Hamilton Gardens
Hamilton Gardens is located alongside an attractive stretch of the Waikato River, merging old landscape features with creative development and design. In its earlier history, the area was home to Ngati Wairere chief Haanui. After European settlement it was variously used as a rifle range, a dog dosing strip, sand quarry and go-cart track.
The central gully section served as the city's main rubbish dump at a time when no one could have imagined that such a barren mess could one day become an award-winning public garden and the Waikato?s most popular visitor attraction.
The Gardens are owned and managed by Hamilton City Council and strongly supported by the local community. In the 1950s the Hamilton Beautifying Society lobbied for a public garden on this part of the town belt and initially it occupied a modest 52 hectares. The design of that top area was and still is planted in the gardenesque tradition with specimen trees and flower beds set in flat lawns.
Most development of Hamilton Gardens has occurred since 1980, growing in scope and vision to become
a unique showcase for the story of gardens. Rather than focusing on plant collections, at Hamilton Gardens the
emphasis is on the gardens themselves. While botanic gardens concentrate on classified plant collections, Hamilton Gardens concentrates on the cultural meaning and context that gardens have historically had. Throughout history gardens have been a way of expressing the important philosophical ideas of their time. In some respects the story of gardens reflects the story of civilisation and attitudes to the natural world.
The five garden collections of garden - Paradise, Productive, Fantasy, Cultivar and Landscape explore the history, context and meaning of gardens. Each tells a story and offers an insight into a different civilisation. It could be likened to visiting a museum where there are carefully curated exhibitions reflecting garden history.
Visitors from many different countries often pass through Hamilton Gardens in a single day and this is part of the
charm. You never know who you?re going to meet, what you might see, whether you'll stumble across a wedding, picnic, theatre performance or just a stunning Italian Renaissance vista. At Hamilton Gardens there is a surprise around every corner.
