Top 10 Gardens in New Zealand
New Zealand's gardens combine British settler horticulture with a deep engagement with the country's unique native flora. The mild Pacific climate allows almost anything to grow, and the country has produced several of the most original twentieth-century plantsmen gardens of the Southern Hemisphere.
1. Hamilton Gardens, Waikato
A 21-hectare themed garden park with sequential evocations of garden traditions from around the world — Italian Renaissance, Chinese Scholar's, Indian Char-Bagh, English Cottage. The most-visited free attraction in New Zealand.
2. Christchurch Botanic Garden
Founded in 1863 within Hagley Park, with major rose, herb and rock gardens, plus restored Cuningham House conservatory.
3. Wellington Botanic Garden
Established 1868, the Wellington garden rises steeply behind the city, with the Lady Norwood Rose Garden, the Begonia House and the Cable Car as the iconic combination.
4. Pukeiti Rhododendron Garden, Taranaki
A 320-hectare rainforest garden with one of the world's largest rhododendron collections, on the slopes of Mount Taranaki — over 2,500 named species and hybrids.
5. Eastwoodhill Arboretum, Gisborne
New Zealand's National Arboretum, with 4,000 species of northern hemisphere trees on 135 hectares — the largest such collection in the southern hemisphere.
6. Larnach Castle Gardens, Otago Peninsula
Gardens of international significance around New Zealand's only castle, with strong perennial borders and views over Otago Harbour.
7. Pukekura Park, New Plymouth
A Victorian-era picturesque park with the famous Festival of Lights illuminating it through summer, and Brooklands Zoo on the same site.
8. Otari-Wilton's Bush, Wellington
New Zealand's only botanical garden dedicated solely to native plants, with 1,200 native species and direct access to native forest reserve.
9. Auckland Botanic Gardens
Established 1973, a relatively young 64-hectare garden in Manurewa with strong themed plantings of perennials, edibles and natives.
10. Cross Hills Gardens, Manawatū
Privately created plantsman's garden with over 1,300 rhododendrons, magnolias and woodland perennials, considered among the finest private gardens in Australasia.
See them all in one view
All of the gardens mentioned in this article are pinned on the interactive map. Use it to plan a route, group nearby sites into a single trip, or compare gardens by style and season.