Thursday 1 February 24

Feeling rather like Groundhog Day, this is what we were welcomed with this morning……again😉😎

Sandwiched in between Al Fresco breakfast and our evening meal, the highlight of the day was visiting the unique, multi award winning visitor attraction, Hamilton Gardens 😎

With Ian having other plans, Gail drove Julie and I through the suburbs as the mercury rose steadily..

The maze-like high hedges that lead you through to the individual gardens, and their architectural settings, added to the sense of expectation as we strolled through.

Hopefully, in the following images, I will be able to show you the correct descriptor for each garden before it’s associated images🤞

We started our tour, led impeccably by Gail (there’s no substitute for local knowledge!), with the Chinese Garden…

Next came the Surrealist Garden..

… before, and in complete contrast, the Indian Garden..

…and then came the Italian Garden…

…and, just when you’re thinking it surely can’t get much better, the recently completed Egyptian Garden confronts your senses..😊

…then, in huge juxtaposition, the Maori Garden 🇳🇿😊

…then switching back to the formality of the Tudor Garden…

The next garden, in a totally different vein altogether, was a tribute to the highly successful Kiwi author Katherine Mansfield

…and, in particular, her short story The Garden Party

With great attention to detail, and feeling as though we had been transported back into the Great Gatsby era, a magnificent replica of her house, complete with Model T Ford, has been erected along with the famous tennis court, where the servants had been instructed to set up the marquee, and the area where the band was to play…

After digesting that experience we moved on to the Concept Garden…

Part of the whole set up includes a large area for growing fruit, veg and herbs, with an economic reminder that, for some folk, these life basics are still out of reach…😕

The creative minds are then treated to the Surrealist Garden…

Finally, and still with far more to visit in these extensive grounds, we revelled in the offerings from the Tropical Garden before taking our leave from this fine example of what determination and a will to succeed can achieve when you can get all the ducks lined up…