New Zealand Walks
By Judy Eva
Pukeiti - a garden of national significance
P
ukeiti beside Egmont National Park in Taranaki is by reason of it’s topography and climate a unique garden. It has been formed by the completely opposite creation to that of most major gardens of the world. It had to be carved out of dense temperate rain-forest; hence there are few man made avenues. There are narrow paths, many named after foundation members snaking through the bush with bays of plantings on either side. The element of surprise is always around the next corner. For thousands of years it was unspoiled virgin rain forest. Most of the rimu were removed in a decade during logging in the 1920’s. Afterwards
38 Walking New Zealand, issue no 283 - 2021
Above: The Rainforest Centre. Below left: On one of the many walking tracks. www.walkingnewzealand.co.nz
