Auckland Domain

Pukekawa was identified by the Māori early on as one of the best sites in the isthmus area, with the north-facing side of the volcanic cone well-suited for growing kumara, while the hill itself was used for storage and as a pā site. The crater swamp meanwhile provided eels and water.[2]

"Pukekawa" is a Māori-language word meaning 'hill of bitter memories', and likely refers to various hard-fought tribal battles between the Ngapuhi and the Ngati Whatua iwi. A sacred totara, commemorating the battles and their eventual settlement, was reputedly planted by princess Te Puea Herangi and still stands on the central volcanic cone.[2]

In 1828 the central cone was the site of a peacemaking meeting between Northern and Waikato iwi.[4]

After the Europeans bought the land from Ngāti Whātua,[2] it was set aside as a public reserve in 1843 by Governor FitzRoy, probably working from an idea of William Hobson. It remains one of the city's greatest assets. It was initially called "Auckland Park", but was soon referred to on maps and documents as the "Auckland Domain". In the 1860s, the Domain springs were a source of water for the town of Auckland, while the original swamp was drained and turned into a cricket field.[2]

The Auckland cricket team played all their home matches at the Domain until 1913, when they moved to Eden Park.[5] The Auckland Acclimatisation Society had their gardens in the Domain in 1862;[4] they became the Auckland Botanic Gardens. Parts of the layout still exist north of the band rotunda, including some greenhouses from the 1870s.

In the 1850s, then Governor-General Thomas Robert Gore-Brown eyed up the Domain as the setting for the new Government House. He was displeased with both the existing House's location in Waterloo Quadrant and also its style (and especially that it was of wood imitating stone construction). He envisaged a castle-style masonry residence similar to Government House in Sydney, which is also set in a large landscaped domain like Auckland's with an adjacent Botanical Garden and views of the harbour.

Plans were drawn up, but the project stalled. The administration at the time (headed by Premier Weld), refused to authorise funds for the project. Most problematic from a political point of view was the "alienation" of land from public usage. Also relocating the Capital from Auckland to Wellington was already seen as inevitable and retaining more than one Government House was not envisaged (although, as it happened, that is what occurred). Auckland Domain thus remained accessible to the public, as had been intended. The Governor General's residence was later relocated from Waterloo Quadrant to Mount Eden in the early 1960s.

A great many exotic specimen trees were donated and planted throughout the Domain by the late Victorians which have now matured into a splendid landscape park. They are now augmented by many New Zealand species. The wooden Cricket Pavilion designed by Mr Gorrie was built in 1898 as a replacement for an earlier structure that burnt down.

In 1910, the Domain witnessed the first ever rugby league test match in New Zealand when Great Britain defeated New Zealand in the 1910 Great Britain Lions tour.

In 1913, the Domain was the site of the Auckland Exhibition whose president was local businessman William Elliot. The financial return from this event resulted in many improvements to the Domain, chief among them the splendid wintergardens next to the duckponds. Unlike many of the other buildings, the teahouse was intended to remain after the Exhibition closed. Built in the form of an "ideal home", it is an example of an Arts and Crafts cottage. It stands between the Wintergardens and the duckponds.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Elliot donated several of the marble statues as well as money to complete the Wintergarden complex. He provided a further sum of money to construct the splendid art deco Domain entrance gates. Designed by the architectural firm Gummer and Ford, the gates are surmounted by a bronze statue of a nude male athlete by the sculptor Richard Gross. Auckland Domain is also the location of several other public artworks including Guy Nygan's "Millennium Tree".

Dominating Auckland Domain is the Auckland War Memorial Museum and Cenotaph. The large neo-Greek style museum building was opened in 1929 with the rear portion added in the 1960s, with a major renovation and extension in the mid-2000s adding a dome to the south end.

In 1940, to commemorate the founding of Auckland 100 years earlier, a new road was planned for the Domain. "Centennial Drive" was surveyed and trees were planted along its length, but it was never formed as a road; it is now a walkway between the duck ponds and Stanley Street.

An 18,500 cubic meter / 4 million gallon water reservoir was constructed in 1952, buried in the field at the high point to the immediate south of Auckland Museum.[4] The reservoir is still in use maintaining the water supply into Auckland's CBD.

In 1970, a sensory garden for the blind was established at the eastern end of the Domain by the Tamaki Lions Club and Council.[4]

In 2005, a monument for the Auckland Regiment was installed south of the central cone.[4]