New Zealand: A Natural Paradise

Sarah O’Neil has been a guide for Botanica since 2019. In New Zealand, she is known as ‘Sarah the Gardener’. Sarah has a large following on social media and writes for various garden media and also appears on radio. She is incredibly passionate about all things gardening and perhaps even more passionate about her home, New Zealand, as you will see from her story.

'Botanica travels to New Zealand every year. We are fortunate to have such a biodiverse country so close to Australia, where most of our travellers originate.'

I am so blessed to call New Zealand home. It is often dubbed ‘God’s Own’, as the landscape is as dramatic as it is beautiful. The plant life is unique, due to our geographic isolation, and as a nation we work hard to protect our environmental treasures. Being cloaked in the rich green of the trees and the earthy scent stirs up heartfelt patriotic feelings in any kiwi. It is predominantly a green palette with diversity in the textures, which results in vibrant pops of colour; from the yellow of the Kowhai (Sophora) species in spring, to the brilliant red of the Pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) that lines our summer coastline, and the secret silver gilding on the underside of the Silver Fern (Cyathea dealbata), these unique flora stand out like jewels.

Up and down the country there are some incredible gardens. I would be hard-pressed to choose a favourite private garden, as they each reflect the locational challenges and personalities of the gardeners.

Many of the gardens have their roots in the creativity of the pioneers longing to recreate a slice of a home they’d never see again. We have a strong ‘give it a go’ attitude and this is reflected in the wide variety of garden styles represented in New Zealand.

But it is the gardens where native plants have been expertly interwoven into remarkable landscapes like Welton House in Marlborough and Broadfield Garden in Canterbury that are like none other and couldn’t be recreated anywhere else in the world.

New Zealand is rich in public gardens also, even in the smallest towns, however one garden stands out as being exceptional – Hamilton Gardens. It’s a masterpiece of International Significance, with its many garden rooms created with such attention to detail and authenticity to the theme being showcased. Every visit to this garden is as wondrous as the first.

My garden is right on the west coast, five kilometres north of the Waikato river mouth.

The proximity to the coast and northern situation means the garden is frost free and considered subtropical. Located 100m back and above the beach can mean it is a brutal environment to garden in, however, with my tenacious spirit and ‘can do kiwi attitude’, I have created a productive fruit and vegetable garden there with 35 raised beds to create a wide variety of edible crops. In the centre of the garden is a wooden and glass geodesic biodome, for undercover growing that stands up to the excessively strong winds that assail the garden from time to time. The key to successful gardening in these conditions is to have good windbreaks.

Beyond the edible garden is a series of garden rooms inspired by the royal chambers of the majestic palaces of Hampton Court in England and Versailles in France. The first room in my garden has a large handmade rock and is embraced in a rosemary hedge and chamomile to invoke a sense of tranquillity while overlooking the ocean. The next room has low maintenance native plantings leading up to a sundial with a time capsule hidden within. Beyond this, the garden is still under development, but will explore various garden styles while respecting the environment it sits within.

I look forward to seeing you on a Botanica tour soon and showing you my New Zealand.