A regal tour like no other: New Zealand locations with a nod to royalty
<p dir="ltr">From Queen streets and Queen’s parks to the entire town of Queenstown (which was named after Queen Victoria), there are a host of spots named after New Zealand’s head of state that deserve a look-see on your next visit.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It isn’t just the Queen who has a Kiwi namesake either, with Albert Town, near Wānaka, named after Queen Victoria’s husband and the town of Alexandra being named after her daughter-in-law.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But many of these date all the way back to the Victorian era and places named after the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, are more select.</p>
<p dir="ltr">According to the <em><a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/queens-birthday-new-zealand-locations-with-a-nod-to-royalty/R7YE2WY5GEJYJEBGTY56HWMTAM/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZ Herald</a></em>, this list of royally-inspired locations has dwindled to make way for new developments and because of natural disasters.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Of those that remain, here’s a list of spots well-worth visiting.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Parks galore</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Queen Elizabeth has been the inspiration for two parks that should be on your royal travel bucket list: one in Masterton and the other on the Kāpiti Coast.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Stretching over 638 hectares, Queen Elizabeth Park on the Kāpiti Coast was opened by the monarch during her first royal visit, months after her coronation in 1953. It boasts a vast expanse of beaches, dunes, wetland and farmland, includes a large holiday park and an ancient pā site (a Māori hill fort).</p>
<p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/06/qeii-park.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Queen Elizabeth Park features beaches, wetlands, and more, spread across 638 hectares. Image: Greater Wellington Regional Council</em></p>
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<p dir="ltr">Masterton’s Queen Elizabeth Park, on the other hand, was founded during Queen Victoria’s reign and later renamed. The park is known as one of the best and most child-friendly parks in the country, with a castle-like playground, flying fox, BMX track, steam-powered miniature train and pedal-boat rides on the lake. It also includes a deer enclosure accessed by a swing bridge across the Waipoua River.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/06/qeii-park2.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Masterton’s park boasts one of the country’s most child-friendly parks, and even houses an deer enclosure.Image: Destination Wairarapa</em></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Recreation and sports</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">After Christchurch’s Queen Elizabeth II park - built to host the 1974 Commonwealth Games - had its stadium and pool complex damaged in the 2011 earthquake, the Taiora QEII Recreation and Sports Centre was built in its stead.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The big draw for the park is its aquatic centre, with its hydroslide for big kids and its play pool for tiny swimmers, and its spa, sauna and steam room.</p>
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<p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Destination Wairarapa / Getty Images</em></p>
