Around the world in an hour and a half

Today we visited the Hamilton Gardens, which every local had insisted we make time to visit--and now we know why! These large gardens are public, and, amazingly, free! One of the things we have noticed about New Zealand is its good support of the arts.

The main part of the gardens is focused on a series of displays of global/historical landscape styles, entitled "The Story of the Garden." From a neutral central garden bounded by high green hedges, you have six choices of direction...




first we explored the Renaissance garden, built in the formal Italianate style;



then, we reveled in the light and heat of the Indian garden;


next, we enjoyed the variety and surprises within the interlinking parts of the Chinese scholar's garden;



the snazzy American modern garden was an adaptation of Thomas Church's famous California design;



the English garden was aflutter with white fantail doves;




and the Japanese garden stunned us with its serene beauty.




The gardens also include other delights such as a traditional herb garden, and a lovely strolling lake.


Finally, we were delighted by a huge carved wooden panel inspired by the gardens. The two carvers have created a piece that blends botanical correctness with child-pleasing whimsy. An accompanying poem challenges visitors to find all the treats and details hidden within the carving.


Now that we have discovered this wonderful place, we'll be sure to come back again to see the many collections we didn't have time for today. What a civic treasure!