First established back in the 1860s after swampland produced by a massive earthquake was drained by prisoners from the Mount Cook Prison, the Basin Reserve in Wellington feels like a pretty special place.
Though updated over time, and sitting inside a busy roundabout, the historic ground has retained an old-world charm. The grass bank that horseshoes around the outfield – broken up by a couple of handsome grandstands and the new Ewen Chatfield pavilion – looks a particularly inviting place from which to watch sport.
