TapuwaeTe Kuiti, King Country
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| Owners: |
Doff and Howard Tombleson |
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| Address: |
488 Tapuwae Road, R D 7, Te Kuiti |
| Phone: |
+ 64-7-878 4837 |
| Fax: |
+ 64-7-878 4837 |
| Open: |
September to winter, any time |
| Groups: |
By appointment |
| Fee: |
$5 per adult |
| Size: |
Large - 3.2ha (8 acres) |
| Terrain: |
Undulating |
| Facilities: |
Hot water available |
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Tapuwae, a Maori name meaning “sacred footstep”, is one of the NZ "Gardens of Significance". It is sited at more than 500 metres above sea level. In the 1960s it was just a small house garden. Trees were planted from 1968 and the garden extended since 1982, to ramble over three hectares now. The high altitude means spring bulbs bloom late, with blossom trees and azaleas providing colour against the new maple foliage. Clematis climbs through trees and rhododendrons display their varied hues. In summer, innumerable perennials flower, with bog plants around large ponds and streams. Sited in pockets created by the undulating landscape, each area has its own special appeal. Everywhere views of the surrounding countryside rest the eye, especially in the colourful rhododendron season. The trees are now well established, and natives are interplanted with conifers, magnolias, dogwoods, cercis and camellias. These are underplanted with drifts of forget-me-nots, scillas and ajuga groundcover, and in bog areas with hostas, gunneras, ligularias, rheums and primulas. Old logs and rocks, collected from all over the farm, edge paths and form rustic seats. In the Long Acre, a separate garden to one side of the driveway, cherries and rhododendrons flower on the slope below a huge ancient log, from a tree felled in 1929. Ducks and peacocks are a special feature at Tapuwae. |
Directions:
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Take SH 4 to Taumarunui. North of Taumarunui, travel through Ongarue and Waimiha. Turn right into Tapuwae Rd & follow for 5km to garden at Tapuwae. Or south from Te Kuiti, take SH 30 towards Benneydale, travel through Kopaki and Mangapehi. Take first right towards Waimiha, then first left into Tapuwae Rd. Travel 5km to Tapuwae at end of road. |
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