A History of Garden Place, Hamilton, NZ

BEFORE & AFTER: HAMILTON HILL TRANSFORMED TO GARDEN PLACE

When you look at the Garden Place square in the centre of Hamilton, try to imagine a ten metre high hill stretching from Victoria street back towards the upper slope along Anglesea Street where Wintec stands. Garden Place was originally a hill that divided the town centre into north and south sides. In the late 1930s, Hamilton Hill was levelled and the land initially used as a carpark; then the area became a public square with gardens, lawn, paved walking areas and fountains. The history of the hill in pre-European times as a garden for the Ngāti Wairere, the arrival of colonial settlers, and the removal of the hill is retold in photographs. 

1. Pre-European Garden Place Hill: Te Kōpū Mānia o Kirikiriroa

Garden Place was originally part of a ridge or promontory called Te Kōpū Mānia o Kirikiriroa (The Smooth Belly of the Long Pebbly Shore). It was named by the hapū Ngāti Wairere who lived at the Kirikiriroa Pā sited on the riverbank between what is now London and Bryce Streets. Kirikiriroa  means ‘long strip of cultivated land’.  The ridge extended from what is now Ruakiwi Road down Hill Street, Tristram Street, through to Garden Place and onwards to Victoria Street.  

See:  Wintec: A history of the land on which our city campus sits (pdf) 

The hill was covered with rangiora and other native trees and ferns, and stands of kahikatea and tawa trees. Areas were burnt away to enable the planting of kumara, rauruhe (fern root), other vegetables, and fruit trees on the northern slopes, and the cultivation of taro on the lower swampy area. There were also several puna (water springs) along the lower slopes. The berries provided food for native birds such as the kūkū (native pigeon) and the kōmako (bellbird), which were hunted and trapped.   

At the peak of the ridge there was a tūāhu (ceremonial altar), Te Ahurewa, where offerings were made to deities to bless the planting of crops and ensure a bountiful harvest. The hill was also used as an observatory for the transit of stars, including the rising of the constellation known as Matariki, to mark the timing for different phases of planting and harvesting.   

2. Arrival of Europeans & missionaries 

From the 1830s,  Europeans began arriving into the Waikato area and traded with local iwi. As well as introducing new crops, they showed different ways of planting and harvesting. The first European met by Ngāti Wairere was Kore Hako who was captured at Aotea Harbour, Kawhia by a fishing party of Ngāti Koura from Te Rapa Pā which is located near the present-day Waikato Hospital. He later lived with Ngāti Wairere at Kirikiriroa Pa and introduced peach trees that grew around what is now Victoria Street.  During the 1840s, Christian missionaries began arriving and many Ngāti Wairere people converted to Christianity. The first "church" in the Hamilton City area, named Tohikitierangi, was a thatched, raupō building constructed at Kirikiriroa Pā for the missionary Benjamin Yates Ashwell.  

See: Hamilton City Council (April 2003): “Nga Tapuwae O Hotumauea” Maori landmarks on riverside reserves Management Plan. (pdf)    

3. Waikato War: abandonment of Kirikiriroa & arrival of militia settlers

During the Waikato War, on hearing that British troops were travelling up the Waikato River on a gunboat, Ngāti Wairere abandoned Kirikiriroa Pa in 1864. Some travelled southwards into the King Country, whilst others travelled over the River to reoccupy other traditional Ngāti Wairere Pa at Hukanui, now known as Gordonton.  [See Stuff.co.nz (10 Dec 2013): Elton Smallman, "Go back to your marae, that's what it's for.]  Their land at Kirikiriroa was confiscated by the Crown under the New Zealand Settlement Act 1863. Soldiers from the 4th Battalion of the 4th Waikato Regiment arrived with Captain William Steele on the gunboat Rangiriri on 24 August 1864, and occupied the abandoned Kirikiriroa Pa. They were given land to farm on and around the hill, and planted wheat, corn, pumpkins, potatoes, fruit trees, Norfolk pines and shrubs.   

Lieutenant  Colonel William Moule, the commander of the 4th Waikato Regiment, named the new town Hamilton, in honour of Captain James Fane Charles Hamilton of the Naval Brigade, who died in action at Gate Pā. The towns of Hamilton East and West were surveyed and  lots allocated to the soldiers. 

The Borough of Hamilton was established in 1877 through combining the East and West settlements. It had a population of 1,245 and an area of 752 hectares. Following the arrival of the settlers, the ancestral remains of Ngāti Wairere who were buried at various localities on the hill were exhumed by Hakopa Te Waharoa (1820-1877) and Te Puke Waharoa  (c.1834- 1895).  In July 1881, Ngāti Koura tohunga (high priest) Te Ao Katoa was thought to have visited with King Tawhiao and performed an ancient ritual to remove the tapu on the hill. The ritual was to ensure that the Mauri of the hill would no longer be desecrated by Pākehā walking on it, farming and developing housing.  [Source:  Wintec: A history of the land on which our city campus sits (pdf)] 

4. Settler farming and housing on the hill

With the arrival of more colonists, the settlement of Hamilton grew steadily.  The traditional kūmara and fern crops on Garden Place Hill, were replaced by maize, potato, cabbages, corn, pumpkin, tobacco, peach trees, and apple trees   One of the first houses on the hill belonged to carpenter Joseph Frear who became Borough Councillor from 1884-86 and 1888-89.   

5. View atop the hill  

6. Hill reached Victoria Street

7. Controversary over suggestion to remove hill

 In 1920s, the Borough Engineer, Rupert Worley, proposed removing the hill which divided the north and south ends of town. Levelling the hill would improve the flow between Anglesea St and Ward St and create more carparking spaces. This lead to a public debate over whether the rest of the hill should be removed. The story of Garden Place has been recounted in Michael Switzer's play, One Hill of a Fight (2017)

8. Anglesea Street cutting: 1931 

 A cutting was made through the ridge to allow the formation of Angelsea Street. The cutting to link Anglesea Street to Ward Street was reinforced by concrete shortly after. Today, the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) sits on top of the hill above the wall  

9. Relocation of houses, 1939 - 1940

 In 1936 an Empowering Act was passed by Parliament to give the Hamilton Borough Council permission to buy the land that would be affected by the removal of the hill, remove the existing houses, and flatten the hill.  

10. Excavations of hill get underway

The ridge on the river side of Angelsea Street was bulldozed away, thereby flattening the area for the development of what is now Garden Place and the central CBD around the Hamilton City Council buildings. A ritual was performed to remove tapu from the hill before the hill was excavated. The bulldozed earth was trucked away and used to fill various gullies around Hamilton including at Waitawhiriwhiri gully and Maeroa Bridge to create an embankment, Lake Rotoroa and Rugby Park, and was used for the construction of a railway station at Frankton.  

11. Creation of Garden Place with parking spaces

The transformation of the centre of Hamilton City's shopping area into a parking space is captured in these aerial and street-level photos. The outside areas of Garden Place were divided into 11 sections, while the central area was set aside as car parking for 150 cars.   

12. Garden Place during WWII 

Garden Place provided a large, open-air rallying area during World War Two.  

13. Late 1940s - 1960s: Carpark

Garden Place continued to be used as a carpark until 1967 when the central area was grassed over. A ring road encircled the beautified area, but it was removed in August 1974. 

14: Buildings surrounding Garden Place Square in 1950S - 1970S:  

Many of the original buildings can still be seen today, although the shops and businesses within them have changed.  

15.  Garden Place Fountain

 An ornamental fountain was installed in the early 1970s and was removed in 2008.  

16. Garden Place closed to traffic from 1974 - 2011

Garden Place was closed to traffic in August 1974 to create a public space - the 'town square'.  Over the years ornamental plants and lawns have become features of Garden Place to encourage people to spend more time in the inner city. 

17.  Garden Place remodelled 2000 onwards

Garden Place has been through various redesigns to provide spaces to attract pedestrians.  A  “pop up” fountain type water feature was installed, movable flower boxes set up, and sitting areas established.

New road between Worley Place & Alexandra St

Garden Place had another makeover to attract foot traffic.  A "shared zone" for pedestrians and vehicles near the Council building that connects Worley Place with Alexandra Street was opened on 6 June 2012. (The Base' commercial and retail centre had opened in Te Rapa by Tainui Group Holdings in 2005-2006, which was having an impact on the inner city.)  

Matariki sculpture:

A sculpture by Neil Miller symbolising Matariki was unveiled on 25 Nov 2011. Its design represents Pleiades in the form of a growing vine, with the stars of Matariki forming the fruit on the vine.  [See photo on Hamilton New Zealand: Te Tiaho O Matariki]

Mural: 

Since January 2020, a large-scale mural by the Te Whetū Collective adorns the retaining wall along the Anglesea cutting, atop of which is sited Wintec.  The mural tells the story of the hill - it depicts the Waikato River, three tui, and a female portrait representing Mātariki.  See film of the mural on Te Ao Maori News (23 Jan 2020):  Te Kōpū Mānia o Kirikiriroa mural revitalising local history.  Also see Creative Waikato: Te Koopuu Mural Project Artist’s Brief.

Statues:

In 2013, a bronze statue of Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton, who the city is named after, was created by Margriet Windhausen as a gift  by the Gallagher Group. John Hamilton was a British navy officer who led a regiment fighting against Māori and was killed during the Battle of Gate Pā.  The statue became a  point of contention for local iwi and other community members.  In 2018 it was defaced with red paint and attacked with a hammer.  Following a request from Waikato-Tainui, the Council removed the statue on 12 June 2020. 

On 31 October 2020, a bronze statue of Dame Hilda Ross was unveiled. It was created by Matt Gauldie for the Theatre of the Impossible Charitable Trust (TOTI) Trust. Dame Ross was a Hamilton City councillor, Deputy Mayor, and an MP. She held various posts in the first National government, including member of the Executive Council, Minister of Social Security, Minister of Welfare of Women and Children and Minister of Child Welfare. [See video and article on the unveiling at Stuff.co.nz (31 Oct 2020): Mike Mather. "Battle not over yet for champion of women, children, and poverty-stricken "]

18. Garden Place attracting "anti-social behaviour" - showering, sleeping, etc, 2025

18. Sources

• Creative Waikato: Te Koopuu Mural Project Artist’s Brief: https://creativewaikato.co.nz/sites/default/files/Te%20Koopuu%20Artist%20Brief.pdf  

• Hamilton City Council (April 2003): “Nga Tapuwae O Hotumauea” Maori landmarks on riverside reserves Management Plan. (pdf)  

• Hamilton City Libraries: Garden Place, Our Place: https://hamiltonlibraries.co.nz/heritage/discover-stories-and-articles/garden-place-our-place

• Hamilton City Libraries Heritage Collections online: https://heritage.hamiltonlibraries.co.nz/highlights/Garden%20Place/objects

• Stuff.co.nz (10 Dec 2013): Elton Smallman, "Go back to your marae, that's what it's for": https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/9496147/Go-back-to-your-marae-thats-what-its-for

• Stuff.co.nz (31 Oct 2020): Mike Mather, " Battle not over yet for champion of women, children, and  poverty-stricken: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/123261081/battle-not-over-yet-for-champion-of-women-children-and-povertystricken

• Te Ao Maori News (23 Jan 2020):  Te Kōpū Mānia o Kirikiriroa mural revitalising local history: https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2020/01/23/te-kopu-mania-o-kirikiriroa-mural-revitalising-local-history/

• Wintec: A history of the land on which our city campus sits: https://wintecprodpublicwebsite.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity-storage/docs/default-source/about-wintec-documents/history-of-wintec-land.pdf?sfvrsn=a5f1ec33_4

This DigitalNZ story was updated in April 2025