Paepaekumana, the Rotorua Government Gardens
February 21st 2012 09:44
The magnificent Rotorua Government Gardens are unique among the great public gardens of the world. Here, you can not only do all the things you'd do in any park - belt a tennis ball across a net, cycle along paths fringed with flower beds, smell the roses, perch on the edge of lily pond and feed the ducks, but you can also peer into bubbling mudpools, breathe in the salubrious (albeit rather overpowering) sulphur scented steam and soak in some of the world's best mineral pools.
You’ll find the Government Gardens on the edge of the lake, just a stone’s throw from the CBD and on the doorstep of some of the city’s best hotels. They’re a mecca for tourists and a favourite spot for locals.
Originally known as Paepaekumana, the site has always been of great significance to the Tangata Whenua, or local people. Many important battles were fought here and many great chiefs and warriors came to bathe in the hot currents at the edge of the lake or in the healing pools hidden in the scrub. The place is rich with legends and stories.
Towards the end of the 1800s, the Tangata Whenua gifted 50 acres of Paepaekumana to the crown “for the benefit of the people of the world”. The land was cleared and formal gardens were laid out.
Before long, the Government saw the opportunity to develop the geothermal area, with its hot springs and mudpools, as the South Pacific’s answer to the spas of Europe. In 1908, the beautiful Tudor bath house welcomed the first tourists seeking to “take the waters”.
In 1901, an elaborate arch, made of local totara wood and representing a crown, was installed at the entrance to the gardens. It was built in honour of the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later King George V and Queen Mary), but has always been known as the Prince’s gate.
In the early 1930s the Blue Baths opened. The ornate Mediterranean style building was inspired by the swimming pools of Hollywood and like the stars of Hollywood, the people who frequented them came to play, to see and to be seen. The Blue Baths enjoy the singular fame of having been the first public swimming pool to allow mixed bathing – men and women, that is.
The gardens have seen many changes since the Tudor bath house was built and even since the Blue Baths opened their doors to those first daring mixed bathers. The former now houses the Rotorua Museum and the latter, after many years and several different lives, including one as a restaurant/nightspot, is once again open to bathers, mixed of course.
Vistors still rest in the shade of the Japanese firs and Californian Redwood trees planted in the late 19th century. People still come from all over the world to “take the waters” in the Rotorua Government Gardens, but they them now in re-vamped state-of-the-art pools at the Polynesian Spa.
Read about the Polynesian Spa in the next post.
You’ll find the Government Gardens on the edge of the lake, just a stone’s throw from the CBD and on the doorstep of some of the city’s best hotels. They’re a mecca for tourists and a favourite spot for locals.
The Government Gardens with a glimpse of the Bathe House
Originally known as Paepaekumana, the site has always been of great significance to the Tangata Whenua, or local people. Many important battles were fought here and many great chiefs and warriors came to bathe in the hot currents at the edge of the lake or in the healing pools hidden in the scrub. The place is rich with legends and stories.
Towards the end of the 1800s, the Tangata Whenua gifted 50 acres of Paepaekumana to the crown “for the benefit of the people of the world”. The land was cleared and formal gardens were laid out.
Before long, the Government saw the opportunity to develop the geothermal area, with its hot springs and mudpools, as the South Pacific’s answer to the spas of Europe. In 1908, the beautiful Tudor bath house welcomed the first tourists seeking to “take the waters”.
In 1901, an elaborate arch, made of local totara wood and representing a crown, was installed at the entrance to the gardens. It was built in honour of the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later King George V and Queen Mary), but has always been known as the Prince’s gate.
In the early 1930s the Blue Baths opened. The ornate Mediterranean style building was inspired by the swimming pools of Hollywood and like the stars of Hollywood, the people who frequented them came to play, to see and to be seen. The Blue Baths enjoy the singular fame of having been the first public swimming pool to allow mixed bathing – men and women, that is.
The gardens have seen many changes since the Tudor bath house was built and even since the Blue Baths opened their doors to those first daring mixed bathers. The former now houses the Rotorua Museum and the latter, after many years and several different lives, including one as a restaurant/nightspot, is once again open to bathers, mixed of course.
Vistors still rest in the shade of the Japanese firs and Californian Redwood trees planted in the late 19th century. People still come from all over the world to “take the waters” in the Rotorua Government Gardens, but they them now in re-vamped state-of-the-art pools at the Polynesian Spa.
Read about the Polynesian Spa in the next post.
| 19 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
