Lan Yuan - Dunedin Chinese Garden is an authentic example of a late Ming early Ching Dynasty scholar’s garden and celebrates the Chinese influence on Otago's history and heritage.

Over a century old, this large garden surrounding historic Larnach Castle on the Otago Peninsula is at an altitude of 300 metres. The scenery is spectacular and though the garden is subjected to wind and low rainfall it contains a unique collection of plants seldom seen elsewhere. Some remnants from the original plantings 120 years ago - Cupressus macrocarpa, planted extensively for shelter and a cedar to one side of the castle - give an air of maturity. The plantings reflect the owner's interest in New Zealand plants and in their southern hemisphere relations.

The Botanic Garden is a garden of great variety with the Leith Stream on the southern boundary and Lindsay Creek running through the middle dividing the garden in two. From the formal, almost level area of the lower garden with its herbaceous borders, rose garden, camellia collection, herb garden and the beautifully planted Lister Garden, to the major collection of plants in the rock garden on the slopes leading to the upper garden, there are features for all to enjoy.

The Giant’s House sculpture mosaic garden is colourful, exuberant, interactive, romantic, fun and full of surprises. It is set on a sheltered, north-facing, sunny hillside in a valley in Akaroa, 1.5 hours drive from Christchurch. The garden surrounds the large historic house owned by the first BNZ Bank Manager and built from totara and kauri. There are flat areas around the house and terraced gardens gently wind up the hillside. Contrasting historic with contemporary art and balancing gardens with sculptures, it is a unique creation.

Rather than focusing on plant collections, at Hamilton Gardens the emphasis is on different types of garden design. Traditional botanic gardens concentrate on plant collections, conservation, research and education, while Hamilton Gardens has the unique concept of showcasing the cultural meaning and context of gardens over the past 4,000 years.

Over the last 33 years Doreen and Mike have created a 3 acre garden from a blank canvas. This expansive and tranquil garden is set on their small farm in the Amuri Basin.

Our relaxed country garden started thirty years ago. In the early days I had very little gardening experience and no vision for the site, but an interest in plants was quickly developing. Over the years, with much trial and error, a garden has emerged which we and our visitors do enjoy. Much thought has gone into the placement of colour, the short and long distance views, and the filtering of light which is created by judicious pruning.

Olveston is an authentic and original historic home depicting the life of a wealthy merchant family in the early part of the twentieth century.

Named to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, the development of the Esplanade began in 1897 although the land was granted to the borough two decades before that time. Thus there are a significant number of registered trees in the garden. The Peter Black conservatory houses a wide range of tropical and subtropical plants where orchids feature as the single largest collection. Adjacent is a lathe house where cool climate exotics and native plants enjoy the overhead protection. A visitor Education Centre is located here also.

One of the oldest botanic gardens in New Zealand, this central city garden was established in 1868. The major conifer species which are a feature were planted then as part of a programme to import plant species and assess their economic potential to the new colony. The very large specimens of Pinus radiata that dominate the landscape were grown from the first seed of that species to be imported from California.

Cornwall Park is home to beautiful areas for picnics and relaxation, grand specimen trees, stunning flower beds, grand avenues and sweeping vistas. The Park’s donor, Sir John Logan Campbell, is buried on the summit of a volcanic cone in the centre of the park. The Maori name for the hill is Maungakiekie – mountain of the kiekie (Freycinetia banksii) that grows as an epiphytic climber or vine.

Renowned for its beautiful trees, the Christchurch Botanic Garden, part of Hagley Park, dates back to the early 1860s when the first plantings were made. The garden is flat and easily explored with an information centre, tea kiosk and all facilities.

One of Auckland Council’s jewels, the Wintergarden at the Auckland Domain is a treasure of great historic interest. It was designed in the early 1900s in the style of the famous English partnership of Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jeckyll and opened in 1913.

Eastwoodhill is an arboretum of national and international importance. It holds the most comprehensive collection of woody plants in New Zealand and possibly the largest collection of Northern Hemisphere trees south of the equator including 170 species currently on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (I.U.C.N.) world endangered list.

Auckland Botanic Gardens is a young botanic garden that has been created from gently contoured farmland. The mild temperate climate allows the gardens to display a wide variety of plants. The native plant collections focus on those plants occurring naturally within the northern parts of New Zealand and there is a special garden where threatened plants may be seen.

Woodlands Historic Homestead, Gardens & Function Centre is a garden of rare historic, and landscape interest. In 1870 it began as the centre of a vast 98,000 acre farming enterprise from whence the first butter was exported - under the Anchor brand. The neo-Gothic homestead was built in 1875 and the many fine trees planted a year later.

The gardens at Hobbiton™ Movie Set have a naturally rambling style, with a profusion of plants co-existing without rigid lines or divisions. Designed and created for the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies, the Hobbiton Movie Set gardens tell a unique story of the individual and communal lives of the fictional characters known as “hobbits.”

Wharepuke means ‘house on the hill’ in Te Reo Maori. The owner Robin Booth has a wealth of experience as a nurseryman and landscaper. He began developing the garden, which sits in a valley running down to the historic Stone Store in Kerikeri, in 1993.

The Quarry Gardens are a spectacular sub-tropical oasis in the heart of Whangarei. Since the 1990s it has been transformed from an abandoned commercial quarry into the flourishing garden it is today because of the dedication of local volunteers and gardeners. As an ever changing community project it continues to grow and offers new experiences with every visit.

Managed by the New Plymouth District Council, Pukekura is a nationally significant park with a large exotic specimen tree collection inter planted within a margin of luxuriant native bush. The park has been continuously developed since its inception in 1876. Its north south linear shape follows a natural stream valley where a series of artificial lakes have been created by damming the flow at various points.