Sculpture background

The sundial was gifted to the gardens to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Plimmer family (see  settling in Wellington

To use the sundial, you need to stand on the correct date and turn your back to the sun. Clasp your hands together above your head and they will cast a shadow onto the correct time. 

The horizontal sundial is a series of fixed points located around the circumference of an ellipse – a person is used to produce a shadow by standing on the marked spot in the centre of the ellipse, accurate to within a few minutes. No allowance is needed for daylight saving because the bronze hour columns are moved by staff twice a year.