Our Treasures: ‘Heritage Park is a gift that keeps on giving’

Heritage Park is blooming with signs of spring, pictured, the Oruaiti Chapel with the Clarke Homestead in the background.

Alyce Charlesworth is a curator at the Whangārei Museum.

OPINION

Heritage Park is blooming with signs of spring, and this is your reminder that, when our town gets hectic across the summer season, there is a green oasis with a slower speed just outside the city centre.

Different variations of the same concept can be found around the world, making parks an almost universal experience across cultures. Persian Kings were some of the first conscious creators of grounds set aside for recreation (hunting), and in Athens the function of parks was primarily as spaces for athletes to train, alongside elements of art (sculpture) and religion. The Taj Mahal in India dates from the 17th century and was established on 8ha to be maintained for public use in perpetuity- a shared space where the poor could pick the fruit. In England during the post-renaissance times, parks became romanticised spaces, with extensive tamed woodlands, often for game hunting, and sometimes with botanical gardens, or aviaries.

Spring signals beside the train tracks.

Back in Northland during 1972, the third and final generation to live in Glorat, the Clarke Family homestead, sold the property to the Northland Regional Museum to secure the 63 acres for the future enjoyment of the community. Mr Basil Clarke handed over the keys with an agreement that he would see out the last of his days on the family farm. Fast forward to 2024, the park has quite a few additions since the Clarke family farmed here. Visitors are often surprised by what they find - from historic buildings, to rides on trains, trams, and tractors, to clubs which wholeheartedly share their all-encompassing interests and knowledge.

Susie and Kelsey from Life Homes helping Gabe on a garden.

Heritage Park is a gift that keeps on giving. Urban sprawl could soon see the city pushing towards its edges as our population grows. Green space is associated with psychological benefits well beyond just being pleasant or restorative. Standing on the top of the hill, you get 360-degree views of Whangārei City. With the naked eye you can see all the way to the heads of the harbour or across to Pukenui Forest, but the real treasures of the park lie in the people who share their time and passions there: “Buzzing with life” is how one visitor recently described the park. Whether you walk your dog through the grounds, or plan a picnic during train days, or visit the workshops with their diesel smells and tools out - the place packages up the best feelings of nostalgia.

Tractor rides with the Vintage Farm Machinery Club.

Recent projects on the Heritage Park grounds have seen collaborations with Tokotoko Solutions, who provide meaningful pathways through mentoring and upskilling for local youth. There is something special about working together on a community space, and Life Homes Whangārei have introduced Kelsey and Susie to work their magic in the gardens, as well as some careful cleaning of the historic buildings - bringing colour and fun to the environment. While we don’t expect to be welcoming athletes like the parks in Athens, or game hunters, beside pest control people, the establishment of Heritage Park means Northland can be sure that our history has a home.