Staglands Wildlife Reserve
A wildlife reserve where people can interact with rare native species.
Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā encompasses 25 hectares of specialised plant collections, colourful botanical displays, a unique landscape, a protected native forest, and views over Wellington City. It is a vast tract of land that has offered relaxation, playtime, shade, and education about flora and fauna for more than 150 years.
You’ll find the gardens sitting on the border of the CBD and only a few minutes walk from Parliament. A wonderland of winding paths, flat parklands, and hill climbs with breathtaking views awaits you. There’s a sound shell for concerts, children’s playgrounds, glow worm caves, and a sculpture walk. Children will love visiting the duck pond. You can also access the Cable Car museum, Space Place, and Bolton Cemetery (New Zealand’s oldest European cemetery). All this while the thrum of bird and insect life serenades you. Whether it’s your first or your hundredth visit, this vast garden paradise will enchant and surprise you.
The gardens host a programme of annual events. Gardens Magic brings music and performance alongside lights and art, while the Spring Festival and Tulip Sunday celebrate the changing seasons.
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The Wellington Botanic Garden is one of the oldest in Aotearoa. It contains a series of curated collections and seasonal displays. Every detail of the manicured expanse is designed and cared for by a team of dedicated staff. The international and native range includes collections of dwarf conifers, camellias, harakeke (flax), ferns, grasses, and threatened species. The Begonia House offers exotic tropical plants overlooking a vast rose garden.
The area where the garden lies has been an important site for generations. When Europeans arrived, there were already well-established pā at Pipitea and Kumutoto. The Pipitea Pā inhabitants used the area for food cultivation, building materials, food, fibre, medicine, and birds for food.
In 1844, the New Zealand Company set aside a 5-hectare strip of land to start a botanic garden reserve. At that time the area had dense podocarp forest including rimu, totara, and mataī. By 1868, it had become the Wellington Botanic Garden. Now, it’s recognised as a Garden of National Significance by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, as well as an important Heritage Area by the Historic Places Trust.
Celeste Fontein
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