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Wellington Botanic Garden: Colourful Must-see in New Zealand

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A rainbow of colorful hydrangeas in Wellington Botanic Garden New Zealand
We came around the corner and were suddenly enveloped in a rainbow of colorful hydrangeas

Strolling through the colourful Wellington Botanic Garden is one of my favourite ways to unwind. It offers a peaceful retreat during any visit to New Zealand’s capital city.

We nearly always take the cable car to the top and follow the mosaic tile path down through the garden trails down to the city. We pass through a variety of colourful and often fragrant gardens as well as some of the oldest exotic trees in the country.

An ever-changing variety of sights and aromas – from flowers to trees, from common to exotic, there is something magical about these gardens that draws me back during every visit to the capital.

Perhaps, it’s simply that the path goes downhill, but I think it’s more than that. After all, the Wellington Botanic Garden is now classified as a Garden of National Significance by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture and is a Historic Places Trust Heritage Area.

The Wellington Botanic Garden was established in 1844 and is one of the country’s oldest gardens, with plenty to see.

A few Wellington Botanic Garden photo highlights

A gazebo along a lake
Succulents at the Wellington Botanic Garden in Wellington New Zealand
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Pink flowers at the Wellington Botanical Gardens in Wellington, New Zealand. Copyright Sarah E. Albom 2016
Cactus at the Wellington Botanical Gardens in Wellington, New Zealand. Copyright Sarah E. Albom 2016
Bottom row photo credit: ©Sarah Albom

Lady Norwood Rose Garden and the Begonia House

A favourite section of many is the Lady Norwood Rose Garden. It blooms bright and colourful in summer featuring 106 formal beds, each containing a different variety.

Adjacent to the rose garden is the Begonia house. Indoors to maintain tropical temperatures and climate, plants thrive.

Wellington's Botanic Garden
Bananas growing inside the begonia house in New Zealand
Hand of bananas inside the begonia house.
One of many vivid roses in the award wining Lady Norwood Rose Garden
One of many vivid roses in the award-winning Lady Norwood Rose Garden.

Bolton Street Cemetery

Bolton Street Cemetery has an interesting history. Wellington’s oldest European cemetery is located inside the Wellington Botanic Garden. Although originally a site of Māori burials, it began European burials in 1841.

It was a new concept for the colonies to have one shared town cemetery rather than a graveyard at each church. Although mixed, Anglicans, Jews, and Roman Catholics each kept separate areas.

Then in the 1960s, a motorway was built through a section of the cemetery. Despite protests, between 1968 and 1971, nearly 3700 burials were exhumed and shifted to a large vault that now sits beneath the Early Setters Memorial Lawn. Although, some were moved to other locations at the request of relatives.

Jewish section of the Bolton Street Cemetery in the Wellington Botanic Garden New Zealand
The Jewish section of the Bolton Street Cemetery (Wellington’s oldest cemetery) is located at the extension of the Wellington Botanic Garden.

More things to see at the Wellington Botanic Gardens

There are plenty of other things to see and do at the Wellington Botanic Gardens. In fact, there are 26 hectares to explore and include sections of exotic, rare, native, and colourful flora.

  • If you are looking to walk from the top (Kelburn station) to the bottom (city), follow the mosaic flowers on the paved path. It’s our favourite walking path in the gardens.
  • Don’t miss the stunning views of Wellington from the Kelburn station before starting your walk.
  • Be sure to stop at the Tree House visitor centre, at a minimum, to enjoy the views from the extensive decks.
  • In addition to nature, there is public art throughout the garden.
  • There is a play area for kids.
  • The Space Place at the Carter Observatory is located inside the Wellington Botanic Garden, as is the free-to-enter Cable Car Museum.
  • There are many interesting walks, including dedicated areas for ferns, camelia, herbs, a rock garden, and even a duck pond.
  • While we have never seen them (nor have we looked), we have been told there are glow worms in the Main Garden, along the banks of some of the moist and shady areas.

Wellington botanical gardens cafe

Just beyond the rose garden is the lovely Wellington botanic garden cafe, officially named Picnic Cafe. With both outdoor and indoor eating areas, it’s the perfect spot to relax and enjoy life.

Equally important, both the food I have found the coffee to be fabulous. Personally, I prefer to eat outdoors, breathing in the aromatic fresh air and enjoying the sunshine while protected from it under big shade umbrellas.

Botanic Garden Cafe in Wellington New Zealand
My salad at the Wellington Botanic Garden cafe.

Practical information on visiting the Wellington Botanic Garden

Getting to the Wellington Botanic Garden

As many of the garden paths run downhill from the Kelburn cable car station to the city, one can start at the top or the bottom.

From Lambton Quay, one can go either way. One of the things I like to do when I bring visitors to Wellington is to take the cable to the top (Kelburn station) and walk down to the city through the gardens. Of course, one could just explore a section of the garden and return via cable car.

Note that the Cable Car operates until 10pm Monday to Saturday and until 9pm on Sunday.

The other option is to enter from the bottom. The entrance is on Glenmore Street.

Check for discounts on Wellington activities

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Flowers at the Wellington Botanic Garden in Wellington New Zealand ©Rhonda Albom 2016. For more images of New Zealand visit our blog.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. What a delightful article about the Wellington Botanic Garden. The vibrant hydrangeas and the Lady Norwood Rose Garden are must-see attractions! Also, don’t forget to bring a picnic and enjoy it at the Picnic Cafe. It’s a perfect way to savor the beauty of the garden while relishing a delicious meal.
    Thanks,
    Matt

    Reply

  2. What a feast for the eyes, I love that deep, deep blue of the Hydrangea but everything is so beautiful! I’m very glad I stopped to look!

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  3. What beautiful flora and foliage. I imagine it’s very peaceful here. I do love a botanical garden, it transports you away from the city somewhere colourful and quiet. 26 Hectares is some area to explore!

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  4. I can get lost for hours in a botanical garden. I just told my family that they should be happy it will be a little cold yet for the garden in Denver, otherwise we’d be visiting on our upcoming trip. Lovely photos.

    Lisa @ LTTL

    PS sorry I am late in visiting this week, I was caught up in celebrating my birthday.

    Reply

  5. Beautiful shots and great angles! 😀 Thank you so much for sharing this for #ExpatTuesday! 😀

    Is Sarah going to be writing about her cultural exchange in Argentina? I’d love to read about it! 😀

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  6. How lovely to have so much colour at this time of the year. I’ve only been to a botanical garden once but I loved it. So inspiring for a gardening geek as myself. 🙂

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  7. the garden is definitely beautiful, i am not really a fan of flowers too but in overall, the surroundings become alive because of their beautiful colors.

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  8. Wow! NZ is on my list! really! For now I enjoy Australia but I really have to go there. Your pics are very nice, the nature is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
    cathy

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  10. Looks beautiful, especially the rose garden. I love coming across a good botanical garden in my travels..this one looks like it has great variety.

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  11. Hi Rhonda. It’s been some time since I’ve written. My wife & I went on a cruise to the Caribbean on the Carnival Breeze. It was pretty good but I got sick ( found to have bronchitist ) and later my wife got it also. Many guests on the ship were hacking & coughing so that wasn’t good. I’m now writing about our cruise and Wednesday’s blog shows a photo I took out of my balcony. I’d like to have your feelings about it. I’m very excited and proud of the picture. I guess I must be getting better. ( I hope so )
    Good luck to your daughter. She’ll be do well. Mom & dad might be lonely though. Have a great time together. See ya my friend.

    Cruisin Paul

    Reply

    • Sorry to hear you got sick. It would be pretty awful to be on a ship full of sick people. Lots of great photos on you page, and that special on is really nice.

      Reply

  12. I think the Garden and your photos look gorgeous. I have not, but I would not mind at all to visit. I have never seen a banana flower, bloom – that is amazing! Thanks for sharing.
    p.s. and good luck to your daughter.

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  13. Glorious photos! I haven’t been to Wellington but I have visited the gorgeous gardens in Hamilton. They were spectacular!

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  17. What a lovely place, the flowers, the color and the bananas look great.
    Thank you for sharing, hope you have a wonderful week!

    Reply

  23. The pics are gorgeous! I like the one of the rose the best. I never knew bananas started out so green. When I first saw the pic, I thought they were jalapeno peppers! lol Kinda weird that there’s a cemetery attached to the place. Wishing your daughter a bon voyage and hoping the year passes quickly for you. 🙂

    Reply

    • I haven’t been to BOP, but someday I will get there. The cemetery began in 1840. I don’t know if the Jewish section started at the same time or later.

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  27. I enjoyed the cyber tour of the Wellington Botanic Gardens. Thanks for posting such beautiful photos. We are experiencing winter months here so really appreciated seeing all the color and photos of bananas etc.
    JM, Illinois-U.S.A.

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  29. Your photos are lovely. We went to the Botanic Garden when we were in Wellington almost exactly a year ago. I had forgotten about the little path mosaics until I saw your photo – and thought – that looks familiar.

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  31. Gorgeous! I love all of the colours and textures that you captured. There is something so peaceful about wandering around gardens, camera in hand and just taking it all. It’s one of my favourite things to do!

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  32. As always, your photographs are marvelous. I thoroughly enjoyed walking down the hill with you. I had to wonder: Did the gardeners put a railroad spike at the foot of each of the pink hydrangeas to get them to turn pink, as gardeners used to in the Pacific northwest when I was a child? Whatever made for that purply-pink-blue rainbow, you captured it beautifully, as you did all the other goodies.

    Thanks! I needed a nice break from work, work, work.

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    • Interesting question, and one which I have no idea. We have shell at home as a ground cover and we get very purple/pink hydrangeas.

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  40. Looking at those colorful flowers made me soooo happy:-) They are just so lovely!! You sure know Your photoskills too – amazing Pictures:-) Good Luck to Your daughter on her New adventures. I knwo the feeling — when mine moved out to study n another country…. Oh…. Well, as long as they are happy we feel happy too, right. Hugs

    Reply

  41. Hi Rhonda – those are stunning shots … loved seeing them .. the hydrangeas are particularly stunning – they’re a Cornish shrub to me .. and remind me of my mother and Cornwall. Have a very happy last few hours – as you’re into that sort of count down now with Sarah – she will have the most amazing time … as will you when you get to chat with her as she travels and learns … lucky girl. Have so much fun – and lots of thoughts to you all – cheers Hilary

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  42. All these are beautiful photos .I really love the colourful begonia flowers.It is interesting to see a banana tree in this garden.

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    • Honestly, it’s not always my favourite thing to do, except in Wellington. There is something really special about this one.

      Reply

  44. Now these are beautiful shots Rhonda love all the colours that lovely rose and the pretty begonia

    Have a petaltastic day and gissa banana LOL 🙂

    Reply

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