Now, at the risk of sounding like everyone else in NZ, I will tell you, if you're ever in Hamilton... You absolutely must go to the gardens! They are unbelievable!
I tried to be judicious in my picture choices, but even so, I was unable to prune them down to few enough for one post, so the rest will be coming next week.
One section of the garden is divided into little gardens based on themes of different times and places, so I'll label the pictures accordingly. Each section really merits its down blog post, but that's not really feasible, so I have forced myself to choose only one or two pictures from each area. It was not easy. Try to imagine, as you look at the pictures, the surreal and exciting idea of walking through a gap in a tall hedge and feeling as though you've been transported to a different time and place. I have actually been to several of the countries we "visited" in the gardens, and I was shocked at how much it felt like the real thing! I will refrain from commenting unless I feel explanation is necessary, so you can just enjoy the pictures.
Italian Renaissance Garden: An interpretation of the 15th-16th Century Renaissance Gardens that sought to rationalize and improve upon nature.
Te Parapara Garden: A garden demonstrating traditional Māori horticulture, with particular reference to Waikato.
(Waikato is the region).
These are kumara (NZ sweet potato) mounds, and a kumara storehouse.
Japanese Garden of Contemplation: An example of the 14th-16th Century Muromachi Period gardens designed for quiet contemplation and study.
Notice that this is a giant zen sand garden, complete with beautiful patterns raked into the sand.
Chinese Scholar's Garden: An interpretation of the 10th-12th Century Sung Dynasty gardens that were designed as natural worlds of imagination and surprise.
English Flower Garden: An example of the English 19th Century Arts and Crafts gardens designed as a setting for plant collections and planned seasonal colour compositions.
Unfortunately, there was a wedding going on in this area, so we didn't get to see much, and what we did see was mostly not in bloom. We'll have to go back!
Although the English garden was not one of my favourites, this doorway and bench were a part of it, and I find them quite captivating, for some reason.
Indian Char Bagh Garden: An interpretation of a 16th-17th Century symbolic four-quartered garden built for the Mughal aristocracy as an escape from a harsh environment.
This garden was the smallest, but one of the most beautiful. I wish that I could have gotten further away to take the picture, to give you the whole scope, but it didn't work that way.
Tropical Garden
(This one wasn't from a specific location, but rather showcased all kinds of tropical plants).
And that's the end of the "place and time" gardens. They are working on an American Moderist (West Coast) garden, which is opening later this year, so next time we go we'll check that out).
The one downside of our experience of the gardens was the abundance of unregulated children. Now, I like children, and this girl with the water gun is adorable-looking. However, it is my firm belief that if you bring your children to a place where people come to calmly stroll and enjoy beauty, you should not bring a water gun. Nor should you allow your children to climb into the fountains, run at full speed into strangers, scream and yell at the top of their lungs, or put their fingers on the nozzles of the fountains so that they spray everywhere. Apparently, the majority of the parents there did not agree. Oh well.
So... now you know part of the reason that everyone insists that everyone else go to the Hamilton Gardens. Amazing!! I will post the rest of my pictures next week.
Brava
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