Botanical gardens

Napier, New Zealand, New Zealand

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Napier's Botanical Gardens are one of the city's oldest and most scenic green spaces, an 18-acre (7.3-hectare) floral oasis located on Napier Hill at 19 Spencer Road, Hospital Hill, just minutes from the city center—about a 10-15 minute walk from Napier's city center or 35 minutes up Napier Hill. The gardens were formally set aside in 1855 following a recommendation by Alfred Domett, Commissioner of Crown Lands, who was tasked with planning the new township and proposed setting aside 18 acres for botanical purposes; by the time Napier became a borough in 1874, the Provincial Government had already developed the gardens, which remained the town's only public park until the reclamation of Napier South. The site features shaded walking paths, lush plantings, trees over a century old, a small waterfall and stream with a bridge, a duck pond, and a small aviary with free-flying budgerigars—all built in 1961 as part of a program to improve the gardens and boost popularity, with ducks and ducklings that are not very afraid of people. The terracotta fountain at the top end, restored in 1970, is a focal point though it lost its upper tier to vandalism in recent years, and the gardens also include remnants of two historic wells used over 100 years ago to water and maintain the site, plus name-tagged specimen trees many approaching 100 years of age.