Auckland Regional Botanic Gardens

These gardens were started as a plan due to the fact the Horticultural Society saw there was no area with a planned out garden in the Auckland area .
Well I say up here for thinking ! There are many areas with corresponding themes iè: roses, perennials, African Gondwana, herb garden which is the oldest surviving garden there .
With 20 acres leased to Totara park you can add in a bush walk as well .
I recommend this place for weddings, a day out for a picnic and just to get your nature lover green finger jam going .
Possibly the one thing the Auckland Council has got right in Auckland.

A tall metallic seagull bird structure out the front and very peaceful water fountain features on either side after parking. Lots of parking spots once you drive through the greenery tunnel entrance from the main road. Inside the visitor centre, it’s very clean and light. Has it’s own café with both indoor and outdoor seating– weather dependent. Very nice bathrooms here.
A beautiful spot beyond that boasts more than 8000 plant species and has seasonal changes of displays. Great for if you want to have a browse for do-​it-​in-​your-​own-​garden inspiration. Artworks and sculptures dotted around the natural scenery too. It’s huge and it’s a lovely place for a wander and a yarn. Definitely family friendly with concrete walkways, pram access and themed areas to suit anyone. There is the lovely rose garden, native plant garden and succulent desert rock garden as well as a interactive Potter Children’s garden. Dogs are also allowed on a leash in most areas. A toilet block in the garden as well as picnic tables dotted around.
Would love to come back for the guided walks on Wednesday– make sure you book though

It’s free, it’s public transportation accessible (with a little bit of a walk), and it’s beautiful — what more do you need to know?
Ok then, how about this. This place is pretty huge. We went to see the sculpture exhibit on this winter, and didn’t even scratch the surface of all there is to see here.
There’s a huge rose garden that was in bloom when we visited, quite lovely. Lots of little bridges and water features to explore.
You can bring a picnic, visit the café (that apparently uses veggies from their own garden — we didn’t eat there so I can’t vouch for the goodness, but it has a beautiful view of the grounds from inside), or do what we did and get a snack ahead in town at SAB Indian Snacks and Sweets (highly recommend).
It’s a peaceful day out, lots of interesting plants, trees, and critters to see (we saw a lot of baby ducks — cuuuuuute) — if you’re in to beauty, check it out!

A-​Ok, recently went here for the first time and enjoyed a stroll through the ample grounds, lots of room for exercising the legs, four legged variety or two.
There were quite a few areas that needed some TLC and I was surprised by the lack of sculptures outdoors since the annual Sculpture Exhibition is so well advertised, much more could be done with this space in creative ways, were you on artist rations???
Great potential, lets leave it at that.

One of my favourite places to enjoy some quiet time in Auckland. It’s so nice to be able to wander round the gardens smelly all the various scents during Spring and Summer. I really enjoy visiting when they host a sculpture and art exhibition.
Has a nice little café, but you can enjoy your own picnics too as they are plenty of suitable areas.

The Botanical Gardens located in Alfriston are stunning. Such a large area occupied with an enormous amount of flowers, trees, ponds, even an edible garden. I came here this morning for a morning stroll with my two siblings. On a stunning summer’s day, this is a perfect place to come with a premade picnic, and some stale bread to feed the ducks.
There is an off lead dog walking area also, meaning the entire family can enjoy this beautiful area. But please don’t bring bikes, scooters, skateboards or rollerblades as they do not allow them in the gardens.
They also have drinking fountains around the walking tracks, toilets, a café and also a library.
If you’re coming with kids, take them to Potter Children’s Garden. Not only can you (the adult) enjoy the scenery, but you can also enjoy the laugher from your child’s enjoyment and purely relax…

Springtime is by far my favourite time to visit the Auckland Botanical Gardens, the blossoms are out and the smell of fresh flowers fill the air. The Gardens allows visitors to experience floral samples from all over the world, but more importantly, you get to get away from the urban jungle that surrounds us every day.
My wife and I regularly come for walks, and now our baby son can enjoy the wonderful flowers and trees from the comfort of his stroller. The well constructed pathways make this an ideal destinations for young and old.

I’ve been to the gardens more times than I can count, mainly because I live nearby and it’s an excellent, easily accessible spot to meet my friends for a catch up picnic.
The gardens span a large piece of land in Manurewa, in South Auckland. There are different little areas within the gardens — a rose garden, rock garden, African garden and more. There’s also an area showcasing ancient plants of Gondwana (my personal favourite, as it satisfies the scientific cravings in me) and small remnant of NZ native forest (also a favourite). The gardens also feature a number of grassy lawns to sit on, a lot of ponds with ducks (and ducklings — super cute!) and an Info Centre/​café. Very popular with joggers, dog-​walkers and even weddings. One of the best local places around to spend a summer afternoon.

Great spot to spend a sunny afternoon, or talk to the site managers about booking the park for private functions.
My sister had her wedding here, and the gardens made a stunning backdrop for the ceremony, and the café area was all ours for the night, making for an awesome day all round.
Be careful of the limited parking onsite in front of the information centre on nice days, it’ll be near impossible to grab one without circling like a vulture for a while.

If you’re looking for something to do on a sunny afternoon, the Botanic Gardens is the place to be. With quaint rose gardens, off-​leash areas for dogs, beautiful pond, nice bush walk (with a supposed waterfall — it’s just a trickle really), African straw hut structures to sit under, kid’s garden and café attached to the information centre, it’s a fun occasion for the whole family.
Be sure to note there is more than one entrance to the park, so if you’re coming from Manukau City or somewhere else out East, it’s better to park at the end of Everglade Drive and walk a short 15 — 20 minutes to the information centre rather than drive 10 – 15 minutes to Hill Rd. You’ll see more of the park and enjoy an ice-​cream or coffee at the half way point!