PukekawaAuckland Domain
20 Park Road, Grafton
About Auckland Domain
Pukekawa / Auckland Domain is our oldest park and one of the largest. Developed on 75 hectares around the cone of an extinct volcano. The 'tuff rings' created by volcanic activity can be seen in the land contours and forms a natural amphitheatre.
The history of Pukekawa / Auckland Domain
Pukekawa / Auckland Domain is the remnant of the ancient volcano Pukekawa. Its crater extends around the outside of the sport fields. The small volcanic hill is Pukekaroa, the site of a pa inhabited and fought over by many different iwi (tribes) throughout the early history of Tamaki Makaurau.
Governor Robert Fitzroy set aside the 75ha park in 1843, and since then it has gone through many changes.
During the Second World War it was used as a camp ground by American troops, and many exotic plants and birds were introduced by the Acclimatisation Society.
During the 1920s, the Wintergarden added Art Deco style and the Auckland War Memorial Museum became a permanent memorial to our fallen service men and women.
The Domain Wintergarden was designed by Auckland architect William Gummer in the early 1900s and are a complex of gardens located within the Pukekawa / Auckland Domain. The glasshouses have recently been reopened after two years of seismic strengthening and restoration.
Still present in the domain is a mighty tōtara tree, which represents the continued peace agreement between the Waikato tribes of Te Wherowhero, Ngāti Whātua and Ngāpuhi.
The governing framework for the park is the Auckland Domain Act 1987, the Auckland Domain Management Plan 1993 and the Auckland Unitary Plan 2016.
You need to know
Animals
Dogs must be on leash at all times in our parks unless otherwise stated in the dog walking section.
Alcohol
Alcohol is banned from some public places in Auckland. See Alcohol bans to find out the rules for each park and view ban maps.
Smokefree parks
Our parks are all smokefree.
Waste
Use bins where provided to dispose of your rubbish. If there are no bins take all rubbish and recycling with you when you leave.
Outdoor fires
It is illegal to light open fires in public areas in the Auckland region.
How to access Auckland Domain
- Mobility car parks ‑ There are 10 mobility car parks in the domain. Three outside the Wintergarden, two at the end of The Crescent, one at the end of Kiosk Road and four in front of the museum.
- Pedestrian access ‑ 24 hours
What to see and do at Auckland Domain
- Wintergarden ‑
The gardens consist of two large glasshouses, one non-heated Temperate House and one Tropical House. The Wintergardens are home to a range of rare plants species, botanical displays and a fernery.
Opening hours are Monday to Sunday, 9am-5pm in summer (1 November to 31 March) and Monday to Sunday, 9am-4.30pm in winter (1 April to 31 October).
- Pukekaroa Hill ‑ The carved ancestral guardians of Pukekaroa surround and protect a sacred tōtara tree planted on the first centenary of the Treaty of Waitangi signing in 1940.
- Watsons Bequest
- Sport fields ‑ There are 10 hectares of sports fields available for casual or seasonal bookings. The open area is surrounded by trees, monuments and the old grandstand.
- Band Rotunda ‑
A popular location for ceremonies. Apply for an event permit to secure an area on your special day.
- Hibiscus gardens and duck ponds
- Cenotaph ‑ Site of remembrance in front of the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
- Fairy Gardens
- Sensory Garden ‑ Enjoy the fragrance of these gardens.
- Changing rooms ‑ Located by the grandstand. Open 6am to 10pm daily.
- Drinking fountain ‑ There is a drinking fountain on Garden Road, in the Watson Bequest historic gardens.
Contact us to report a problem at this park