Flying Visits
When Lynne Walker took members of the Australian Garden History Society to her native New Zealand, they were all impressed by the diversity of the gardens they visited.
W
hen I left the South Island of NZ to move to Australia 30 years ago, New Zealanders rarely opened their gardens. Over the years I have watched the situation change, noticing more and more lovely gardens opening their gates to the public. Even so, my husband Richard and I were amazed when we undertook a ten-day reconnaissance trip of the South Island two years ago. The variety and high standards took us completely by surprise as we visited gardens large and small, town and country, historic and not so old, seaside and alpine, gracious and quirky, finding many, in our opinion, to be of international quality.
Above: Alphaburn Station, Wanaka.
Issue 37
HISTORIC GARDENS Review
The garden owners themselves, without exception, were welcoming and passionate and included some incredibly knowledgeable plants people. One of the reasons for this change was undoubtedly the establishment in 2004 of the New Zealand Gardens Trust (NZGT) by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture. The Trust set up a system to assess all gardens and provide visitors with accurate information. Trust members include both private and public owners who allow people to visit their gardens and associate membership is available for non-garden owners who wish to receive the Trust newsletters and have the opportunity to attend conference. There is also a large group of gardens that open in different regions to raise money for local and national charities, independently of the NZGT. 15
