Hamilton Gardens is a group of public gardens in the south of Hamilton

Hamilton, New Zealand

Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...

 owned and managed by Hamilton City Council in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. They are the Waikato Region's most popular visitor attraction, attracting 600,000 people and holding over 2,000 events each year. The gardens present the theme of 'the story of gardens' and are divided into the Paradise, Productive, Fantasy, Cultivar and Landscape garden collections.

Hamilton Gardens is located between the bank of the Waikato River

Waikato River

The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...

 and State Highway 1

State Highway 1 (New Zealand)

State Highway 1 is the longest and most significant road in the New Zealand roading network, running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island, SH 1S in the...

. Entry to the gardens is free, with most gardens open from 7:30am to 6:00pm in winter and 7:00am to 8:00pm in summer. In the center of Hamilton Gardens is a convention center called the Hamilton Gardens Pavilion, a volunteer operated Information Center, the Turtle Lake Restaurant and the Turtle Lake Café.

The first development of gardens began in the early 1960s at what was then the city's waste disposal site. The first substantial development, the Rogers Rose Garden, was opened in 1971 in an attempt to block highway development over the site. Since 1982 many newly developed areas have been opened to the public. Additional features of the gardens include a lake walkway and a waterfall outlook.

Many services at the gardens are run by volunteers, including an Information Center, located centrally in the Lakeside court area.

Paradise Garden Collection

• American Modernist Garden
• Chinese Scholars Garden
• English Flower Garden
• Japanese Garden of Contemplation
• Indian Char Bagh Garden
• Italian Renaissance Garden

Cultivar Garden Collection

• Hammond Camellia Garden
• New Zealand Cultivar Garden
• Rhododendron Lawn
• Rogers Rose Garden
• Victorian Flower Garden

Productive Garden Collection

• Herb Garden
• Kitchen Garden
• Maori Garden (under construction)
• Sustainable Backyard Garden

Landscape Garden Collection

• Bussaco Woodland
• Echo Bank Bush
• Hamilton East Cemetery
• Valley Walk

External links

• Hamilton Gardens official website
• Event calendar (from the official Hamilton Gardens website)