Are you planning a trip to the Waikato region of the North Island? If so, a visit to Hamilton Gardens should be an absolute must! Even if your time is limited, allow at least two hours. It'll be well worth it. I guarantee you'll discover some beautiful gardens and some tranquil moments. However, you could actually spend all day here if you wanted to. The 58 hectares of Hamilton Gardens have been designed to both calm and invigorate you, especially if you're a self-driven traveller.
Of course, to fully enjoy this trip, you'll need comfortable accommodation nearby. You can book the best deals on tophotels.com and choose the perfect place to stay during your visit. For a cozy stay, you might want to consider checking out the Cedar Lodge Motel. With its welcoming atmosphere and proximity to the Hamilton Gardens, it makes a convenient and comfortable choice for travelers. On the other hand, if you're in quest of luxury, you could opt for Heartland Ambassador Hotel Hamilton. This hotel offers excellent amenities and services to their guests, ensuring a memorable stay in the beautiful Waikato region.
Hamilton Gardens - peace and tranquillity
Visit Hamilton Gardens
Hamilton Gardens is just a short drive from Hamilton town centre at Hungerford Crescent. It is owned and managed by Hamilton City Council. Even when I visited in winter, it was very well maintained. Finding parking will not be a problem. There is a huge car park just outside the entrance to the gardens. After you arrive, I suggest you first go to the information desk. For a small fee, you can buy a card. This will really help you as you move from garden to garden.
Hamilton Gardens - Italian Garden
History of Hamilton Gardens
Hamilton Gardens, as we know it today, was once a dump surrounded by seagulls! That was in the 1960s. So you can imagine what a colossal task it was to create this magnificent garden. Since then, the gardens have evolved in scale and vision. Overall, there are 21 gardens to walk through. Each garden represents the art, beliefs and traditions of various civilisations throughout history.
Paradise Garden Collection
Garden of Chinese Scholars
The Garden of Chinese Scholars was designed to reflect the gardens of the Sung dynasty in the 10th and 12th centuries. Like many of the gardens here, a beautiful tranquil water feature has been laid out. There are seats where you can simply listen to the birdsong and relax.
Entrance - Garden of Chinese Scholars
Japanese Garden of Contemplation
The serenity of this garden is perfect, especially when you have a myriad of things on your mind. The Japanese Garden of Contemplation was created to reflect the 14th-16th Muromachi period for gardens. So what you'll see is more of a drier landscape, as opposed to the more lush foliage of the other gardens. There is a beautiful Japanese pavilion at the top end of the garden,
Char Bagh Indian Garden
This is a beautiful four-part garden with an Indian pavilion at the end. It was quite common for this style of garden to feature in the Muslim, Christian and Buddhist worlds. You'll love the fragrant flower gardens that spread out like a Persian carpet.
Hamilton Gardens - Char Bagh Indian Garden
Italian Renaissance garden
Do you love all things Italian? If so, then the Italian Renaissance Garden could well be your favourite! This garden draws its inspiration from antiquity and reflects beautiful sculptures and geometric patterns. On either side, there are rows of citrus trees and seats where you can sit and smell their fragrance. It would be fair to say that this is where I spend much of my time.
Hamilton Garden - Italian Renaissance Garden
English Flower Garden
Hamilton Gardens wouldn't be complete without a good old English flower garden. As a predominantly plant and floral garden, this one really excels. The English Flower Garden is designed in the style of a 19th century arts and crafts garden. The designers have made very clever use of walls and hedges to create a series of outdoor rooms.
Ancient Egyptian garden
The ancient Egyptian garden reflects the architecture of a very ancient civilisation. We are so lucky that archaeologists have gathered so much information about this period of history. They know a lot about what these gardens must have looked like. From the entrance to the garden itself, hieroglyphs are everywhere. In fact, this garden is considered to be the first recreation of this type of sacred garden!
Hamilton Egyptian Garden
The temple enclosure is surrounded by high walls. The most beautiful pergolas are covered with vines - believe me, it's quite a sight. In ancient times, people would sit by the garden's rectangular pool and meditate on the afterlife.
Egyptian section - Hamilton Gardens
Fantasy Garden Collection
I think families, especially those with young children, would really enjoy this collection. Most children love a bit of fantasy. There are six of these gardens to see - each showing different categories of garden fantasy.
Surreal Garden
Who couldn't love the slightly 'spooky' Surrealist Garden. Salvador Dali's rather bizarre work comes to mind when you browse this one. Surreal Garden seems to be full of dreamlike sequences with a few surprises along the way. But I'm not going to spoil them for you. Let's just say that you may think you're looking at trees, but are you?
Hamilton Gardens - Fantasy Garden
Tropical Garden
If you love the tropics and lush ferns and foliage, slow down as you walk along the promenade. On either side, what you breathe will be pure oxygen.
The Tropical Garden has been cleverly designed to create a jungle atmosphere. This has been achieved by planting bromeliads, orchids and massive palms. The vertical garden, with 4,000 cells each with individual plants, will take your breath away!
Hamilton Gardens - Tropical garden
Tudor Garden
It reminded me of an illustration you might find in a children's fairy tale book. The architects have tried, as authentically as possible, to reproduce a 16th-century English Renaissance garden. The English aristocracy of the time were fascinated by geometric patterns. Many of the fantastical beasts in these gardens represented symbolisms with double meanings. These gardens provided the ideal setting for plays and entertainment in general.
The Productive Garden Collection
Although these gardens don't have the spectacular impact of the others I've mentioned, they are still incredibly important. The Sustainable Vegetable Garden teaches the principles of sustainable food production. It gives novice gardeners like me a starting point for their own backyard. The Herb Garden will delight your senses as you pass among the rows of lavender, rosemary and thyme.
Hamilton Gardens - sustainable community gardens
Te Parapara Garden
The Te Parapara garden is not just about physical development. Of course, it's fascinating to see the traditional Maori practice of garden food production. But the emphasis is also on growing plants for cultural use. What is clear is that their knowledge of plant cultivation was extremely sophisticated.
Hamilton Garden - Te Parapara Garden
Summary of the visit to Hamilton Gardens
I haven't listed all the gardens in the vast area of Hamilton Gardens. But for the most part, I have tried to demonstrate the variety and splendour of the experience. There is a reason why Hamilton Gardens has been classified as world class. The gardens are a major attraction for the area and they are definitely out of the ordinary. Don't miss out on seeing this magical place!
