Cricket grounds in New Zealand
New Zealand's cricket grounds may not be as steeped in tradition as their English counterparts, but many have a story to tell.
Pukekura Park
One such ground is Pukekura Park in New Plymouth - a lively city on the North Island’s west cape. Set amongst a 128 acre park featuring lakes, formal gardens and walking trails through native bush, the cricket ground has sweeping views of snowcapped Mt Taranaki.
Spectators can enjoy a bird's eye view of the action from grass terraces landscaped out of an embankment alongside the pitch - which has long been the setting for local, provincial and one day international matches. It hosted matches during the 1991-1992 Cricket World Cup.
But Pukekura Park is not only famed for its cricketing history - in its relatively short lifespan it has hosted a royal reception and starred in a Hollywood blockbuster.
During their 1954 visit to New Zealand, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were welcomed to New Plymouth with a reception at Pukekura Park. In 2003 the Park had another brush with fame when Tom Cruise chose it as a major backdrop for The Last Samurai movie.
From mid December till mid February the park hosts the Festival of Lights - a nationally known free event where lights are used to accentuate the park's natural features.
During summer weekends Pukekura Park still draws crowds to its trusty grass terraces for regular provincial games and the odd One Dayer.
Devonport
Auckland's North Shore Cricket Club is one of the oldest cricket clubs in the country. The club was formed in Devonport, a short ferry ride across the Waitemata harbour from Auckland's central business district. Devonport was established as a naval base in Auckland in the early 1860's.
When the fleet was in, rival crews - many of whom had recently migrated from England - would come ashore and challenge each other to a game. After watching with curiosity, Devonport locals eventually dared the naval officers to a game and in 1864 the North Shore Cricket Club was born.
But it wasn’t to be an easy road for the club. Forced to move because the land was sold beneath them, the club had to close down for more than a decade
However, in 1890 the local council offered the club some reclaimed mangrove swamp land between three extinct volcanoes and the club managed to fit in two pitches. While it wasn’t seen as prime real estate then, today it's worth millions and is still enjoyed by cricketers and the public.
Devonport is now a bustling seaside town of chic café's, restaurants, and art galleries, but the club is still popular - and despite its modest size enjoys the distinction of having produced more international cricketers than any other Auckland club, the latest of whom was '90's fast bowler Danny Morrison.
Queenstown
Nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu under the watchful eye of surrounding Southern Alps, it would be hard to beat the Queenstown Cricket Ground for a more picturesque location. The ground is a regular fixture on the One Day International scene, where cameramen and commentators alike struggle to concentrate on the action going out in the middle. Right in the heart of the adventure capital of the world, fans are never short of any thrill-seeking adventures for pre or post match entertainment.
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