A Colourful Day in Auckland

A new adventure begins! We fly to Melbourne where we spend a couple of days before embarking on the cruise ship Grand Princess for a 13 night circumnavigation of New Zealand. Returning to land, our holiday continues at Phillip Island and ends with one last day back where we started in Melbourne. Join me for a round trip, on sea and on land, to destinations both familiar and new.

March 2023

Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland

Even though the skies were grey in Auckland our day was bright with colour at the Wintergarden at the Auckland Domain.

The Wintergarden is a complex of two large Victorian glasshouses connected by curved pergolas and a spacious courtyard. Between the glasshouses fountains play into an ornamental pond and on one side steps lead down into a lush green fernery.

The Temperate House is filled with a glorious display of seasonal flowers while the Tropical House, warmed to an average temperature of 28°C, overflows with exotic plants from warmer climes.

When we were there in March, the begonias were the unrivalled stars of the Temperate House.

In the raised beds beside these beautiful blooms, edible plants were loaded with produce.

The Fernery has been constructed in what was once a scoria quarry, dug into the side of a volcanic cone known as Pukekaroro.

The space left by the quarry workings is now filled with a spectacular collection of New Zealand ferns. Tall tree ferns reach upwards to the sun while sheltering the ground dwellers below.

It was here we were lucky to see New Zealand’s unofficial national emblem, the silver fern. A symbol of strength, unity and success, depictions of the silver fern are proudly worn by New Zealand’s Defence Force and representatives in international sporting events. The underside of the fronds reveals the fern’s distinctive silver colouring.

A colourful day at the Wintergarden was the perfect way to end our cruising tour of New Zealand.