What it is
The park opened as the Recreation Ground on 29 May 1876 and was renamed Pukekura Park in 1907. It fills a series of valleys a short walk from the city centre. The main lake, crossed by the Poet's Bridge, has rowing boats for hire, and Fountain Lake has a fountain and an artificial waterfall.
The fernery, opened in 1928, consists of three glass-roofed houses dug into the hillside that hold ferns and other plants from around the world. At the southern end, in the neighbouring Brooklands area, the Bowl of Brooklands amphitheatre hosts concerts and the WOMAD festival, and each summer the Festival of Lights fills the park with light installations for several weeks. The cricket ground at the north-western end dates from the 1880s.
Getting there by bus
Route 6 (Vogeltown/Brooklands) runs along the park's edge. The closest stop is Victoria Road (near 32) (stop 1632), about 150 metres away, a two-minute walk, followed by Carrington Street (near 61) (stop 1608), about 260 metres away.
The same route stops at Gilbert Street (near 3) Pukekura Park (stop 1634), about 340 metres away, and on Brooklands Road (stop 9104), about 540 metres away near the Brooklands end of the park.
