Centennial Gardens
View of the waterfall at Centennial Gardens.
These well-landscaped gardens were once a quarry manned by prison labour.
The gardens were developed in 1974 to commemorate the centenary of the establishment of Napier as a borough and a city. Initially prisoners and later Council gardeners transformed the bare former quarry into the present verdant gardens. All the soil had to be moved onto the site. Now, paths of crushed limestone wind through rock gardens and ground-hugging planting. Water is another significant landscaping feature. From the lower pool, water is pumped to the main pool and then to the top of the cliff where it cascades in down the 40-metre rock face. Spray from the waterfall has encouraged the growth of plants on the limestone cliff face. At night, when lit with green illumination, the scene is one of almost primeval beauty. Opposite the gardens on a hillside across Coote Road, the historic former prison has been preserved and now has a new life as a tourist site and backpackers accommodation.
Many of Napier Hill's roadside retaining walls were built by working parties of prisoners. Dressed limestone from the quarry was known locally as "shell rock". In the 1920s and 1930s, it was very popular with local architects and builders who specified it for ornamental walls and pillars. When the quarry was closed, this local supply of "shell rock" dried up. Parking and Disabled Access The car park is on the seaward site of the gardens, off Coote Road. Wheelchair access is by way of the path at the Hill end of the car park.
CURRENTLY THE WATERFALL IS UNDER REPAIR , STARTED IN FEB 2019 HOPING TO BE FINISHED BY THE END OF 2019
to claim the cache
1. Take a photo of yourself (face optional), your GPS, or sign with your caching name on it. on the bridge with waterfall in the background
2. find the 3 digit number on the green power box to the left of the bridge
3. email me the answers to log the cache
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.
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