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Published on 24 August 2026
The Oamaru Public Gardens mark their 150th anniversary later this year, and while the community will be invited along to celebrate the five star public garden – an invite was also extended to His Majesty King Charles III.
Sadly, His Royal Highness will be unable to attend the celebrations – but Council received a message expressing the King’s sincere hopes that the occasion will be memorable for all involved.
However the community is formally invited to join us at the Oamaru Public Gardens on October 10th 2026 and if you can’t make it there’s no need to send us a polite letter.
The Oamaru Public Gardens is one of the oldest in New Zealand.
While John Turnbull Thompson's original 1858 town plan set aside land for public gardens, it wasn't until early October 1876 that the Gardens were officially inaugurated, when Mayor William Steward and Reverend Algernon Gifford planted a purple beech tree.
The first Borough Gardener, James Kidd, then transformed the site by straightening the winding Oamaru Creek, creating Mirror Lake and its ponds, and establishing many of the trees and shrubs that still define the Gardens today.
More information on the celebrations will be released in early September.
Letter from King Charles III(PDF, 45KB)
ENDS
media@waitaki.govt.nz