One of the places we were very keen to visit the Hamilton Gardens. Word has it that they are well worth the effort and we certainly weren't disappointed. In fact it is a place that we definitely would recommend for anyone visiting the area.
We started at their information, collected a site guide and headed off out to the diverse range of gardens. The gardens are divided into five main features with three of these areas leading off a central hub. We started with the Productive Garden Collection which is divided into four sections: Te Parapara Maori Garden, Kitchen Garden, Herb Garden and Sustainable Backyard Garden. There was something here for everyone. The Kitchen Garden was based on the English Walled Vegetable Garden and even in winter, had a number of vegetables still growing. The Sustainable Backyard Garden was set up using permaculture principles and is designed to encourage and provide information for the home gardener. The Herb Garden was very much in hibernation but is also a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to learn or improve their knowledge of herbs. I don't think I have ever seen such an extensive collection of well labeled herbs.
The other two major collections coming off this hub were the Paradise Garden Collection, and The Fantasy Garden Collection. The landscaping and planning of these areas is very clever. We moved from an Italian Renaissance Garden, to a Japanese Garden of Contemplation to a Chinese Scholar Garden plus many others all side by side, but without one intruding on the other.
Link to garden collections
After a lunch break at the on site cafe, we walked further afield to the Cultivar collection which included a Rhododendron lawn, Camellia garden and a Victorian flower garden. By this stage the weather had beaten us so we retreated to the car and went in search of the museum.
The Waikato Art Museum is yet another treasure in this city and we were treated to an exhibition displaying the weaving leagacy of of Dame Rangimarie Hetet and Diggeress Te Kanawa. What made this exhibition particularly interesting for us is that we are friends with one of Diggeress's son's Mahina, and my friend Penny's partner. Penny once spoke to us at Herb Society about the work of these two women so it was a real bonus to be able to see so much of their work on display. Photos courtesy of Penny.
Link to Waikato Art Museum
We started at their information, collected a site guide and headed off out to the diverse range of gardens. The gardens are divided into five main features with three of these areas leading off a central hub. We started with the Productive Garden Collection which is divided into four sections: Te Parapara Maori Garden, Kitchen Garden, Herb Garden and Sustainable Backyard Garden. There was something here for everyone. The Kitchen Garden was based on the English Walled Vegetable Garden and even in winter, had a number of vegetables still growing. The Sustainable Backyard Garden was set up using permaculture principles and is designed to encourage and provide information for the home gardener. The Herb Garden was very much in hibernation but is also a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to learn or improve their knowledge of herbs. I don't think I have ever seen such an extensive collection of well labeled herbs.
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| One of four herb gardens |
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| Walled Kitchen Garden |
The other two major collections coming off this hub were the Paradise Garden Collection, and The Fantasy Garden Collection. The landscaping and planning of these areas is very clever. We moved from an Italian Renaissance Garden, to a Japanese Garden of Contemplation to a Chinese Scholar Garden plus many others all side by side, but without one intruding on the other.
Link to garden collections
After a lunch break at the on site cafe, we walked further afield to the Cultivar collection which included a Rhododendron lawn, Camellia garden and a Victorian flower garden. By this stage the weather had beaten us so we retreated to the car and went in search of the museum.
The Waikato Art Museum is yet another treasure in this city and we were treated to an exhibition displaying the weaving leagacy of of Dame Rangimarie Hetet and Diggeress Te Kanawa. What made this exhibition particularly interesting for us is that we are friends with one of Diggeress's son's Mahina, and my friend Penny's partner. Penny once spoke to us at Herb Society about the work of these two women so it was a real bonus to be able to see so much of their work on display. Photos courtesy of Penny.
Link to Waikato Art Museum
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