A Rich History of Hamilton Gardens (Pre-Colonial to 1950)
From Indigenous Cultivation to Colonial Dispossession
Hamilton Gardens is located alongside an attractive stretch of the Waikato River, merging old landscape features with creative development and design.
The original gardens at the site of Hamilton Gardens go back hundreds of years, when it was cultivated by the gardeners of Ngaati Wairere. The site was covered in mara kai, growing kuumara and other crops in a settlement called Te Parapara.
When the colonial government invaded the Waikato in the 1860s, the land was taken as part of the confiscations that dispossessed the people of Waikato-Tainui. The land came under the ownership of the Hamilton Council and over the next 100 years, it was used for multiple purposes including a rifle range, a sand quarry, a dog dosing area, a go-cart track, and briefly as the city’s rubbish dump.
From Landfill to Paradise: The Rise of Hamilton Gardens (1950-Present)
A Community Effort: Transforming the Barren Landscape
In the 1950s, the Hamilton Beautifying Society lobbied for a public garden on the site, starting a process that led to the creation of Hamilton Gardens. The Rose Gardens were opened in the 1970s and the first enclosed gardens were built in the 1980s.
The area had been used as a rifle range by Victorian era residents, and in the 20th century became a sand quarry and then the city's rubbish dump. Covered in weeds and blackberry bushes with seagulls circling above, it would've been hard to imagine the transformation ahead. With minimal budgets, volunteers and community groups have dedicated thousands of hours and resources to develop the barren 44-hectare site into a public park.
There are now 18 enclosed themed gardens, connected by planted courtyards and walkways. And there is more to come. Three more gardens are under development and a further 17 are planned before the collection is complete.
The Visionary: Doctor Peter Sergel and His Legacy
The vision of Hamilton Gardens belongs largely to one person, Dr Peter Sergel whose name should be well known to the city, for he has truly made a lasting contribution. Originally a landscape architect, he was asked to design a concept plan for the park as one of his first tasks after joining the council in 1979.
Peter quickly became the driving force behind the gardens. He had a vision of a series of connected closed gardens representing the most famous and most important garden types. He researched and designed all but one of the themed gardens.
In 1995, Peter was made Director of Hamilton Gardens, a post he held until his retirement in 2020.
Peter structured the gardens into three categories, Paradise, Fantasy and Productive gardens.
- Paradise Gardens represented idealised styles of garden, the attempt to create a paradise on earth. These gardens often evoke a sense of tranquillity or order and structure.
- Fantasy Gardens illustrate how fantasy and imagination have been used in garden design. These gardens are meant to fire the imaginations of visitors.
- The Productive Gardens show how people have grown plants for food, medicine, and other purposes and how important our relationship with these plants is and has always been.
Underpinning all this is Peter’s underlying idea to tell the story of civilisations through gardens. This totally unique concept is quite unlike any other public garden in the world.
Each garden is a point in the history of human civilisation and each garden represents an idea or a pivotal moment in the evolution of human cultures, ideas, and beliefs.
Today, the award-winning Hamilton and is the Waikato's most popular visitor attraction with over one million visitors every year.
Supporting the local community
Giving Back Through Partnerships and Opportunities
Over the past forty years Hamilton Gardens has been transformed into a world class garden, not through a massive Council budget but through a sustained community effort. Our community is essential to our existence, so we give back in a number of ways.
- All New Zealand Charitable organisations receive a 66% discount on the venue hire rates at Hamilton Gardens.
- Local gardening groups or other local specialist groups receive a generous discount on Guided Tours.
- We provide the Friends of Hamilton Gardens with a special Christmas shopping day once a year when they receive additional discount off their purchases in our Gift Shop.
- Hamilton Gardens is a major sponsor of the annual Hamilton Arts Festival.
- We are active members of Botanic Gardens of New Zealand (BGANZ) and Hamilton and Waikato Tourism.
- We also provide work experience opportunities to local students at Wintec and The University of Waikato.
- All surplus produce from the Kitchen Garden is given to Kaivolution, a local charity that provides fresh food to local people in need.
Left: The Garden's Secrets book launch. Top right: A tiger at Hamilton Zoo enjoying a pumpkin from the Kitchen Garden. Bottom right: Fresh food from the Kitchen Garden being donated to a local food charity.
Friends of Hamilton Gardens
The Friends of Hamilton Gardens Inc. is a New Zealand registered charity, registered number CC23690. The Friends organisation was formed in 1988 to support the growth and further development of the Hamilton Gardens world class visitor attraction, and to provide a key focus for community involvement.
The Friends play a key role in raising awareness and promoting the use and enjoyment of Hamilton Gardens by holding regular events and by engaging with the community, national and international visitors.
The Friends have been influential supporters and funders of Hamilton Gardens and have contributed to the development and improvement of the Gardens by raising approximately 3.5 million dollars. In addition, the volunteers have staffed the information centre over the past 30 years providing an estimated contribution from the Friends of between $8 -10 million.
In 2023, thanks to The Friends, in excess of $130,000 was donated to The Gardens. $120,000 for the development of the Medieval Garden and $10,000 for School kits. They approved an annual Scholarship of $2000 for the professional development of the Hamilton Gardens staff. They were honoured to support the publishing of Peter Sergel’s new book – The Time Traveller’s Guide to Hamilton Gardens.
Since 2020 they have raised funds for features in the Mansfield, Surrealist, Concept, and Picturesque Gardens, the Hamilton Club Summerhouse, and the Ancient Egyptian Garden. Their key focus at the moment is the Medieval Garden, Baroque Garden and the Pasifika Garden.
If you're interested in supporting or becoming a member visit the Friends of Gardens page to find out more.
