Auckland Museum’s Southern Pathway in the Auckland Domain has been completed with its official name announced by Auckland Mayor Phil Goff.

The Southern Pathway is a fully landscaped pathway connecting the corners of Titoki Street and Maunsell Road to the Museum’s South Atrium entrance.

The pathway provides, for the first time, a fully safe and accessible route for pedestrians, prams and wheelchairs from Parnell Road to the Auckland Museum and the wider Domain .

Dr David Gaimster, Auckland Museum Chief Executive says the Pathway marks the first stage of Auckland Museum’s major transformation and is going to make it easier for visitors to access everything the Museum and the Domain have to offer.

“The Southern Pathway is one of the first interventions in the Domain for a number of decades and creates a new arrival to the Museum that is in tune with the Domain’s unique landscape. With the growing popularity of both Newmarket and Parnell, the Southern Pathway provides greater access for visitors from these precincts arriving on foot or by bus.”

“In addition, it forms new sightlines of the building and of the perimeter landscape while creating a new arrive of the Museum that responses to cultural expectations.”

“With the guidance of our Taumata-a-iwi, the Southern Pathway’s official name of Te Ara Oranga has been gifted by Taumata-a-Iwi member Te Hei Tamaariki and means the Pathway of Life or Wellbeing.”

“Wonderfully, this name connects the pathway to our neighbours at the Blind Foundation and references both the native trees but also the sensory garden beside the pathway that help the patrons of the Blind Foundation in the appreciation of plant-life.”

“Te Ara Oranga also alludes to the fact that the Domain is part of a tui trail as birds travel from west to east across Auckland and is a green space where they can stop and rest on their travels.”

In July 2020 Auckland Museum will unveil new galleries, experiences and offerings to deliver a world class visitor experience, including the new Tamaki Stories Gallery, an expanded special exhibition hall for international touring exhibitions, a new Learning Base and an enlarged Atrium that will be a place of welcome, orientation and performance.

The Southern Pathway is a collaborative project with Auckland Transport and Auckland Council.

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