Experience the feeling of 'Alice in Wonderland' right here in New Zealand

 Visiting Hamilton Gardens isn't usually at the top of a traveler's travel list when planning a trip to New Zealand, but there are a few reasons you should add this destination to your itinerary.

About Hamilton garden and a tour of Hamilton New Zealand garden

Hamilton Gardens is an award-winning attraction, world-famous by gardening enthusiasts. What really makes them stand out are the intricate themes that are designed around. Strolling through the gardens is like taking a tour around the world!

Garden of Char Bagh India @janinasell

Immerse yourself in the meditative atmosphere of a Japanese garden, smell the pungent aroma of gardenia in the Chinoiserie Garden, brought from Italy in the Renaissance garden, and learn about Maori food production techniques in the garden of Te Parapara. There is so much to see and do in this garden, you could easily spend most of your day there.

Hamilton Gardens has won several prestigious awards, including the International Garden of the Year award in 2014. @emilymeg

And the best part is that the gardens are completely free to enter! If you're touring New Zealand with kids, there's fun activities and playgrounds, not to mention the on-site cafe serving up all the kids' favorites.

Guide to Hamilton New Zealand Gardens

As the gateway to the North Island, Hamilton (Kirikiriroa in Maori) is New Zealand's largest inland city, straddling the Waikato River. In the 1960s, Hamilton Gardens was a bleak dump covered with weeds with seagulls hovering above. No one would have expected such a barren mess to turn into an award-winning public garden and Waikato's most popular tourist attraction.

Garden of Japanese contemplation @hamiltongardens

Instead of focusing on botanical collections, Hamilton Gardens focuses on different garden designs. Hamilton Gardens has the unique concept of expressing the meaning and cultural context of the gardens over the past 4,000 years.

The Paradise Garden collection represents closed garden design traditions @hamiltongardens

Throughout history, gardens have been an expression of important philosophical ideas of the time. In some ways, the story of the gardens reflects the story of civilization and its attitude towards the natural world. The collections of gardens at Hamilton Gardens explore the history, context and significance of the gardens and each tells a story and provides an insight into a different civilization.

Hamilton Gardens is open every day of the year and admission is free. Peak time for visitors to visit Hamilton Gardens  is from 11am to 3pm on summer weekends and public holidays.

You can get a detailed map of Hamilton Gardens for $2 from the Information Center, available in English or Mandarin.

Hamilton Gardens is the most visited tourist attraction in Waikato. @hamiltongardens

Hamilton Gardens is a magical destination any time of year. If you experience rainy weather, come and borrow an umbrella from the Information Center. If you feel the heat there are free fountains located throughout the gardens.

Hamilton Gardens is one of the city's greatest success stories @rbbviagem

After a tour of Hamilton Gardens , the gift shop will stock Hamilton garden merchandise as well as souvenirs and homeware, specializing in quality New Zealand produce for garden lovers. You'll find a wide range of delicious, locally prepared salad dressings and preserves with ingredients sourced from the gardens. Try the lemon curd made with lemons grown in the Idea Garden, or the traditional Seville Orange Jam made with fruit grown in the Italian Renaissance Garden!

Hamilton Gardens combines a large park, a cafe, a restaurant @hamiltongardens

What is there to visit Hamilton garden?

Hamilton Park  has more than 20 meticulously managed gardens that hug the edge of the Waikato River near the center of town. The gardens are a botanical masterpiece divided into five sections - Paradise, Productive, Fantasy, Cultivar and Lanscape. Each section acts like a gallery, with different exhibits.

The 'Paradise Collection' of international gardens is a favorite with visitors, and feels like a trip through five countries in one afternoon, with the Italian Renaissance Garden, the Japanese contemplation garden Ban, Chinese Scholar's Garden, British and Indian Traditional Flower Garden 'Char Bagh'. You can also take a longer walk through the 'Landscape Collection', and enjoy the beautiful Waikato River flowing through it.

Travel back to 16th-century Florence with its sculptures surrounded by perfectly symmetrical grids of flowers, representing all the colors of the Renaissance. @stuff.co.nz

The Surrealist Garden is the latest creation and is quickly proving to be one of the more popular. @stuff.co.nz

You find yourself in a fantasy land with giant mechanically moving trees @stuff.co.nz

A lush tropical garden - as Waikato is famous for its chilly mornings in winter. @stuff.co.nz

'Mansfield Garden' is an elaborate reinterpretation of Katherine Mansfield's short story 'Garden Party'. @stuff.co.nz

The gardens are a maze to walk around. @stuff.co.nz

Tudor Garden with its giant 'pudding house' @stuff.co.nz

The Italian Renaissance Garden is one of the most famous. @stuff.co.nz

Hamilton Gardens is more than just a botanical garden, but was built to tell a story about gardens and their evolution over time by cultures around the world. “The concept has also been compared to a museum, where each collection in the garden is historic in its entirety and provides a story information about the civilizations, arts, beliefs and way of life of people. surname."

Visiting Hamilton garden will make you feel like Alice lost in wonderland with many wonders and countless memorable moments in your travel journey!