Appleton Park

Appleton Park is a small, well used neighbourhood park in Karori, Wellington, at the corner of Birdwood Street and Chaytor Street, with a compact playground for toddlers and younger children set within around 1.4 hectares of open grass and walking trails.

Access and Inclusion

Walking and jogging trails wind through the park's greenery, where tui, kereru and fantail are regularly seen.

History and Cultural

The land was given to the old Wellington City Corporation by Thomas Ward in 1920. Before that it was a steep gully used as a rubbish tip through the 1930s, and soil was brought in to bring the site up to street level before it passed to the council's Reserves Department in 1945. The open grass here is large enough to have hosted travelling circuses, including Zirka Circus and Cirque Grande.

Practical Info

Street parking is available around Chaytor Street and Birdwood Street.