Eden Gardens – Auckland, New Zealand!

This is Eden Gardens in Mount Eden, Auckland, New Zealand.The path ways is one of the many paths for walking and admiring the garden. It was spring time when we came to this place and there were many lovely birds here. There are 5.5 acres of land here. This is an award winning garden. I was fortunate to capture superb lighting for this photo and you may notice there is a seat here to admire the view. Quite often there are plaques with the name of a volunteer or someone who has donated to this garden on the seat or to a particular type of garden in different places.

The Eden Gardens are open during the week and it costs you $8.00 to enter They open 9 am to 4 pm year round they are closed on Christmas Day. There is a cafe inside to get a meal or just a snack with coffee or tea..The cafe is open from 10 am to 3.30 pm. Children under 12 years are free. The food is very nice and the staff is extremely friendly and helpful.

This is Mt Hobson seen from Mt Eden, Mt Hobson and Mt Eden are dormant volcanoes. Mt Hobson is in Remurea, a rich suburb in Auckland, not the wealthiest which is the North shore, but Remurea is what you call, “Old Money”. There are great views to be seen from this spot but when going on some of these paths you do have to watch your step even though the path ways are regularly maintained. You do need a moderate level of physical fitness to walk in some of the pathways, particularly as you walk upwards as it is an old quarry. Good walking shoes is essential.

From the same view we saw Rangitoto Island in the Waitamata Harbour, we are looking over New Market. We had to walk uphill to view all of this. There were New Natives, Giant Nikau Palms, Kauri, Rimu, Totara and ferns. There are also a range of non native trees as well. Many of the plant species are labeled as you walk around them.

Around Eden Gardens, are seats to rest on for weary walkers. This garden has been around for 45 years and created by a group of volunteers, this is an abandoned quarry. It is planted with many variety of trees and a large variety of Vireya Rhododendrons they flower throughout the year.

There are plenty of views of different plants in Eden Gardens. Eden Gardens is right by Mt Eden. They have plant collections – Vireyas, Camellias, Rhododendrons, Hibiscus, Hostas, Hydrangeas, Japanese Maples, Bromelids, Magnolias, Succulents, Roses and Perennials. The tree you see here is a Ponga fern, very common in New Zealand bush.

We went at spring where there was a wonderful display of tulips in different colours. Quite often there are displays of various plants due to the season of the year. There are plants that are often sold from the visitor centre. They had a huge range of colours, yellow, red, white, orange and many other varieties.

The Eden Gardens has resident birds, and some are New Zealand native birds, Tuis like the one here that love this type of tree at Spring time. Tuis are loud and sing a lot, are very melodious and move fast. They play musical chairs in this type of tree, chasing each other in spring time. This was taken by Eden gardens and it’s close to Government House that Prince Charles and Lady Diana visited a long time ago when Prince William and Prince Harry were only toddlers. 

As well as that Eden Gardens has New Zealand Woodpigeons (other wise known as Kereru in Maori) , I saw one last time high up in a tree, but I will confess the photo I took of this particular wood pigeon was on a Whangarei Street last year, 2.5  hours drive north of Auckland. They eat berries and fruit and are mainly vegetarian. This is the largest pigeon in the world and it is a protected species because if people kill and eat them there will be none of them left.

There are Fantails in Eden Gardens, they often hover like helicopters and are curious birds, but they are really interested in catching airborne insects. They move very quickly and it is quite difficult to catch these birds sitting still. They are lovely very tiny birds with lively chirps to communicate with each other. Their tail opens out to a fan. This bird’s photo I took from another place.

This is another Eden Gardens bird but again I took this picture in another place, it is a New Zealand Kingfisher. It hollows it’s nest in trees or in banks. It eats small insects. It is another beautiful New Zealand birds.

Now there are other birds here, regularly feed by the cafe, Sparrows, Black Birds, Thrushes, Mynas, and Starlings. These type of birds were imported from other countries but after many years they have become part of New Zealand bird life. There may be the odd visit from a Rosealla, which is an import from Australia.