New Zealand’s oldest park is known as Auckland Domain. It covers about 75 hectares in the central area of Grafton. Interesting to visitors is the fact that Auckland Domain rests within the Pukekawa volcanic crater. The park is home to a number of Auckland’s other leading attractions, including the Auckland War Memorial Museum and Wintergarden. The grounds of the park are peppered with statues from a number of artists, and diverse plant life abounds.
The history of Auckland Domain encompasses important points in the history of New Zealand itself. Key sites for history buffs visiting Auckland Domain include a totaraa tree and memorial to the first Maori King, the Wintergarden heritage site and it’s glasshouses, and the Formal Gardens, which owe their diversity to Auckland’s Acclimatisation Society who tested exotic species for compatibility with the New Zealand environment during the 1860s. The park hosts a number of outdoor concerts each year, as well as a special holiday celebration during the Christmas period.