Name: Invercargill
Rating: 4.5

Queens Park , Invercargill Overview

Queens Park, also referred to as Invercargill’s pride is one of the major parks in the city. Located just a few kilometres away from Invercargill’s city centre, this park has around 80 hectares to itself. The entire area features a number of gardens, walking tracks and multipurpose locations such as picnic spots, cafes and waterparks. Whether you are alone or with a group, you’ll always find a spot for yourself here.

Dating back to 1857, this attraction is one of the most well-maintained and beautified gardens in Invercargill. It is situated in the north of the city centre and is surely one of the main attractions for New Zealanders. From Sunday morning walks to evening picnics to events and parties, Queens Park is widely acclaimed throughout the country.

The New gardens and sculptures here reflect on the woodland area in Queens Park. The Friedrick Gates open up the view to botanical gardens, and playgrounds. This park also has statues, recreation, a Queens Park selfie exploration challenge along with wildlife and history. All in all, it is one of the richest and entertaining attractions you will find in New Zealand.

What to See and What to Do

Queens Park includes numerous features such as a rose garden, a Japanese Garden, native plants, herbs and rock gardens, a waterpark, stumpery, a rhododendron dell and an azalea garden and much more. At the indoor winter garden, visitors can see a range of flowers, shrubs, herbs as well as cacti.
What’s special about this attraction is that the location here can be a great venue for public events such as weddings and parties. A part of Queens Park is the South Island Museum and Art Gallery featuring the Maori Gallery.
This pyramid-shaped building represents the pre-European era in New Zealand and has a tuatarium. The tuatarium gives us detailed information on the captive breeding programme. The native tuataras can be traced to over 225 million years ago, almost to the dinosaur age.
Talking about native plants and animals, this garden also offers bird aviary and other animal enclosures. Lastly, this attraction also has a number of other activities for visitors to indulge in such as walking and picnicking.

History

The history of Queens Park dates back to 1857, when the chief Surveyor of Otago, John Turnbull Thomson laid out the general plan for Invercargill. Fortunately, he had the foresight to reserve around 80 hectares of land for Queens Park. Initially, the entire area was covered in native forest, used to graze cattle.
It was used as a meeting ground for clubs and societies such as the Caledonian Society, Cycling Club and the Athletic Irish Societies. It was only in 1872 when regular plantations started. Around the early 1900s, attempts at beautifying the gardens were made by the Invercargill Suburban and Beautifying Society by adding ornamental plants along with horticulture and tree avenues.
Today, Queens Park is considered as one of the most beautified gardens in Invercargill and a jewel in the crown of the city’s reserves.

Eating Options

The cafe in the premises of Queens Park is known for its good coffee and friendly service. Offering a range of finger foods, this cafe is a convenient spot for visitors to eat at.
Apart from that, there is a range of cuisines to explore around this attraction. Visitors can find European, Indian, Meditteranean, Spanish, Fusion, authentic New Zealand as well as Asian restaurants within 3-4 kilometres from Queens Park.
Clubs, pubs, bars, restaurants or cafes, you will run across each one of them here.

Facilities

There are a number of facilities available for visitors such as a disc golf course, a 187-hole golf course, cricket court, tennis courts, walking trails, a 4-kilometre fitness trail, croquet, picnic spots, a cafe and twenty exercise stations.
A number of good hotels and resorts are in close proximity to the gardens.
What’s more, there is plenty of parking available for visitors and there is a children’s play section as well.

Things to Note

Booking for any public or private event at Queens Park is essential.
Visitors are requested to maintain the cleanliness of the park.
Hence, there are strict rules against littering in this area.

How To Reach Queens Park

The location of Queens Park is Gala Street, Invercargill. The closest airport to this attraction is Invercargill Airport (IVC), which is around 5.5 kilometres away from Queens Park and would take around 12-13 minutes via Tweeds Street.
Visitors can take a taxi or a cab from the airport.
The attraction is also quite close to Invercargill’s city centre. Visitors can take a bus, taxi or cab from the city centre and reach Queens Park within 10 minutes.