Week 1 – The Auckland Domain Wintergardens

Wintergardens

• Situated in Auckland Domain
• Built in stages between 1916-1928 using funds from the Auckland Industrial, Agricultural and Mining Exhibition in 1913-1914
  • Renovated several times – 1945, 1954, 1993-1994
  • Currently undergoing seismic upgrades
• Designed by Architect William Gummer of Gummer and Ford
  • Showing influences of Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll
• Designed in the Arts and Craft style
• Consists of: Temperate glasshouse and heated glasshouse (28 degrees), pergolas, fernery, sunken pool and rockery
  • Glasshouses are barrel vaulted steel with masonry buttressing and underfloor heating
  • Fernery established in old scoria quarry
    • Bronze sculptures of native birds in fernery
• Statues in courtyard added in 1920’s and 30’s by local business man William Elliot
  • Statue of a cat on a ball reaching towards sky (by Richard Gross, who also sculpted The Athlete on domain gates) has two stories as to how it came around:
    • Story 1: As part of the original 1927 plans, originally meant to be a bear but as bears symbolised Russia (and decision makers were anti-socialist) they decided to change it to a cat
    • Story 2: Story published in 1976 newspaper says the statue is the Kind of cats. His up-stretched paw is appealing to the king of birds to stop the was between the two species
• Heritage listed category 1 – “places of special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value”
• Displays exotic potted plants, permanent plants and native plants
• Demonstrates attitude to natural world at the time with exotic flora ‘discovered’ by European colonial expansion
  • Reflects changes during the 1920’s with a greater influence on native plants
• In the early 1900’s it provided a place for people to promenade during the winter months
• Played a role in the gentrification of the domain (was previously frequented by undesirables)
• Gardens are among best preserved examples in the country and are nationally significant for demonstrating early 20th century garden design

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Auckland Domain – Pukekawa

• Extinct Volcano
• Pukekawa meaning hill of bitter memories
  • This name refers to battles fought on the grounds between Hongi Hika (war leader of Ngāpuhi iwi) and Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (leader of Waikato iwi and first Māori king). A peace treaty was signed here in 1828
  • A Totara tree was planted by princess Te Puea Hērangi (great grandaughter of Pōtatau Te Wherowhero) to commemorate the battles and the settlement of the disputes
• Situated in Parnell, Aucklands first suburb
• Set aside as public park in 1880, 200 acres (80 hectares) by Governor Robert Fitzroy (Aucklands oldest park)
  • Pond was used by Auckland Acclimatisation Society as testing space for exotic fish and plant species
  • Pond fed by underground spring became Aucklands first water supply
  • Initial site of Auckland Botanic Gardens
• Site of Auckland Industrial, Agricultural and Mining Exhibition 1913-1914
  • Kiosk and Rotunda are surviving features from the exhibition
• Used as a campground to house soldiers during WWI and WWII (and educational camps in between)
  • Consecrated ground in front of Auckland War Memorial Museum is the site where New Zealand soldiers set off from during WWI (many of them later died at Gallipoli)
  • During WWII American troops were stationed at domain
  • Soldiers often paraded through the domain before heading overseas or for training camps
• Site of Auckland War Memorial Museum and the Wintergardens. Auckland City Hospital sits just outside the domain grounds
  • Also consists of sports fields, bush walks, duck pond, formal gardens, band rotunda, hibiscus gardens, fairy gardens, magnolia gardens, Pukekaroa hill, sensory garden, Watsons bequest and grandstand
  • Site of oldest continually operating plant nursery in NZ
  • Auckland Museum opened 1929 Neo-Greek architecture (by the firm Grierson, Aimer and Draffin)
• Cenotaph outside Auckland War Memorial Museum is a scaled down replica of Edwin Lutyens design for the cenotaph at Whitehall, London
  • Reportedly built off looking at news reals as the blueprints were too expensive
• Visited by Queen Elizabeth II 24/12/1954
• Views of Waitemata Harbour, Rangitoto Island, Auckland CBD and Ports of Auckland
• Used for events, concerts, sporting games

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William Gummer (1884 – 1966)

• Auckland born architect
• 1908-1913 travelled in UK, Europe and USA
  • Worked for Edwin Lutyens in the UK (leading British architect at time)
  • Worked for Daniel Burnham in USA (major American architect and founder of Chicago school of architecture)
• Joined Hoggard and Prouse Architects in Auckland in 1913
  • A significant commission he undertook here was the NZ Insurance building (now the Guardian Trust building) from 1914-1918
• 1923 joined with Charles Ford and created Gummer and Ford Architects
  • Amongst others, their firm designed the Dilworth building (1926), Dominion Museum (1936), State Insurance building (1940), Auckland Railway Station (1930)
  • Received gold medals for the design of Auckland Railway Station and Remuera Library
• Gummer is responsible for the design of: Bridge of Remembrance (Christchurch 1924), Cenotaph (Dunedin 1927), Tauroa (1916), Graggy Range (1919), Arden (1926) and Te Mata (1935) homesteads in Havelock North, Hawkes Bay
• Elected a fellow of NZ institute of architects in 1914
  • President from 1933-1934 and later became a life member