The people of Invercargill have been given an early Christmas present, with a further section of Queens Park reopening earlier than anticipated.

The second phase of Queens Park’s staged reopening has been brought forward to Friday 28 November, and includes parts of the park that were expected to be closed for many months.

The award-winning Queens Park had been closed after a severe wind storm that hit Southland in late October, with a small segment reopening on 15 November following extensive remediation work.

Map detailing the areas of Queens Park that have reopened. Photo: Invercargill City Council

Invercargill City Council Manager Parks and Recreation Caroline Rain said it was due to the hard work of staff on the ground that the next section of the park could reopen early.

“My warmest gratitude goes out to the staff and contractors who have been tirelessly working over the past few weeks to make the park safe,” she said.

“Every tree in the area has been thoroughly checked by arborists, and we’ve cleared away debris and assessed all pathways. “We’re really excited to have this next section open again, and we appreciate everyone giving us the time to do this safely.”

The areas to be reopened would include the southern end of Coronation Avenue around the Band Rotunda, the Jessie Calder Garden, the Stumpery and the south-eastern corner of the park surrounding Blind Low Vision NZ’s building.

Rain said many people were expected to be out and about enjoying Invercargill’s public spaces following the Southland Santa Parade on Saturday, which had fuelled the determination to get the area ready as soon as possible.

“It’s wonderful that the community will once again be able to include a visit to the heart of Queens Park in their weekend plans.”

Temporary fences, hazard tape and signage would remain in place to clearly advise visitors of the areas that were off limits.

A map of the open and closed areas could be found on Council’s website. “We ask everyone to respect the boundaries in place and not go into any areas that are cordoned off,” Rain said.

“Our staff and contractors will continue to make every effort to reopen the remaining areas of Queens Park as soon as possible.”

The closed sections of the park, including the Queens Park Golf Club, the remainder of Coronation Avenue, and the tracks around the perimeter of the park from Kelvin St, Herbert St, and Queens Dr, would require more intensive remedial work before they could be reopened.

Several other parks in Invercargill remained closed, including Donovan Park, Elizabeth Park and Otepuni Gardens.

The latest information about park closures around the city could be found on Council’s website.