I am interested in the Auckland Domain for several reasons. Personally, it is a place which holds many dear memories for me: Befriending the swans at the pond, visiting the memorial, the museum, Wintergarden, or just going out for drinks at Wintergarden’s Café. Before lockdown, I attended Whips in the Domain on Monday nights – a weekly gathering held on the hill east of the cenotaph. There was a barbeque, and many of my friends from outside university (and some from within) regularly attended. Auckland Domain is an intimate place for me, and I would be a liar if I claimed my interest was not, at least in part, an infatuation with my own memories.
The museum is second. It is a repository for information, and the walls of the memorial carry many of my ancestors’ names. Growing up, I loved visiting the museum. It was like a big educational playground. Look with your eyes, not your hands. As I grew older, my visits to the museum became less frequent – as did my visits to Auckland Zoo. One memory I will never forget, though, is going there on my first ‘date’ with my partner. Little learning happened that day – little of anything happened. It was raining in Newmarket, and we needed somewhere to stay dry for a couple of hours.
My third interest is more recent. It developed in response to our visit to the museum: The history of Auckland Domain, the history of Auckland Park, and the history of Pukekaroa. This interest was sparked when I learned Maori motifs were appropriated in the design of the museum. That is its own story. The museum and memorial have their own stories, and neither of them are the beginning of the Auckland Domain story. I will admit, many great stories do not begin from the start – they begin somewhere in the middle and expand out into both the past and future (can you tell I recently read Dolores Claiborne?). No, my interest is the whole thing – beginning to end – but that is hardly an appropriate topic for a blog post. I have almost written 400 words on my feelings towards the place, let alone its history. This will be a project.
As I understand it, the first governor of New Zealand, William Hobson, allegedly wanted to establish a public reserve in the new city of Auckland . Unfortunately, he would die before he could achieve this goal. From there, the idea found its way into the head of Robert FitzRoy, New Zealand’s second governor . FitzRoy set aside a 75-hectare block of land in, what is today, the suburb of Grafton . The year was 1843, and Auckland Park, as it was known, was a swamp . While FitzRoy would not last as governor, Auckland Park would last as a landmark. Although, at a certain point in time, it became Auckland Domain. Both of those names are English, though, and they do no justice to those who occupied Pukekaroa prior to colonisation – prior to Auckland. Before the Pakeha came, Pukekaroa was a pā.
References:
• “Park Details Page – Pukekawa/Auckland Domain.” Auckland Council. Accessed September 10th, 2020. https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/parks-recreation/Pages/park-details.aspx?Location=126
• Pukekawa – The Domain Volcano. Auckland Museum: 2005.
• Dumo, Gia. “Domain’s Rich Secrets Revealed.” Aucklander February 9th, 2011.
• “Auckland Domain – Wikipedia.” Wikipedia – The Free Encyclopedia. Updated July 15th, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auckland_Domain#cite_note-PUK-2
This is a really sweet post-Morgan, to me, the domain is always a basket of person and a little bit cringy memories. I love walking through the Maori exhibits upon the ground floor, especially the Marae. Perhaps in hopes that I will understand what my ancestors took from Maori in hopes that it can be restored. I like to think it is a form of reverse kaitiakitanga; an obligated guardianship over lands against adversity that from those that would deny the existence of Maori and their significance. Recently, I went to Tangihana at the Orakei marae; a cultural fusion between Samoan and Maori customs, however, I was taken back by the beauty of simply standing in front of the marae. Staring out onto the blue mirror of the Waitemata, and actually understanding the full extent of the Tikanga values I had studied in law. I felt such a love for the Maori-Samoan collective I have the privilege of calling family, who inspired me to become more educated on matters that I had once felt remote from. It is a constant reminder when I visit those exhibits. When I formalize my name I might just be Theodorus Jeremy Luke van de Klundert-Kahui. Who knows?
A beautiful post Morgan – thank you for sharing your precious and intimate memories. What special pictures you paint of the space. Your final paragraph with a brief overview of The Domain’s history is completely fascinating, and something I myself am now rather intrigued about. I wish you all the best for any further research you choose to do about the area!! Arohanui.