A Record at Cooks Gardens - Roadside Stories

A Manatū Taonga audio guide to Wanganui's Cooks Gardens. Check out the Ministry for Culture and Heritage's audio guide in the image carousel above.

Cooks Gardens in Whanganui made international headlines in January 1962, when New Zealand athlete Peter Snell ran a mile in 3 minutes and 54.4 seconds, setting a new world record. A protégé of the running coach Arthur Lydiard, Snell won gold for New Zealand at the 1960 and 1964 Olympics. He is commemorated at Cooks Gardens by a statue gazing towards the finish line.

Peter Snell breaks world mile record,
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/timeline/27/1

Peter Snell,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/whanganui-region/12/4

Arthur Leslie Lydiard,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/6l3/2

Whanganui region: outdoor recreation and leisure,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/whanganui-region/12

Golden day for runners in Rome,
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/timeline&new_date=02/09

Peter Snell wins second gold in Tokyo,
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/timeline/21/10

Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number sa-t-0130-su01-pm).

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Roadside Stories are a series of audio guides to places of interest on major road trips in New Zealand. Each guide tells the story of an attraction along the way -- its people, its history, its cultural and natural significance. For more information about Roadside Stories visit http://www.mch.govt.nz/roadside/