Word on the street: Elizabeth Place
This street in Frankleigh Park was named to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to New Plymouth in 1953 and coincided with the 1963 national tour.
The 1963 tour was a success and drew enthusiastic crowds, eager to catch a glimpse of the monarch. However, it was the 1953-1954 tour that had the most impact for Taranaki. The recently crowned Queen arrived in Auckland on 23 December 1953, aboard the S.S. Gothic and began a tour that would last a little over a month.
Her Majesty arrived in Taranaki by rail on January 8. Her first stop was Pātea, where the royal visitors were greeted by a 99 foot by 6 foot stand of red, white and blue hydrangeas, spelling out ‘‘Welcome to Pātea’’.
Next up was Hāwera, where royal-themed hydrangea displays were again prominent and even utilised to assist in crowd control. It must have been a good season for hydrangeas in 1954.
In Stratford, 10,000 people congregated to welcome the royal party. They enjoyed a walk about where the royal couple viewed more floral displays. Well-wishers lined the rail side on the journey from Stratford to New Plymouth. And in New Plymouth cheers of jubilation rang out as the rail car arrived and the official car made its way to the Criterion Hotel where the royal party was staying.
The Queen’s official duties began the following day with a reception held at Pukekura Park, with 18,000 loyal subjects in attendance. The town was plentifully decorated in hues of red, white and blue. A visit to the Bell Block Co-Operative Dairy Factory was also on the itinerary. The Taranaki tour came to an end in the afternoon when the Queen departed by air to Paraparaumu.
Unfortunately for New Plymouth, the naming of a street in her honour did not entice Her Majesty back as part of the 1963 tour. In all, Queen Elizabeth II visited New Zealand 10 times. Her last visit to New Zealand was in 2002 to mark her 50th Jubilee.
– Contributed by the Taranaki Research Centre I Te Pua Wānanga o Taranaki at Puke Ariki.