Gardens experience a joy

Located just to the south of the city and alongside the Waikato River, Hamilton Gardens is a triumph, with appeal for everyone, even those who struggle to tell a leaf from a flower.

Naturally, gardeners will luxuriate in the richness of the plantings throughout the 54 hectares, from trees to ferns, and orchids to herbs, but there is so much more to enjoy than just the plants.

The layout includes wide grassy spaces dotted with big trees, lakes, separate rose and rhododendron gardens that are magnificent in their flowering seasons, glasshouses, wilder areas with winding paths, and a playground and cafe.

So far, so conventionally botanical, but there is something else very special to discover there.

WHY GO?

Because you can’t go to Italy, Japan, India, or England for real now, but at Hamilton Gardens you can pretend you’re there.

Snugly fitted together is a series of obsessively detailed themed and enclosed gardens, each with its own unique focus.

The Italian Renaissance Garden, for example, features symmetrical ponds, soothing fountains and neatly trimmed box hedging laid out in front of a pillared villa.

In the Japanese Garden of Contemplation, a mirror-like pond reflects the curly tiled roof of the traditional pavilion, on the other side of which is a soothingly perfect Zen garden of rocks and raked pebbles.

The (Katherine) Mansfield Garden reproduces the setting of the New Zealand writer’s famous The Garden Party story, complete with pond, villa, vintage car and refreshment tent.

There’s a traditional Ma¯ ori garden, a sustainable one, a modernist one, and even a surrealist one with a giant door and wheelbarrow, a disorientating tiled path, and bizarre, tree-like ‘‘trons’’.

Each doorway leads into something unexpected, fabulous, and beautifully presented. There are 16 themed gardens already, with more planned.

INSIDER TIP

Allow far more time than you think you will need, and wear comfortable shoes because, although the gardens are compact, you will still cover some distance.

Brace yourself for dissatisfaction when you get home to your own garden, and remember you have been inspired too.

If you have been before, go again. There’s always something new to discover.

ON THE WAY/NEARBY

Take a cruise along the mighty Waikato River, or hire a bike to cycle along it. Go to Hamilton Zoo, and get up close to the animals on a Face2Face behind-the-scenes experience.

Drool over the cars at the Classics Museum, browse art and crafts at the colourful heritage ArtsPost Galleries, and take the obligatory selfie with the Riff Raff statue.

HOW MUCH?

The gardens are open to the public in alert 2, and entry is free. The Enclosed Gardens are open from 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 3.30pm. The Chinoiserie Garden, Indian Char Bagh Garden, Japanese Garden of Contemplation, and Surrealist Garden remain closed, and guided tours have been paused until further notice. The $2 map is recommended. Parking is free, but spaces can be limited.

BEST TIME TO GO

Spring and summer are most flowery, but there is always plenty to enjoy.

Visit hamiltongardens.co.nz.