Your gateway to New Zealand's
most distinctive gardens.

Journey Guides

Dive into handpicked adventures, designed to deliver lasting memories and unique experiences

Explore Gardens

Otago Half Light Studio Otago Half Light Studio

Larnach Castle Garden

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.

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Otago Half Light Studio Otago Half Light Studio

Dunedin Botanic Garden

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.

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Wellington Half Light Studio Wellington Half Light Studio

Ōtari-Wilton's Bush Native Botanic Garden

It is just 10 minutes' drive from Wellington's central business district to the five hectare Ōtari – Wilton’s plant collections and 90 hectares of bush where you may find some of the mature podocarp bush that once covered much of the city. This unique plant sanctuary has this country's foremost collection of native plants including many rare and endangered species.

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Canterbury Half Light Studio Canterbury Half Light Studio

The Giant's House

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.

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Canterbury Half Light Studio Canterbury Half Light Studio

Ōhinetahi

Ōhinetahi consists of a number of formal rooms, of differing style and character, arranged about two axes running east-west and north-south in the arts and crafts style. The formal lawn beside the house, has curved macrocarpa hedges at one end, balanced by a pool and pool house.

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Taranaki Half Light Studio Taranaki Half Light Studio

Tūpare

Tūpare is a premier landscaped garden with a stunning Chapman-Taylor designed house in the Arts & Crafts style.

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Taranaki Half Light Studio Taranaki Half Light Studio

Puketarata Garden

Five minutes from Hāwera, this stunning Garden of International Significance and a plant lovers paradise awaits your visit. Sensitively perched upon the brow of a hill overlooking the historic four hundred year old Puketarata Pā, the one and a half acre country garden perfectly frames views of the magnificent Taranaki Mounga and inland Taranaki.

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Hawkes Bay Half Light Studio Hawkes Bay Half Light Studio

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.

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Otago Half Light Studio Otago Half Light Studio

Olveston Historic Home

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

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Otago Half Light Studio Otago Half Light Studio

Lan Yuan - Dunedin Chinese Garden

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.

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Manawatū-Whanganui Half Light Studio Manawatū-Whanganui Half Light Studio

Victoria Esplanade Gardens

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.

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Wellington Half Light Studio Wellington Half Light Studio

Wellington Botanic Garden

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.

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Canterbury Half Light Studio Canterbury Half Light Studio

Christchurch Botanic Garden

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.

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Wellington Half Light Studio Wellington Half Light Studio

Government House Garden Wellington

Situated a stone’s throw from the Wellington Central Business District, Government House was built in 1910 on the site previously occupied by the Mount View lunatic asylum and is set amongst 12 hectares of land that stretch from the hills of Mount Victoria to the Newtown flats.

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Wellington Half Light Studio Wellington Half Light Studio

Gillies Garden

This is a ¾ acre garden set in native new Zealand bush in Silverstream, Upper Hutt. The garden is designed around a heritage Chapman Taylor Arts and Crafts style cottage. The garden design involves multiple garden rooms. Some examples of this are

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Otago Half Light Studio Otago Half Light Studio

Oamaru Public Gardens

When the town was surveyed in 1858, 34 acres were set aside as a public reserve; Oamaru Gardens opened on this site in 1876 making it one of the oldest in the country. The gardens have an air of maturity greatly enhanced by the plantings along the Oamaru Creek which meanders along its length. Colourful annuals are bedded out on the sweeping lawns and an immaculate rose garden is a centerpiece.

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Bay of Plenty Half Light Studio Bay of Plenty Half Light Studio

The Elms

The Elms | Te Papa Tauranga garden is one of the oldest New Zealand European gardens south of the Bay of Islands. Originally created by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) between 1834-1844, as were The Treaty House gardens at Waitangi. Both The Elms | Te Papa Tauranga and The Treaty House Gardens retain some of the in situ, Maori and European cultivated vegetation with considerable archaeological landscape content. The landscape archaeology is now perhaps the most valuable resource to be preserved for understanding more fully the history of this place.

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Waikato Half Light Studio Waikato Half Light Studio

Woodlands Homestead, Gardens & Cafe

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.

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Taranaki Half Light Studio Taranaki Half Light Studio

Pukekura Park & Brooklands

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.

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Marlborough Half Light Studio Marlborough Half Light Studio

Winterhome

The homestead was established in 1939 with pohutukawa planted around it. Moreton Bay figs and ngaio were established to shelter the homestead with bougainvillea, hibiscus and jacaranda planted on the eastern frost-free side of the house.

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