Gwavas Garden
★★★★★
Gwavas Garden was laid out in the 1880s by A.S.G. Carlyon. Phyllida Gibson, the present owner, is the 5th generation at Gwavas and she and her husband Stuart live in the homestead, built in 1890, surrounded by 9 hectares of woodland garden. Phyllida’s father Michael Hudson has, since 1950 restored, extended and done all of the planting including many of his own plants bred here at Gwavas Garden. His philosophy in the garden is that, although everything has been planted, there should otherwise be no, or very little, evidence of the intrusion of man, that the garden represents a setting where plants are able to express themselves as if they were in a natural woodland setting. We therefore do not trim or shape plants, the only concession to this being that we do “lift” plants i.e. prune off lower branches to allow plants underneath to get enough light to flower. You will also notice that there are no signs or coloured markers; this is not an oversight, but a conscious decision in keeping with Michael’s vision of an unspoilt woodland setting. We also allow our ground cover plants such as bluebells, aquilegias, daffodils, lilies and forget-me-nots, etc. to seed which can look a bit “wild” at times but is all part of a natural woodland cycle.
The garden is one of the largest privately owned collections of temperate woody plants in Australasia, is a "Registered Group of Historic Trees" with the Royal NZ Institute of Horticulture and has been recognised by the International Dendrology Society with a “Distinguished for Merit” award on their visit in 2009. This is a true wood land garden and sensible footwear is advisable.
The homestead accommodation allows you to experience the history of the early settlers and take in the grounds at your leisure. Enjoy!
Facilities and Amenities
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Accommodation Available
Brochures/Map available
Conference/Function Facilities
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Open by appointment
Adults & Seniors $8
Children Free
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From Napier
Follow the expressway south and take the first turn right after the only set of traffic lights you come to.
Turn left and follow this road until just past Fernhill.
Turn right following the sign marked SH 50 to Tikokino.
Travel on SH50 for just under half an hour Cross three one way bridges and Gwavas Garden is just over 2km south of the last one-way bridge on the right.
From Hastings
Take Maraekakaho Road south out of Hastings.
Turn right at the first roundabout and follow the signs towards Tikokino.
Travel on SH50 for just under half an hour Cross three one way bridges and Gwavas Garden is just over 2km south of the last one-way bridge on the right.
From the south
Turn on to SH50 just before Takapau and travel for about 20 minutes.
Gwavas Garden is approximately 6km north of Tikokino on the left.
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Physical Address: 5740 Hwy 50, Tikokino, Central Hawke's Bay
Phone: 06 856 5810
Email: info@gwavasgarden.co.nz
Website: http://gwavasgarden.co.nz
