CEFAA Magazine April 2019

Eden Garden – Auckland’s Best Kept Secret
I have recently returned from New Zealand where we were
visiting our eldest son, Andrew, and his family. They emigrated
four and a half years ago from Bristol and have settled into the
Kiwi way of life very well.
Whilst there, John and I visited Eden Garden, a really beautiful
place situated in Mount Eden, one of the 40 volcanic cones
around the city of Auckland.
Eden Garden had its beginnings in July 1964 when a farsighted
horticulturist, Jack Clark, along with 15 fellow enthusiasts took
on the task of converting an old abandoned quarry into the worldclass
garden it is today. The quarry supplied stone for many of
the buildings in Auckland, having been purchased by a city
businessman, Sir Frank Mappin, who then donated it to the public
in 1962. Sir Frank approached Jack Clark who saw the
possibilities in the five-and-a-half-acre site. Today the garden is
a national showplace, boasting the Southern Hemisphere’s largest
collection of camellias along with splendid collections of other
plants, ferns, mature trees, flowering shrubs and perennials.
The day we visited was the hottest day of our stay hitting 29°C
– and very humid! However, Eden Garden was so cool, tranquil
and peaceful with all the summer flowers in full bloom. Roses,
huge hydrangeas, agapanthus, lilies, hibiscus to name but a few.
There were also beautiful Monarch butterflies flitting between
the dahlias. We climbed one of the many pathways, aptly named
Hillary Heights, to the top of the garden where we had amazing
views of Auckland city and harbour and Rangitoto, an iconic
volcanic island.
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