Queens Park, Invercargill

Park and sports venue in New Zealand

Queens Park

A tree in Queens Park with a plaque commemorating the centennial of the United Ancient Order of Druids

Address| New Zealand
Location| Invercargill, New Zealand
Ground information
Establishment| 1975 (first recorded match)
International information
First WODI| 6 March 2010:
New Zealand v  Australia
Last WODI| 7 March 2010:
New Zealand v  Australia
First WT20I| 18 February 2011:
New Zealand v  Australia
Last WT20I| 5 March 2014:
New Zealand v  West Indies
As of 30 September 2020
Source: CricketArchive
Southland Museum and Art Gallery on the southern edge of Queens Park.

Queens Park is a park in Invercargill, New Zealand, and was part of the original plan when Invercargill was founded in 1856. The park is 200 acres (0.81 km2) in extent. It is just north of the city centre, bounded by Queens Drive to the east, Kelvin Street to the west, Gala Street to the south and Herbert Street to the north. The Gala Street entrance features the Feldwick Gates, built in 1924 and named after John Feldwick, brother of MP Henry Feldwick.[1]

The park is home to the Southland Museum and Art Gallery, which is currently being demolished and rebuilt,[2] the Southland Astronomical Society Observatory, and an animal reserve, which features animals such as wallabies, alpacas, ostrichs, rabbits and guinea pigs, as well as an aviary. [3] In 2024, tuataras formerly housed in the Southland Museum, including the oldest known living tuatara Henry, were moved to a new habitat in the animal reserve called Te Moutere - Tuatara Island.[4]

The park is also home to an 18-hole golf course, a botanical garden, and sports grounds. The cricket ground in the park is the home ground of the Southland cricket team, and is also regularly used by the Otago cricket team for first-class and one-day matches.[5] However, in September 2021, the cricket ground was stripped of its first-class status due to drainage issues.[6] The park also gives its name to one of Invercargill's association football clubs, Queens Park A.F.C.

On the northern edge of the park are Waihopai School (formerly Waihopai Primary School) and Southland Boys' High School. Despite being within the bounded areas of the park, neither are considered a part of it.

## Notable events

[edit]

The park co-hosted (along with Southland Boys' High School) the 2006 State Twenty20 Cricket Knock-Out Tournament, on 10–12 November 2006.

The final round of the tournament was set to be played at Queens Park but due to bad weather only 4 of the scheduled 9 matches took place.

The weekly Saturday Invercargill parkrun takes place at Queens Park. Organized by volunteers, the 5 km run welcomes all runners with all fitness levels.[7][8] In July 2020, the Invercargill parkrun become one of the first in the world to resume after Covid-19 halted the weekly event in early 2020.[9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Tohill, Mary-Jo (29 January 2019). "Feldwick Memorial Gates - a portal to Invercargill's past". Southland Times. Stuff.
2. ^ "Project 1225 | Invercargill and Southland's museum". Project 1225. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
3. ^ "Queens Park | Invercargill City Council". Invercargill City Council. City of Invercargill. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
4. ^ "Tuatara Enclosure". Project 1225. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
5. ^ Queens Park, Invercargill at CricketArchive
6. ^ "Southland cricket ground stripped of first-class warrant of fitness status". Stuff. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
7. ^ "home | Invercargill parkrun | Invercargill parkrun". www.parkrun.co.nz. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
8. ^ "People of all abilities take part in volunteer-run parkrun in Invercargill". Stuff. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
9. ^ "Invercargill parkrun among 'first in world' to resume". Stuff. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* New Zealand Tourism Online's article on Queens Park
* Queens Park history at Invercargill City Council website

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

Geographic|

* BGCI garden

46°24′06″S 168°21′22″E﻿ / ﻿46.4016°S 168.3560°E﻿ / -46.4016; 168.3560