The Dunedin Amenities Society have been working closely with the Dunedin City Council to restore the traditional viewing point of the city at Robin Hood Park. The viewing point is part of the Town Belt Management Plan for the reserve and had over the years become overgrown and reduced by weeds, sycamores and other trees. Participants in the Society’s Town Belt Traverse last year raised the loss of the viewing area with the Society which began working with the Council to restore the area. The Society had developed the Robin Hood lookout as part the Queens visit to the city in 1954 and included two commemorative seats to Kathleen Gilkison and former Society President and renowned alpine botanist George Simpson. The seats had been damaged and removed but new replacements have been returned to their original position by Delta contractors. The plinth holding the direction finder was also damaged and local stone mason Marcus Wainwright generously donated his time in restoring the plinth.
Shirley Stuart of the City Council Parks team has made a significant improvement to the viewing site and the Society are grateful for her efforts. The Society will fund the replanting of the cleared area with low-growing native vegetation and have the paving area with its commemorative plaques cleaned and repaired. There is still some minor clearing and pruning to be done, but overall the improvement to the outlook is significant. The area has been used by local landscape artists for a number of years and is a pleasant area of the Town Belt to view the city and its surrounds.
