What it is
The first trees, two English oaks, were planted in 1866 by Queenstown's first mayor, James W. Robertson, and the gardens officially opened in 1867. Tall Douglas firs now shelter much of the peninsula, and heritage trees planted by Robertson include a monkey puzzle and a giant sequoia. A formal rose garden with around 850 bushes was laid out in the 1960s, and there is a large pond.
The Scott Memorial, unveiled in 1913, honours Robert Falcon Scott and the men who died on his 1912 Antarctic expedition, and the Rees Memorial remembers William Gilbert Rees, the area's first European settler. Paths around the shore give views of the lake, the Frankton Arm and the surrounding mountains. The park also has a disc golf course, the first permanently marked one in New Zealand, an ice rink, tennis and bowls.
Getting there by bus
There are no stops inside the gardens; the nearest are on the town waterfront. QTN Bay (stop 611), about 500 m away, is used by route 6 (Queenstown/Hilton), and Steamer Wharf / Crowne Plaza (stop 12), at a similar distance, by route 1 (Remarkables Shops/Sunshine Bay).
Blue Peaks (stop 16) and Upper Stanley St (stop 17), around 8–9 minutes' walk from the centre of the gardens, are served by routes 1, 4 and 5.
