Consider this: an enormous golden frame. It stands here in Ambury Regional Park. It is not just any frame. It is a portal to viewing beauty.
The Ambury Regional Park Picture Frame invites us to pause. We should admire the masterpieces around us. Auckland’s regional parks are the masterpieces. They are filled with forests. They include coastlines, wetlands, and waterfalls. Tāmaki Makaurau has enough beauty to fill an art gallery.
These frames were installed in 1999. This was long before social media. The oversized picture frames highlight scenic spots. They have become a beloved part of our landscape. The frames resulted from an award-winning campaign. Saatchi & Saatchi created it. It was called “Put yourself in the picture”.
Thousands of visitors have enjoyed these frames. They have taken snaps and selfies. They have shared Auckland’s natural wonders. You can find these highly Instagrammable frames in various regional parks. These are Waitākere, Tāpapakanga, Ambury, Āwhitu, Hunua, Long Bay, Shakespear, and Mahurangi Regional Parks.
Fun fact: each frame has a park ranger on one side. Can you spot them on the Ambury Regional Park Picture Frame?
Ambury Regional Park offers a slice of country life. It is close to the city. This working farm features many animals. You can see sheep, goats, cows and pigs. Also, there are chickens, turkeys, rabbits, and peacocks. The foreshore is great for bird spotting. Look out for godwits, knots, pied oystercatchers, and wrybills.
This park covers 85 hectares. That is 210 acres of volcanic land. It lies on the shores of the Manukau Harbour. Ambury Regional Park includes coastline and grazed paddocks. You will also find wetlands and native forest. Much of it formed 50000 years ago. This was during an eruption of Māngere Mountain.
There are many migratory shorebirds here. They visit Ambury Regional Park and the Manukau Harbour. An estimated 28000 tōrea migrate north. They come from the South Island. About 1200 ngutuparore also migrate here.
During summer, 12000 kuaka arrive. Also, 9000 huahou spend summer here. Kōtuku ngutupapa also migrate to this area. Birdwatchers have identified 86 bird species in the park.
Ambury Regional Park has a rich history. Māori settlement existed here. During the mid-19th century, it became farmland. In 1882, Ambury English & Co established a creamery.
In the late 1960s, the Māngere sewage treatment plant was established. Over 500 hectares of oxidation ponds were decommissioned. 13 kilometers of shoreline were restored. 27000 trees were planted. This became New Zealand’s largest coastal restoration project. Ambury Regional Park officially opened in 1987.
The annual Ambury Farm Day began in 1988. By 2009, 35000 people attended. By the late 2010s, around 400000 people visited annually.
Remember Edgar Degas’s words. Art is not what you see. It is what you make others see. The Ambury Regional Park Picture Frame helps us see. It frames the beauty around us. Take a photo. Put yourself in the picture. Admire this perfect view.