PAPA PĀNUI Tūhuratia te Rārangi • NOTICEBOARD • EXPLORE THE LIST
WORDS: JAMIE DOUGLAS • IMAGERY: AMANDA TRAYES
Heart of glass Every day is a blooming marvel at the Domain Wintergardens There’s only one feature that causes a stink at the Domain Wintergardens in Auckland – and it’s supposed to. The Amorphophallus titanum, or corpse flower, had hundreds of visitors to the tropical house in January testing their ability to remain upright while taking in its pungent aroma. The Indonesian native, which can take up to seven years to bloom, is just one attraction of many that make the Wintergardens glasshouses a truly memorable place to visit.
8 Hōtoke • Winter 2020
The Domain has been entertaining Aucklanders since it was declared a place of public recreation in 1844. Work started on the Wintergardens during World War I and by the late 1920s most of what we see today had been built: the nonheated Temperate/Cool House for flowering plants; the Tropical/ Hot House, heated to an average of 28°C; the Fernery; and the connecting landscaped courtyard. Statues and a sunken pond were added by the mid-1950s to
complete the heritage attraction, providing a perfect open-air space in which children could run around – as long as they were aware that any cutting of corners could result in a watery end to the day. Heritage New Zealand Senior Heritage Advisor (Listing) Martin Jones says the Category 1 Wintergardens are considered one of the earliest remaining purposebuilt and planned botanical structures in New Zealand. They were collectively designed by William Gummer (Temperate/Cool House) and the architectural practice of Gummer and Ford (Tropical/Hot House and Fernery) – among the foremost architects in the country at the time. From a technological perspective, the Wintergardens represent an early example of steel and glass construction in New Zealand.
“Also known as ‘plant palaces’, the houses reflect interest in the natural world in early 20thcentury New Zealand society – particularly exotic flora from around the globe – and a growing enthusiasm for New Zealand species in the 1920s,” says Martin. “The Fernery is notable for its display of New Zealand plants, some of which may have originated from a collection that won an award to encourage the appreciation and cultivation of native flora in 1926. “The houses are also significant for their links with the Auckland Industrial, Agricultural and Mining Exhibition in 1913-14, and the role of public parks – such as the Auckland Domain – as places of education and recreation.” The houses and gardens were seen as an important step in gentrifying the Domain,
Heritage New Zealand
