Of course the top highlights of the three-week visit to New Zealand was the wedding of my son and his lovely partner and meeting a new extended family of in-laws. Also spending time with my daughter in Tauranga.
Between visiting and socializing I did find time to see some interesting places to explore and, naturally, a garden was top of the list.
Wrights Water Gardens has been created in a disused quarry covering 7 acres. The gardens are rustic, rambling and wild. tracks meander around the ponds and waterways and through the different levels leading to the 30 foot Mauku waterfall. I fell in love with this garden and spent nearly 3 hours wandering around and, of course, the photo opportunities were endless. The light was perfect and I took almost 200 shots. Hard to pick my favourites.
I hope you enjoy this walk around with me and my camera…
It is mid spring and I was amazed at the colour and diversity of the leaf colours and the way the light shone through them highlighting the veins and making them glow.
The tracks wind through the abundant drifts of perennials and shrubs opening up to ever more delights.
The flowers are in full bloom, the very best time to be in a garden.
Wisteria flowers create a carpet of purple. Can you see that strange figure? (no not Jack!!!) This one is sitting down.
What an imaginative way to use old phones…
I think it is time to take a seat and just enjoy the surroundings. This bench is for you Jude. They had put lots of benches around.
There were also lots of sculptures, but this was my favourite, she looks so relaxed.
Around another corner and I find an oriental garden.
A water wheel trickles water over the bank into the waterlily ponds below.
The water lilies are just starting to come out and the lotus flowers, that this garden is famous for, are still waiting to burst into bloom.
Tracks follow the stream trickling over rocks and swirling into ponds. Everywhere the plants jostle together creating drifts of colour and the weeping willow branches droop daintily down to the streams surface.
The rocks were covered in fascinating forms of lichen and I thought of Meg who shares all the delightful flora and fauna from her part of Australia on her blog, enjoy it here, “snippets and snaps“.
After seeing tantalising glimpses of the waterfall as I slowly savoured this magnificent garden I now stood and enjoyed the full force of its beauty.
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Restless Jo takes us on fascinating walks every week and she has a happy band of followers, so I would like to join you again this week Jo with a New Zealand garden walk.
gypsy life 
how lovely !!! especially the lady in the chair !
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Jack REALLY like her….
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Lovely to find this walk through Jo. Wrights garden will stick in my mind as a namesake. Too many of us to be a relative! Beautiful photos capture the place so well. Thanks.
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Pleased you came for the stroll through this beautiful garden with me. I enjoy being part of Jo’s cyber walking group.
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Lovely photos. And great to see a disused quarry restored to nature beautifully.
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It must’ve been such hard work initially, but how rewarding to see it now.
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I just love these pics, Pauline! What an amazing place 😀
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It certainly is Dianne. Have you ever been over to NZ?
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I’ve never been there, Pauline. One day I hope….
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Being so close and so easy to get around and so much to see, it is a top destination
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Thanks for the link Jo. I will be over later to walk with you.
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What a paradise created from a former quarry – if only we did this with all the natural resources we exploit. Wonderful photos!
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It is a work of love from the owners.
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Happy to hear that you had such a nice time in New Zealand. What a treat to have such a gorgeous garden almost to yourselves!
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I’m a bit late, but after the news from Paris last night, it was a beautiful and welcome relief. Thanks.
janet
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So sad for France and Paris is such a beautiful city.
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Gorgeous post ! A real treat wandering through here in the NZ Spring alongside you Pauline . It’s no wonder your camera was on duty 🙂 Love the wisteria arch … the Flag Irises .. and other succulent looking flowers plus of course the water elements from the cool oriental to full force waterfall . Three hours of blissful happiness I can imagine for you and Jack wandering round there .
The lady reclining in the deck chair is fantastic !
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I think this garden would get your artistic watercolour painting juices going Poppy, the light was incredible. It was 3 hours very well spent
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When I saw you were at a garden I got excited and you met my expectations, what a wonderful place, I love its rambling abundance and such gorgeous flowers. I would have been there for hours too. The tree hangings in the background of the photo with the thoughtful gardener are interesting, the lounging lady, the little red pergola are great and then the finale waterfall, just wonderful x:-)x
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Thanks Gilly it really was a garden to savour and only 2 other family groups going round, and rather quickly, so had it almost to ourselves and of course with the gardeners as well.
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Beautiful nature images, Pauline. Congratulations on your son’s wedding!
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Thanks Jane it was a lovely 3 weeks.
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Oh, yippee! All that and a waterfall too! 🙂 I was going to hop into that deck chair till I saw it was occupied, Pauline 🙂 I thought you had a full month away. Only 3 weeks 😦 But lucky you! What a fabulous share! Thank you so much 🙂
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I was very taken with that reclining nude Jo and the weather was certainly warm enough for her!!! 3 weeks is the shortest trip we have ever done, but then it was the second trip this year.
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So spectacular, Pauline! I could look at your photos all day! 😊 We are heading into winter where I live so this was a welcome scene! Beauty everywhere! 🌈💜
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Thanks Jill for the lovely comment. I’ll be thinking of all you northerners as I swelter through our summer.
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Great walk and such a good idea for the use of an old quarry – I recognized some flowers – but some some tasty new ones (new to moi) – I like that backlight in the one you noted and a few others had that light interest but all so nice – and cool bench all tucked up and away 💗
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A lot of NZ flowers come from England, brought here by the pioneers and I guess your pioneers would’ve done the same. The light was very good for photography
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That makes sense – such a large space looks like u were in garden heaven
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I was…
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All that beauty and then the waterfall – what a fabulous garden to wander in. New Zealand has a lot more to offer than the usual tourist haunts. And thank you for sharing the bench with me PP – though for a moment there I thought you’d come across me slumbering in the deck chair!!!
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Haha Jude I thought she looked a bit familiar… 🙂 I was surprised at how few people were wandering around, only saw 2 other family groups. That is the beauty of NZ never crowded.
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Maybe in my younger days… hee hee!
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🙂
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Thank you for the lichen and all the other delights of the garden (and the mention). The waterfall is a dramatic climax. This kind of garden is very different from the bush – concentrated beauty, rather than somewhat secretive spread-out beauty.
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It is certainly more “in your face” than the Aussie bush. You can just stand back and it comes to you, not like the Aussie bush you have to search for the hidden beauty
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