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Perennial Garden
Urban Trees Garden
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Native Plant Ideas Garden
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public garden

Auckland Botanic Gardens

The Auckland Botanic Gardens are situated right next to the Southern Motorway (State Highway 1) on 102 Hill Road, Manurewa.

Overview

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.

The Gardener

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. 

Garden Size

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

Weddings

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.

Other Facilities

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.

Info

  • Price
    Only 20 minutes from the city or airport the Gardens is open every day of the year and entry is free.
  • Parking
    There are eight designated accessible car parks located within the main car park. The accessible car parks are closest to the Huakiawaka visitor centre. Note you do require a Mobility Parking Permit to park in our designated car parks.
  • Wheelchair Access
    You can use your personal wheelchair or mobility scooter within the Gardens. Huakaiwaka has two manual wheelchairs and three mobility scooters available during centre opening hours. There is no charge to borrow a wheelchair or scooter; however, we retain a bond (car keys or driver's licence) while the wheelchair or scooter is in use. Bookings are recommended for weekends or during summer when visitation is high, phone 09 267 1457. Most of the paths are accessible for wheelchair users, pushchairs and mobility scooters. Those that aren’t are marked with signposts denoting no wheelchair or scooter access.
  • Dogs allowed?
    Dogs are permitted within the gardens, under control and on a leash. There is an off-leash area at the northern end of the gardens, where dogs are permitted off their leads, however, they must be under control and not cause distress to other garden users. All dog litter must be collected and disposed of appropriately. Only service dogs are permitted within Huakaiwaka, the Library and Cafe Miko or other public buildings.
  • Cafe/Restaurant available?
    Cafe Miko is open at Level 1 during the following hours: Monday to Friday from 8 am to 3 pm Saturday and Sunday 8 am to 3.30 pm The kitchen closes daily at 2.30 pm Cafe Miko is also available for after-hours events. (5.30 pm to midnight). Phone (09) 269 3407 or cafe.miko@spotless.co.nz
  • Picnics
    You may notice that we're not as strict as many traditional botanic gardens... We encourage jogging, dog walking, exploring barefoot and picnicking!
  • Children allowed?
    Yes, children are most welcome to the gardens but please supervise at all times as there are lakes. At the gardens, we run learning through experience programmes which are curriculum-based education sessions. These cater for year 0-13 students. Outside of our structured education programmes, we welcome schools and early childhood centres that organise their self-guided garden visits. Bikes, scooters, skates and skateboards are not permitted in the gardens.
  • Toilets?
    All of our public bathrooms are wheelchair accessible. Huakaiwaka has an accessible bathroom and a family room with a changing table. Our other bathrooms are in the Rose Garden, outside the Library and near the Potter Children’s Garden. All public buildings on the grounds can be accessed by wheelchair – but the bathroom in the Logan Campbell Building is challenging for some wheelchair users.
  • Seating
    There is seating around the grounds to sit and enjoy the views.
  • Function Center?
    Just 20 minutes from Auckland City, or 15 minutes from Auckland Airport, the Auckland Botanic Gardens is a unique setting for functions, corporate events and weddings. From beautiful garden settings to self-contained indoor buildings, our event sites range in capacity from 20 – 200 guests. In the Huakaiwaka visitor centre, Café Miko is the exclusive on-site caterer for events at the Auckland Botanic Gardens. From wedding reception dinners, conference lunches, high teas, buffet options and canapes, our skilled team can provide a range of catering options for you to choose from. We have several sites available to hire for private functions such as birthday celebrations, anniversaries or baby showers. Let Café Miko take the stress out of organising your event. Get in touch for sample menus, or to discuss tailoring a menu for you and your guests. Call us on (09) 2693407 or email Cafe.miko@spotless.co.nz
  • Guided Tours
    Guided tours on request - charges apply. Our visitor guides are available in Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Map

The Auckland Botanic Gardens are situated right next to the Southern Motorway (State Highway 1) on 102 Hill Road, Manurewa.

The gardens are approximately 25km from the city. Travel south on the Southern Motorway (SH1), exiting the motorway at the Manurewa/Hill Road exit (exit 451). Turn left onto Hill Road, the main entrance to the gardens is the first driveway on the left. Travelling north on the Southern Motorway (SH1), exit the motorway at the Takanini exit (exit 453) then turn left onto Great South Road and drive towards Manurewa. Turn right at the lights onto Alfriston Road. Follow Alfriston Road then turn left at Claude Road and continue until it connects with Hill Road. Turn right onto Hill Road and drive past the traffic lights, the entrance to the Gardens is the first driveway on your left after the lights.