What it is
The park opened on 18 April 2015 on Buckle Street, in front of the National War Memorial, whose carillon tower dates from 1932 and whose Hall of Memories was added in 1964. The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, holding the remains of a New Zealand soldier from the Western Front, lies in front of the hall. To create the park, State Highway 1 was moved underground into the Arras Tunnel, opened in 2014 and named after the New Zealand Tunnelling Company's wartime work at Arras.
The Australian Memorial, with fifteen red sandstone columns, was opened in 2015. Memorials from Turkey, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France and the United States followed between 2017 and 2018, as well as a Pacific Islands memorial in 2021.
Getting there by bus
Taranaki Street runs along the western side of the park. Taranaki Street (near 217) (stop 6913), about 160 metres away, and Taranaki Street at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park (stop 6912) are served by routes 3, 18 and 27, which also stop at Taranaki Street at Abel Smith Street (stop 7912) and Taranaki Street (near 274) (stop 7913).
On the eastern side, around the Basin Reserve and four to five minutes on foot, Cambridge Terrace at Barker Street (stop 7013) and Kent Terrace at Basin Reserve (stop 6013) are served by routes 1, 4, 23, 29 and 81 and by the N1 After Midnight service.
