Gardens To Visit New Zealand

Highgate Garden

Address	167 Bird Road Pirongia, Pirongia, Te Awamutu. The garden is only 1.7km from the village of Pirongia.
Region	Waikato
Privately owned or public	Private
Email
Phone	07 871 9771
Fax	07 871 9388
Contact Person	Jan and Peter de Nicolo
Website	www.highgategarden.co.nz
Hours	We are open by appointment, however we close during the months of June, July and August is the inclement weather that we sometimes experience! However, people are quite welcome to visit if they wish to brave the weather.
Garden Size	Our home, Highgate, is a masonary house set in 2 acres of interesting garden surrounded by farmland.
Price	$5.00 per person
Brochure Available?	Can post info out.
Parking	Off street parking for buses coaches and cars.
Toilets	Yes
Food Available	There is food available in the town.
Cafe/Restaurant available?	No
Seating	Yes
Picnics	Some people bring a picnic lunch and just sit to enjoy our wonderful views.Hot water available for your `picnic'.
Wheelchair Access	Our grounds are flat, but we have a lot of lawn.
Dogs Allowed	No dogs please
Children Allowed	Children must be supervised
Accommodation	B&B at Highgate Garden is ideal for visitors travelling from Auckland to the South and wanting to see some of NZ `tourist' attractions, around the Waikato, such as the famous Rotorua hot springs and mud pools, Cambridge (famous for great thoroughbred horse breeding), the very successful Mangatautari Native Bird Sanctuary, Karapiro Lake with all it's water sports, Waitomo Caves and the glowworms etc..
Weddings	Highgate Garden is available for wedding photography, civil ceremony or just that `special occasion' such as an anniversary or family photo'.
Plant/Other Sales	Some sales of plants from the garden
Guided Tours	Jan will wander around the garden with you if requested
Function center?	No
Winery?	No
Other Facilities	Local Activities Touring – we are within easy reach of many 'tourist attractions' such as the black sands of the wild west coast, the glow worm caves of Waitomo, rock climbing at Wharapapa, a day visit to the bubbling mud of Rotorua, the Mangatuatari Bird sanctuary etc. Golf - the very picturesque Pirongia 18 hole course is at the bottom of our road (2mins) and there are 10 golf courses within 40 min. drive from home. Most are 18 holes, 19 if you drop into the club house!! Tramping/hiking – there are many km's of well mapped tracks around Mt Pirongia alone ranging from easy to difficult and from a 1 hr 'nature walk' to overnight in one of the two huts at the top.You can be `dropped off' at the start of a tramp and picked up when you finish. Visit Mangatautari Bird Sanctuary, a vast area of native bush enclosed by a predator proof fence, and see the Kiwi. History – Pirongia is rich in history of wars and settlements. Our local Historic Centre and small Museum is able to offer guided tours and very interesting, knowledgeable historical information. Many years ago the Waipa river, on the banks of which Pirongia sits, was the 'main line' for all supplies to this area. Fishing - The Waikato is well known and very popular for it's trout fishing. Within a few minutes to 40mins. there are many beautiful spots to engage in this sport; the Waikato river, the Waipa river and numerous tributaries as well as the dams such as Lake Arapuni and Lake Karapiro( also know for it's boating activities). A license is required for fresh water fishing and these are readily available from the Fish and Game retailers. If you prefer the sea, chartered boats operate from both Raglan and Kawhia on the west coast. Music - Te Awamutu Music Federation present 4 or 5 concerts annually; 2009 concerts are Serenata, Latitude 37, Besser/Prosser, Stephen De Pledge. More info. will be posted after Christmas. Te Awamutu Competition Society Inc. Performing Arts - dates to be posted (age <21 yrs) this society has been active for 56 years and the sections are - vocal (age open), piano.,orchestral instruments, speech/drama, dance and Highland Dance.
Map
The Garden Highgate Garden has been developed from a bare paddock in 2002 to a garden of variety and interest. The garden is of different natures through the seasons and ideal for the photographic shoots with a wonderful view of Mt.Pirongia. June/July/August the camellias and rhododendrons flower, August/September the daffodils bloom, October/November the azaleas are blooming fragrant, November/December/January the lilies show off, the iris seem to flower for a long time over October/November/December and the roses even longer. Of course this also depends on the mood of Mother Nature! Highgate is picturesque all year, well planted with both deciduous and evergreen shrubs and trees. There are numerous flowering plants that add colour to the garden. You are welcome to inspect prior to booking. Fee:- POA
The Gardener Having sold our Hereford cattle in 2001 left a rather empty space for me and I still miss them. This space has since been filled with the development of a rather large garden. Peter was in charge of the construction of retaining walls, pergolas, gazebo and more while accusing me of lying awake at night dreaming up more work for him!! That's what I'm here for - yes? People were doing `drive by' just to see what was happening apart from heads down and bums up. Eventually it was suggested to us that we should `open the garden to the public' and so here we are - open. Our pleasure is watching and listening to the enjoyment that the garden seems to give to visitors. Long may it last.

Map

The Garden

The Gardener