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Aerial photo of Garden Place, showing the carpark towards the top in the centre of the photo
Pre-European
The hill on which the Waikato Institute of Technology is sited was, before it was modified in the 1930s, far more extensive. It was known as Te Kopu Mania O Kirikiriroa (the smooth belly of Kirikiriroa) to the Ngati Wairere people, and was famous for the fertility of its soil. Kumera and rauruhe were cultivated on the northern slopes, and taro on the lower, swampy areas. The rest of the hill was covered with native ferns and trees, which attracted birds which were hunted or trapped.
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Kumara storage shed
(from 1,000 years of gardening in New Zealand / Helen Leach )
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On the top was a tauhu, or ceremonial altar, where rituals envoking the blessings of the resident deities on the land and the people were performed. The ridge of the hill was a good observation point for watching the movement of the stars to time the planting of crops. (the site was later proposed as an observatory by a group opposed to the removal of the hill).
Other structures on the hill included drying platforms, storage sheds, houses for the making of flax, ceremonial ovens and carved figures containing sacred spirits. |
Te Ao Katoa, a Ngati Koura high priest of the most sacred of the ancient Maaori cults, Io, is said to have visited the hill with King Tawhiao, in 1881. He performed a ceremony to remove the tapu placed on the hill by European activity such as the building of houses.
By 1849, missionaries had converted many of the Ngati Wairere people to Christianity, and most of the traditional Maaori practices on the hill ceased. Religious activity shifted to the Kirikiriroa Pa, sited between what is now London and Bryce Streets.
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Arrival of Europeans
With the arrival of settlers, cultivation on the hill changed radically. The traditional crops of the Maaori were replaced by wheat, corn, pumpkins, potatoes and fruit trees to supply the Europeans with food. A private gardener, A. J. T. Horne, cleared much of the scrub and planted trees and shrubs in 1894. In the early twentieth century there were two notable residences on the hill. The rest was a wasteland covered with rubbish. |
Beehives on Garden Place Hill, with Frear house in the background (from the collection of historic photos held in Central Library)
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Modification of the hill
As the city grew, the expanding central city area was cut in two by this large natural feature. It was an obstacle that restricted commercial growth to the north and divided the south and north ends of town. For many years road transport had the option of Victoria Street or Seddon Road, and the roads running between these- Anglesea Street and Tristram street- were interrupted by the hill and the railway station.
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The Hill, 1920s
(from the collection of historic photos held in Central Library)
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The removal of the hill was first mooted in the 1920s when Rupert Worley, Borough Engineer (1925-1942) did detailed surveys which showed that over 500,000 cubic yards of clay had to be removed. His idea attracted considerable opposition because private houses occupied the hill, the cost of the project could cripple the borough, and the Victoria Street gardens, with their large rose covered pergola, would have to go. It therefore took several years for the plans to come to fruition. |
Mayor J R Fow was an enthusiastic supporter of the scheme, and saw numerous benefits, particularly the large amount of earth that would be freely available for improvements or repair. Several projects needing fill at the time inluded the culvert of the Maeroa bridge, the piped streams at Palmerstone Street and Victoria Street North, and the proposed ramp surround at Seddon Park/ Rugby Park.
Economic advantages included improved access between the north and south of the city, easier concentration of one Central Business District and the easing of traffic congestion in Victoria Street.
To demonstrate the plan to Parliament a scale model was created showing the hill as it existed. A system of lifters devised by the engineer Mr Worley, raised the hill to reveal central Hamilton as it would be after development of the excavated area. The model was railed to Wellington and shown to the MPs of the parliamentary committee who were to review the application. It was a success. Sadly the model no longer exists.
| In 1931- 32 a cutting was formed to connect the two parts of Anglesea Street. The work for this was done by a number of Hamilton's unemployed men – it kept them busy for two years. Three years later the Hamilton Borough Council Empowering Act was passed. This allowed the Council two years to "acquire certain lands" for the levelling of Garden Place. This was later extended from two to four years. In January 1939 work finally began on excavating the hill. |
The removal of the Hill
(from the collection of historic photos held in Central Library)
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Later development
After the war years the area was used as a carpark, which was very popular with retailers and shoppers. There was a strip of rose garden and sundial on the Victoria Street frontage. In 1967 the carpark was closed and Garden Place was laid out with grass and trees. This change generated much opposition from the shop owners and their customers. The Mayor of the day, Dr Rogers, was scathing of the retailers, and indeed the public. "Business people are screaming that this will hurt them, but they have done not a damn thing about providing any parking for their customers." and "I think it will do people good to have to walk a little further; it will probably prevent a lot of coronary thrombosis." (Waikato Times, 15/6/67, p1)
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Garden Place carpark 1950s
(from the collection of historic photos held in Central Library)
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A ring road encircled the beautified area; in fact, 'Garden Place' referred to the roads, not the grassy patch. This allowed for bus-stops and taxi stands but little or no parking. The concept of removing all traffic from Garden Place met with mixed views. There was opposition from some- 'Garden Place could become a hippie haven' - but others thought it a good idea as the ring road was 'part of the "show-off" circuit' where young men drove around and around to display their pride and joy. |
Preliminary reports indicated some 5,500 vehicles per day traversed Garden Place including several bus routes, with bus stops up and down the shop fronts. It was feared that the re-routing of all this traffic could place a burden on other nearby streets. The beginnings of the 'garden' with the fountains were laid in the early 1970s and Garden Place was finally closed to traffic in August 1974. |
