History of the Oamaru Public Gardens

In 1858, the Gardens area was just a swamp about 34 acres in size. The Gardens used to be a potato patch before it was made into the Gardens. In 1876, James Kidd, a gardener, straightened up the old Oamaru creek so that two lakes could be made. Small ponds were created as well. He also planted exotic trees. When James started to build the gardens, he was given £34 to buy seeds. As you can imagine, it would cost a lot more today. The Waitaki Acclimatisation Society and the Oamaru Beautifying Society also helped. One of the oldest and most popular places is Wonderland. Many weddings are held there and it is popular with children because of the fairy statue. One of the last things to be installed was the elephant slide.

Written by Nick, Aidan and Paul