This was a magical place which I have always wanted to visit. It took some convincing to Stu who thought it might be a terrible road being so far out of Gisborne, but it was a very good sealed road right through. We arrived there for lunch & were surprised to find the place very quiet. We were fortunate enough to be the only overnighters & what a place to have to yourself! Took a walk in the afternoon, another after dinner, & slept very peacefully until the early birds woke us with song. Naturally we did another track before breakfast. We had been told there was to be a wedding there that day so the 'homestead garden' was to be out of bounds during that period, so we made sure we did that area after breakfast. What a beautiful cottage garden, completely landscaped & maintained completely by volunteers. I took so many photos but there was so much to ooh & aah about - fabulous trees of all shades of green, grey/green, lime green - you name it. And some of the different barks were amazing too. After morning tea we did the longest track - the complete perimeter of the whole arboretum - quite a climb uphill to look down on it all. What foresight & passion the original owner must have had, luckily carried on over the decades by other likeminded people. It is hard to describe just how amazing this place is - to see so many different trees from all around the world all in one area - marvellous! And no crowds to share it with, just tranquility & peace. In the afternoon we decided to try & do the last couple of trails, & were fortunate to be offered a FREE ride in 'the chariot', a little cut off suzuki with a seatable trailer behind, which took us round & round where I was able to see some areas I had missed & wanted to photograph. So when we were returned to base, Stu & I set off to get the last photos. One of the highlights of our trip & we will definitely return in the autumn sometime which must be awe inspiring, not to mention spring with the rhododendrons & azaleas & camellias. Another must do for our list. From there we did a quick car ride next morning to a local waterfall which was really nice. Then it was time to move on again.
This was a magical place which I have always wanted to visit. It took some convincing to Stu who thought it might be a terrible road being so far out of Gisborne, but it was a very good sealed road right through. We arrived there for lunch & were surprised to find the place very quiet. We were fortunate enough to be the only overnighters & what a place to have to yourself! Took a walk in the afternoon, another after dinner, & slept very peacefully until the early birds woke us with song. Naturally we did another track before breakfast. We had been told there was to be a wedding there that day so the 'homestead garden' was to be out of bounds during that period, so we made sure we did that area after breakfast. What a beautiful cottage garden, completely landscaped & maintained completely by volunteers. I took so many photos but there was so much to ooh & aah about - fabulous trees of all shades of green, grey/green, lime green - you name it. And some of the different barks were amazing too. After morning tea we did the longest track - the complete perimeter of the whole arboretum - quite a climb uphill to look down on it all. What foresight & passion the original owner must have had, luckily carried on over the decades by other likeminded people. It is hard to describe just how amazing this place is - to see so many different trees from all around the world all in one area - marvellous! And no crowds to share it with, just tranquility & peace. In the afternoon we decided to try & do the last couple of trails, & were fortunate to be offered a FREE ride in 'the chariot', a little cut off suzuki with a seatable trailer behind, which took us round & round where I was able to see some areas I had missed & wanted to photograph. So when we were returned to base, Stu & I set off to get the last photos. One of the highlights of our trip & we will definitely return in the autumn sometime which must be awe inspiring, not to mention spring with the rhododendrons & azaleas & camellias. Another must do for our list. From there we did a quick car ride next morning to a local waterfall which was really nice. Then it was time to move on again.
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