Victoria Park, Auckland

A park located west of the Auckland central city was mooted at a Council meeting in 1884. Victoria Park opened in 1905 by mayor Arthur Myers, after the reclamation of Freemans Bay was completed. In 1910 'Campbell Free Kindergarten' opens in the western part of the park, with funds from Sir Logan Campbell and Lady Campbell. This building was later used by a sports club, and is owned by Auckland City Council, but fell into disrepair and has not had a tenant for two decades as of 2010, crumbling aways slowly. However, in June 2010 it was announced that NZ Transport Agency and Council had reached an agreement whereby some Vic Park Tunnel control equipment would be housed in a refurbished building provided as a legacy feature, with a 100-people occupancy community space on the ground floor. In 1912 the playground received equipment donated by John Court. Court owned a major Department Store on Queen Street and made many contributions to Auckland, including presenting the Zoo with an elephant. Victoria Park was the site if the first ever match of international rugby league played on New Zealand soil when Great Britain played against the New Zealand Maori team on 20 July 1910 as part of their first ever tour of Australasia. During the 1918 flu pandemic the park was used as an open air depot for the storage of the bodies of the many hundreds who died. The Pavilion was used as a temporary morgue. From here the bodies were transported to the Railway Station at the bottom of Queen Street and sent on to Waikumete Cemetery in West Auckland where they were interred in a series of mass graves. By the early 2000s, the four-lane viaduct had become a major bottleneck. The Victoria Park Tunnel was constructed in 2012, largely under the park, to provide a further three lanes. There is also talk of a future tunnel from a second harbour crossing underneath the Tank Farm possibly joining the motorway near the southern side of the park. ==Sports clubs==

building Victoria Park has been the home ground of the Ponsonby Ponies rugby league club since their foundation in 1908. In 1909 Asphalt tennis courts were created followed by bowling greens, croquet lawns and a playground added later. In 1907 and 1911 and 1911 the park was also extended both west and east. ==Features==

On the north side of the park was constructed a caretakers residence designed as an Arts & Crafts cottage (also recently restored as a cafe), a cricket pavilion (rebuilt in the 1990s) and a band rotunda (demolished before the Second War). As well as being home to cricket and rugby clubs, newer activities have found a place in the park; jogging for example. In the 1990s a skateboard park was created along with a petanque court. On the south side space was also found a line of small commercial buildings facing towards the Municipal Incinerator (opened 1905). Next to these was built a Free Kindergarten – paid for by Sir John Logan Campbell, a former Mayor of Auckland; this building is the only survivor of the line of buildings which stood on the southern edge of the park and has been recently restored. Not far from the Kindergarten was created a playground for smaller children in 1912. The original equipment was imported from America and paid for by John Court the proprietor of a well known Queen Street department store. This facility has been recently renovated with up-to date modern equipment. Major close by attractions are the Victoria Park Market, the former City rubbish incinerator (once known as the Destructor) built in 1905 and now housing an arts & crafts market and several entertainment venues. The market has received a major makeover, which has seen many of the older buildings of the complex restored (and some of the smaller stores merged for larger tenancies). The portion to the east of the motorway is still directly connected with Victoria Park. It has changed substantially, with all the residential buildings long gone. Largely composed of industrial buildings which are now being replaced or retrofitted as residential accommodation, the Park will play an increasingly important role in the area. This eastern portion of Freemans Bay (centred on Victoria Street) has become relabeled as The Victoria Quarter while the area directly to the west of the park, technically part of St Mary's Bay is now becoming known as The Beaumont Quarter, the former Gas Works on Beaumont Street having been decontaminated and renovated as a residential development. ==Demographics==

The statistical area of Victoria Park, which includes the commercial and high-density housing area east and southeast of the park, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Victoria Park had a population of 3,099 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,029 people (49.7%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,725 people (125.5%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,551 males, 1,533 females and 15 people of other genders in 1,665 dwellings. 10.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 30.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 210 people (6.8%) aged under 15 years, 1,221 (39.4%) aged 15 to 29, 1,566 (50.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 102 (3.3%) aged 65 or older. ==References==