Hamilton Gardens, North Island, New Zealand

5Phil 5:00 PM Jan 6, 2020

Hamilton Gardens Visit
We visited Hamilton specifically to visit the gardens. We wandered freely on our own and explored the many varied type of gardens. Situated alongside the Waikato River on the site of a previous rubbish dump the grdens are in our view as good as any gardens we have visited anywhere in the world. Interested in gardens, take your pick. From Italian Renaissance garden, Tudor garden, Chinese Scholar's, Kitchen, English Flower, the variety is vast. Our favourites, if possible to have a favourite in such a fabulous place, would be the Italian Renaissance Garden and the Mansfield Garden. The Mansfield Garden is set up to represent the Katherine Mansfield story "The Garden Party". We spent about 6 hours wandering, including the original Rose Garden, only stopping for lunch at the cafe by the Turtle Lake. As we had only previously passed through Hamilton when heading north we decided to visit Hamilton Lake shown on our map. Another great spot. Home to the Hamilton Yacht Club, it is possible to drive/walk around the lake. A lovely spot with one of the best children's play areas we have seen. We think Hamilton under sells itself as a destination and while we only scheduled 2 days there on our way home from Whangawai we shall spend more time there when next up north. Stayed at the Ventura Suites which with breakfast included in the price comes highly recommended. Good on ya Hamiltonians.

4GEC 5:00 PM Jul 27, 2022

Delightful and free
This was a delightful experience. The ladies in the information centre were very helpful and suggested how to make the best use of our time. The gardens were beautiful and in lovely condition and certainly worth the visit. Best of all it is free. They tell through the enclosures depicting the story of gardens fron ancient Egyptian to modern American. Also the Cafe supplies good Coffee and good selection of food, from snacks to mains.