Walk Through Wellington's History

Queen Victoria’s statue seemed an appropriate starting point for me to set off on the new Commonwealth Walkway – even if the good queen lorded it over the British Empire well before it softened into the Commonwealth.

- Judith Doyle

Connecting 32 significant monuments, parks, buildings and historic places, Wellington’s Commonwealth Walkway is the first in New Zealand and one of several in other Commonwealth countries.

I leave Queen Victoria proud on her plinth and walk towards the Basin Reserve past sundry automobile companies and a straggle of small shops.

The Basin Reserve is usually a swirl of traffic, so I approach it from the righthand side of this grand avenue and use a pedestrian crossing to reach the footpath that encircles the sports ground.

From here I brave the traffic and dash across to Government House where the new walkway was officially opened in October last year by our new Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy, outgoing Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, Sir Anand Satyanand chair of the Commonwealth Foundation and Isobel Pepper of the Commonwealth Youth New Zealand executive.

They unveiled a bronze plaque engraved with Queen Elizabeth’s personal EIIR cypher. This was the last of the 32 markers to be embedded on the walkway which is 9km long. It might be advisable for walkers not to take on the traffic here to reach the Government House gates, splendid though they be -- you cannot see the House from here anyway. It’s closed to the public except on special occasions or by invitation.

Further round the Basin Reserve footpath, I take a short cut, find a gap in the traffic and run across to the walkway which now continues along Buckle Street and through the green swards of Pukeahu National War Museum Park. Prince Charles unveiled a Commonwealth Walkway marker here during his official visit to the park in November 2015.