bowling Club) to the end of the Peninsula. It includes a large circular 'Rose Garden' with 26 different Roses - so plenty of variety and colours. Here are the names of 9 of them that are in the Observations. - R.G.1-Sir Tristan, R.G.13-Millenium, R.G.14-Sexy Rexy, R.G.17-Spirit of Southland, R.G.4-Golden Centennial, R.G.6-Hamilton Gardens, R.G.11-Auckland Metro, R.G.5-Nelson Girls, R.G.8-White Romance. There is a 'Horizontal Elm' in the middle of the 'Rose Garden'. There are other various trees and plants in the lower part. It also has various Monuments, Memorials etc.
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THIS WAS ADDED ON THE 5TH. AUGUST 2015 (WED.) -

I HOPE YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED IN WHAT WE HAVE DONE. AND HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED WHAT THE WONDERFUL 'QUEENSTOWN GARDENS' HAVE TO OFFER.

MY OBSERVATIONS AND PHOTOS WERE MOSTLY TAKEN PARTLY IN THE AUTUMN AND WINTER. I'VE ENJOYED DOING THE JOURNALS AND HELPING WITH THE PROJECT. AND CERTAINLY HAVE LEARNT MORE ABOUT 'THE GARDENS' WHILE DOING IT.

SINCERE THANKS TO NATURE WATCH MEMBERS - ESPECIALLY MURRAY DAWSON (PROJECT MANAGER) AND JON SULLIVAN FOR ALL THEIR HELP. TO COLIN, SUE & TIKAANI FOR THEIR PHOTOS. TO CLARE, DAVID AND JOEL (QLDC-QUEENSTOWN GARDENS) FOR ALL THEIR HELP. IT'S ALL BEEN VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.

WE HOPE IT WON'T BE TOO LONG BEFORE YOU WILL COME AND SPEND TIME IN THE 'QUEENSTOWN GARDENS'. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED.

TAKE CARE.
BYE FOR NOW.
MARY JOYCE.

17.6.'15

Murray (Project Manager) asked me if I would like to help with this project on the Queenstown Gardens, and I gladly accepted. He suggested I separate this 'sign information' from the background information on the Queenstown Gardens (South Island, New Zealand), that you will be reading in NO.1B. It would be easier to read, and would make it separate from 'my writings on the Gardens.'

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Firstly, hopefully, the Queenstown Lakes District Council won't mind me putting this in the Journal. It is one of 3 signs in the Park which explains about the Gardens and how it came 'into being.'
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'WELCOME TO THE QUEENSTOWN GARDENS'

The Queenstown Gardens has been a much loved place of recreation and relaxation for the local and visitor alike since the first trees were planted in 1876.

Originally a patch of treeless scrubland, this 12 hectare peninsula was designated Crown Land in 1866 and placed under the control of Queenstown Borough Council.

The first trees planted were 2 English Oaks (Querus robur). One of them still stands at the Park Street entrance.

The Queenstown Gardens of today would be barely recognizable to the environmentally conscious settlers who founded the Gardens but the natural beauty, unique trees, sporting amenities and history of the park remains a proud legacy.

Queenstown Lakes District Council
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Bye for now
Mary Joyce

The banner image for this project was kindly provided by user majo00 - many thanks for this!