Public Art In Albert Park

Albert Park is located in the heart of Auckland and occupies much of the Albert Barracks, one of Auckland's early European military fortifications. Underneath the park are a series of extensive tunnels known as the Albert Park Tunnels which were built as air raid shelters in 1941 but were sealed at the conclusion of World War II (so don't bother trying to find them). Interestingly the park lies right next to a volcano which erupted some 140,000 years ago. The cone was quarried away during the establishment of the city in the late 19th century. In 1870 15 acres were set aside for a public recreation area. A competition was held in 1872 by the City Council for a park design. For some reason the winning design was never used and a new competion was held in 1881. The winning design was by James Slator and William Goldie.