Canberra, the capital city designed to be a capital city, is a fascinating place to visit. While the distinctive Parliament House, on Capital Hill, is arguably the jewel in the crown, there are many other places of interest, for New Zealanders – both politicians, current and past, and members of the public.
Two sites of particular interest are the Old Parliament House Gardens and the New Zealand Memorial.
After initially being neglected when the new Parliament House opened in 1988, work on restoring and reconstructing the gardens on either side of Old Parliament House, began in 2000. The gardens, opened in 2004, have been fully restored, including four rose gardens.
Located within the Ladies Garden (Rows N09 and R11), in the House of Representatives Garden, is the hybrid tea rose ‘Peace’ gifted by the Association of Former Members of New Zealand.
https://www.nca.gov.au/attractions/old-parliament-house-gardens
Not too far away, at the head of Canberra’s ceremonial avenue, Anzac Parade, stands the symbolic New Zealand Memorial celebrating the cooperative relationship between New Zealand and Australia.
The Memorial takes the form of two bronze arches, each representing the handle of a flax basket or kete. The Ministry of Culture and Heritage explains the symbolism of the kete: Based on the proverb ‘Mau tena kiwai o te kete, maku tenei’ or ‘Each of us at a handle of the basket’, the kete symbolises the shared ‘load’ and experience of Australians and New Zealanders, with the dynamic form of the handles emphasising the ongoing evolution of that relationship.
https://mch.govt.nz/nz-identity-heritage/national-monuments-war-graves/new-zealand-memorial-canberra
So next time you visit Canberra, think about finding time to visit these two additional sites of interest to New Zealand in the Australian capital city.
