Days 47 - 52 of NZ 2022 Trip
DAY 47: Today we left Rotorua, a bit disappointed that the weather made a couple of the things we would like to have done less appealing. Oh well - next time. We decided to head northwards via Hamilton where we would visit the Hamilton Gardens that I had read about. This is a must-do for anyone interested in gardens. Instead of your usual Botanic Gardens, Hamilton opted to convert an old sand quarry and rubbish dump into themed, 'enclosed' gardens. It is a little hard to describe, but you enter hubs, and choose a gateway to go through and you enter different garden spaces. Here is the first of the hubs. We chose first to visit the Paradise Garden Collection. The following blurb gives you a hint of what you might see. I was unprepared for my very visceral reaction on visiting the Japanese garden. It made me feel nostalgic, homesick, peaceful - all at once. The other gardens were equally good and not...