Welcome to Friars' Gardens of New Zealand open to visit!

If you like looking at gardens, then this site is for you.

Check out our North Island or South Island Gardens.
These are some of the best in the country.

Or better still come for a visit - there are gardens to suit all needs and all tastes - small/large, flat/hilly, city/rural, native/exotic, alpine/subtropical, green/colourful, and everything in between.

Most gardens are private and open by appointment.
Others are public and can be visited anytime. 

Design an itinerary to suit yourself or your group. After visiting the North Island gardens, take a ferry from Wellington across the Cook Strait and  look at what the South Island has to offer. For such a small country, New Zealand has a huge variety and range of different gardens for the visitor.

Enjoy your visit! Kia ora ♥



Garden of the month:

Orari Estate - Geraldine

Orari Estate has been in Rosie’s family since the time of the first settlers, with trees planted back in the 1850s providing a mature woodland. Rosie’s grandparents began building the homestead in 1912; a pink kalmia from that era still thrives, with a pear orchard, nut walk, and original main lawn. Rosie’s mother began revamping the garden in the 1970s, creating three new garden areas. Sycamores are being progressively culled to open up the woodland, and Rosie is planting old roses.

Predominant spring features are the rhododendrons, then in summer cardiocrinum lilies bloom with perennials including irises, delphiniums and groundcovers such as ajuga. A dozen different magnolias announce the arrival of spring, followed by camellias, mollis azaleas, the rhododendrons, a michelia and a spectacular kowhai. Two creeks flow through the property, one dammed to create a pond which is enjoyed by a white swan. Bridges cross the creeks, edged with pink primulas, ligularias and yellow Kingcup calthas. An old water-race now forms a pathway and drifts of blue forget-me-nots carpet the ground under mature conifers, including an unusual weeping Douglas fir. In autumn the deciduous trees and azaleas feature, while winter highlights the structure of the trees and the garden. Peacocks are an additional attraction.