Auckland Botanic Gardens is a young garden with a distinct South Pacific flavour. The climate in Auckland is a paradise for plants and our gardens celebrate the best that can be grown here.

Start visiting our Huakaiwaka visitor centre to enjoy the café, seasonal displays, exhibitions, garden information, friendly staff and panoramic views. Then head out and explore our glorious gardens.

Stroll collections of natives and exotics in a gentle landscape complemented by lakes.
Visit the award-winning Potter Children’s Garden, see some of New Zealand's rarest native plants, take in the delights of the African Garden, smell the roses, and explore our rich collections. From Spring Blossom Valley to the Perennial Garden’s summer blooms, from autumnal trees to the Camellia and Magnolia gardens brightening winter days there is always something to delight and restore your senses.

Look out for our growing collection of large-scale outdoor sculptures that reflect and complement the plantings. Every second summer we host the hugely popular Sculpture in the Gardens, featuring works from New Zealand's finest artists.

Our passionate team of horticultural experts work to help people engage with plants and gardening. We aim to share plants' beauty and fascinating lives and highlight their importance in everyday life.

Only 20 minutes from the city or airport the Gardens is open every day of the year and entry is free.

Our team are extremely knowledgeable about plants and are passionate about connecting our visitors to plants and gardens. As horticultural experts, our role is to help people engage with plants and gardens and highlight their importance in everyday life. We run regular workshops and drop-in sessions where our staff can give expert advice and tips to our visitors. 

Our beautiful and diverse plantings cover 64 hectares (156 acres) of land, including 10 hectares of native forest.

If it’s a special day, where better to spend it than at Auckland Botanic Gardens? Three wedding sites offer unique vistas and experiences. The sites vary in size and garden backdrops servicing from 25 guests in our smallest site to 120 guests in our larger site. If you are holding your ceremony or reception at the gardens, you are welcome to use the grounds for photography and don't need to pay a photography fee.

There is always something new to see and do at the Gardens!  Keep an eye on our calendar for all events, including displays, gardening workshops, holiday programmes and family events.
We have a variety of outdoor sites suitable for sporting, music or cultural events. 

The library is run by a group of passionate volunteers and is open to the public 11 am-3 pm and usually on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday* – or by appointment. We also have a reading room full of the latest home and gardening magazines for your reading pleasure. The reading room is open daily!

Opened in April 2005, the name Huakaiwaka was bestowed on the visitor centre by local Tangata Whenua – named for the ancestor of the Te Waiohua people. Huakaiwaka features the integration of artworks and landscaping in its overall design. The entrance, with its vast wall of stone on one side and concrete on the other, is over a wide bridge spanning a water feature.