Hamilton

Why on earth are you going to Hamilton? Was a recurring question from any Kiwi we talked to about our itinerary. Then they would raise their eyebrows, ‘Oh, I know. The gardens!’

It was indeed the gardens that drew us to visit Hamilton. I was expecting a pleasant walk through a good quality municipal garden, perhaps with some particularly well-planted herbaceous borders. I was in for a surprise!

Mike waited for me while I visited a Facebook friend from the Tough Girl Tribe who was recovering from a cycling injury in the hospital. We arrived at the gardens around lunchtime. A jetty was signposted from the car park, so we moseyed on down to the river to eat. The river was teal green and running fast. Fearless sparrows flocked to our feet as we ate our sandwiches, hoping for titbits. A duck marshalled her ducklings between the pontoon and the shore.

The forecast was fine, but no one had told the weather – we sheltered under a tree and ate quickly, hoping to finish our sandwiches before the rain turned them into an unappealing sodden mess. As we finished eating, the rain stopped, and we headed back up the side of the valley towards the gardens.

The small information booth was not collecting money – these gardens are free to visit, and the only payment is for an audio tour. A sign gave us an indication of the delights that lay ahead. We were spoilt for choice.

I randomly picked one option. ‘Let’s start with the Chinese Scholar’s Garden.’

We walked through an unassuming gateway into a courtyard with a green-roofed pagoda at the far end. What a promising start! Through the pagoda, an arch in the shape of a four-leaf clover awaited. Through this and along a short pathway, a classic moon gate was next.

The Chinese Scholar’s Garden in Hamilton

We stepped through. A still pond reflected bamboo canes growing on the far bank and a burgundy bridge crossing the water. A series of small window-like openings in the wall on our left tantalised us with glimpses of bonsai trees on stands. The next view was from the bridge, looking back to the moon gate. The white wall was perfectly reflected, along with a pagoda on the hill behind and the brightening sky above.

We walked up to the pagoda through bamboo planting, the stems forming a dense, deep green screen. In contrast to the now hot afternoon, it was dark and cool, an effect accentuated by waist-high sturdy bamboo fencing painted deep brown. At the top of the rise, the garden opens out. A dragon overlooks the river, and the pagoda provides a cool shelter from which to admire the views over both the river and the garden behind.

Over the next few hours, we visited an English garden with a lawn and herbaceous borders, an American country house with a Model T Ford parked on the drive and the tennis court set up for a party. Appropriately, the Indian Garden was the hottest, with the heat from the now scorching afternoon bouncing between the white walls, colliding with us en route.

The Indian Garden in Hamilton

The Italianate Garden was slightly cooler, as it was surrounded by cream walls instead of white, but had a lovely shady pergola to one side. The vigorous vine overhead provided us with much-needed respite from the sun.

We wandered through about 20 gardens in total, most with their own delights, with only a couple of disappointments. Unfortunately, the sustainable backyard garden was nothing short of scruffy and unproductive, when it should have been bursting with life and produce. Given the number of visitors to these gardens and the importance of sustainability, the council is really missing a trick with this one.

‘I’m not that keen on the idea of an Egyptian garden,’ I said as we stopped for refreshments, weary from a very full afternoon. ‘But I suppose we should take a look at them all.’

The decorated walls of the short tunnel entrance graduated into full colour as we neared the opening, distracting me from the view inside. Eventually, I looked through the entrance into the garden itself.

A rectangular pond filled the central space. Tiny lilies floated on the surface like colourful stars scattered in the night sky. A vividly decorated colonnade ran down each side, preparing visitors for the majestic stone summerhouse at the far end. Sage green, sky blue and earthy red decorations adorned the columns, and coloured hieroglyphs on the back wall doubtless told a story. I was thoroughly enchanted.

The Egyptian Garden in Hamilton

‘Mike, this is what I’d like in the back garden. Do you think we can manage it?!’

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I hope you have enjoyed reading this week’s instalment. Next week, we travel on to New Plymouth, a city full of art, sculptures, more gardens – and the promise of Mount Taranaki.