Hamilton Gardens

Story

Hamilton Gardens is a public garden in the south of Hamilton owned and managed by Hamilton City Council in New Zealand. They are the Waikato Region's most popular visitor attraction, attracting more than 1 million people and holding over 2,000 events each year. The gardens present the theme of 'the story of gardens' and are divided into the Paradise, Productive, Fantasy, Cultivar and Landscape garden collections.
Hamilton Gardens is located between the bank of the Waikato River and State Highway 1. Entry and parking to the gardens is free. The enclosed themed gardens are open during daylight hours. In the center of Hamilton Gardens there is a convention center called the Hamilton Gardens Pavilion, a volunteer operated Information Center and the Hamilton Gardens Cafe.
The first development of gardens began in the early 1960s at what was then the city's waste disposal site. The first substantial development, the Rogers Rose Garden, was opened in 1971 in an attempt to block highway development over the site. Since 1982 many newly developed areas have been opened to the public. Additional features of the gardens include a lake walkway and a waterfall outlook.