St Patrick’s Square

a fantastic place to see some green and enjoy the sun in the CBD.

A very picturesque spot in Auckland behind the stunning St Patrick’s Cathedral, St Patrick’s Square is a place to take a breather from the inner city rush. Whether you’d like to sit next to a relaxing fountain stream, read a book underneath the shade of a tree on some well-​kept grass, feed the pigeons or read the wall of important things to do before you die, this spot has all of those. The neon blue glow at night reminds me of a stage musical, as the water cascades down the hill in a dramatic way. It’s an enjoyable place. I wish there were more spots like it, both inside and outside the city.

Auckland is slowly playing catch-​up with providing quality urban public spaces, and St Patrick’s Square is a perfect case in point. This is urban design at its best. The focal point is the eponymous St Patrick’s Cathedral at the southern end which is surrounded by stately paving. The northern end forms a series of grassy steps with a water feature and cool sculptures. It’s a favoured lunchtime spot for the office workers in the area, as well as the hordes of students at the nearby language schools, so it’s always colourful and full of people during the day. At night the water features glow a cool neon blue — very cool!