AUCKLAND MUNICIPAL HANDBOOK
final of the international tennis matches for the Davis Cup between Australasia and the United States was contested on this ground in December, 1920, special courts being laid down for the event.
Prior to the formation of the Cricket Ground, the area was a marsh. The drainage system, which was laid down, has transformed it into the splendid sports ground of to-day. It is also interesting to record that the site is reputed to have been a resort of the old-time Maoris as a place to procure eels for consumption.
The Auckland Exhibition of 1913–14 was held in the Domain, and this event has resulted in great improvements to this Park. A feature of the Exhibition was the manner in which the grounds approaching the buildings were laid out in walks and flower beds. These have been preserved and maintained, adding to the amenity of the Park. While the purpose of the Exhibition was primarily commercial, the executive decided that in the event of a surplus accruing from the undertaking it would be used in beautifying the area used for the Exhibition. The surplus available amounted to over £20,000, which has been expended in improving and beautifying the part of the Domain now officially named the Children's Playing Ground, but better known as the Outer Domain, on which a sports ground, of an area large enough to allow five football matches to be played at one time, has been formed, and new drives and paths made. A Winter Garden has also been erected out of the Exhibition funds, and
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