The Ōamaru Public Gardens were established in 1876, making it one of the oldest public gardens in New Zealand.
Before this, the land was mostly swampy. One of the first things the head gardener undertook was the daunting task of straightening the winding Ōamaru Creek and creating the ponds and lakelets we see today. This work changed the landscape forever!
Can you imagine how this piece of land would have looked before?
Trees of memories
Many of tree specimens here have been planted to commemorate historical events within Ōamaru and New Zealand's past. Check out the small plaques attached to individual trees to discover some of our history!
Limestone Dike
A Geopark geosite. Exposed here are limestone dikes that crosscut volcanic ash that was erupted from a local volcano! Volcanoes were active in North Otago from around 38 to 32 million years ago when much of the area was under the sea. Learn more about the limestone dikes here.
Chinese Garden
Did you know that this is New Zealand's first Chinese garden? It's a tribute to the early Chinese community in the Waitaki District. During the official opening of the first stage in 1995 Mr Huang Guifang, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China, planted a Chinese tree, Paulownia tomentosa. Native to east Asia, and known to the Chinese as the elephant tree, it still stands today!
Wonderland Statue
This statue was unveiled in 1927. It features figurines of a boy and girl entranced by the fairy world they can see below them. The statue sits atop a base made of the igneous rock basalt. Volcanoes were active in North Otago from around 38 to 32 million years ago when much of the area was under the sea.
Know your trees
Identify the different types of trees in this area and tick below the ones native to New Zealand (individual trees are labelled):
Tawhai rauriki / Mountain Beech
Lacebark - Historically, people made the bark into ribbons, trimming, braiding and embroidery on everything from hats, bonnets, dresses, baskets, bands, kilts, capes and poi
Tawhai raunui / Red Beech
Antarctic Beech - A survivor of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana
Common Lime
Rock Bridge
Sediments eroded from Gondwana have been changed under heat and pressure to form a metamorphic rock called schist.
The different colours of schist in this stone bridge are due to different minerals in the rock.
Petrified Wood
Wood becomes petrified through a special fossilisation process where minerals replace the organic matter and the wood in turned to stone!
Limestone Sculpture
The sedimentary unit of Ototara Limestone (Ōamaru Stone) was formed from the accumulation of marine organisms on the seafloor. Many buildings in the region are made from limestone and it is often carved into beautiful sculptures.
This sculpture 'Alice in Wonderland' was carved by Jackie Margaret during the 2015 Ōamaru Stone Symposium.
Craig Memorial Fountain
James Craig, who lived in Ōamaru between 1878 and 1912, loved the Ōamaru Public Gardens so much that he put aside £500 in his will to erect a fountain in the gardens. The Council (who covered the balance of the cost of the fountain) along with another group of people made Craig's wish come true and the fountain was opened in 1914. The fountain is carved out of Carrara marble, probably from Italy. The fountain is a centrepiece in the Ōamaru Public Gardens today and is illuminated at night with multicoloured lights.
What's next
Well done. That's the end of the Discovery Trail through the Ōamaru Public Gardens. We hope you learnt something new about some of the features in our beautiful Gardens.
