You traveled 8,000 miles to visit gardens?
Guilty…if there’s any guilt involved. But yes, our recent trip to New Zealand and Australia focused on gardens. We started our garden quest at Wellington’s Botanic Garden, which dramatically tumbles down a hillside overlooking the city’s harbor.
Wellington Botanic Garden
In Christchurch, exploring parts of the city’s botanic garden is like strolling through a tranquil British riverside park (alongside the Avon River, no less.) But the garden morphs into an explosion of exotic southern hemisphere plantlife and blazingly colorful flower beds.
Along the Avon (Ōtākaro) River in Christchurch
Dunedin, the historic starting point for South Pole expeditions, splashes its Scottish roots with colorful gardens. The second-most photographed building in the Southern Hemisphere is, according to locals, Dunedin’s Edwardian “gingerbread” rail station. The ornate building is fronted with amazing seasonal flower beds.
Dunedin’s Railway Station
Higher up the hills of Scotland—er, Dunedin—stands New Zealand’s only castle. By Scottish standards Larnach Castle is decidedly “wee.” A late-1800’s folly of wealthy industrialist William Larnach, the castle is relatively modest. The compact castle is surrounded by extensive gardens. The feel is distinctly Scottish and Victorian.
Wee Larnach Castle and Gardens
Sydney, Australia has one of the most dramatically-sited botanic gardens in the world. The massive gardens overlook the city’s busy harbor and iconic opera house. There are acres to stroll and admire, and it is a dreamlike spot for a wedding down under.
A Wedding in the Garden
At 8,000 miles from North America, traveling gardeners need to be aware of the seasonal shift when traveling to New Zealand and Australia. Winter here is summer there, and vice versa. Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere—March through May—is a perfect time to visit.
Deb Hosey White is an executive management consultant with over thirty years experience working for Fortune 1000 companies. She is the author of Pink Slips and Parting Gifts, a workplace novel based upon those experiences. With English ancestors on both sides of her family, Deb is a serious Anglophile and an avid traveler.
David Stewart White began his adventures in family travel as a child when he lived in Paris and traveled throughout Europe. He is the author of Let's Take the Kids to London His travel articles have appeared in the Washington Post, the Charlotte Observer, Examiner.com, AAA World Magazine, and in numerous travel websites and online magazines.
Beyond Downton Abbey — A Guide to 25 Great Houses was their first collaborative travel writing effort. They followed up with Beyond Downton Abbey Volume 2 to tell the stories of another group of great homes in Britain.
www.beyonddowntonabbey.com/
