Government House Garden Tour March 2024

March  event | Government House | Epsom, Auckland | Tuesday 26th March  | 11am - 12.30pm  

Back by popular demand, our March event is a visit to Government House in Epsom, Auckland. The Head Gardener will be leading us on a 1.5 hour guided tour of the gardens and pointing out notable trees, which have been awarded 5 stars by The New Zealand Gardens Trust.

From The New Zealand Gardens Trust website: 

Exotic species of trees are increasingly complemented by trees and shrubs native to New Zealand. Some of the trees, which date from the 1870s, and the garden retains the lava outcrops and the original vegetation that were once a feature of the area. The house was built in 1921 by Sir Frank and Lady Mappin who spent 45 years combining the natural features of the site, existing trees and new plantings to develop the garden we see today.

The Mappins gifted the house and garden to the Crown in 1966 for use as a vice-regal residence. It is a permanent challenge to maintain the original character of the garden in a climate that encourages lush growth. Maintenance and development of the garden is under the direction of a management plan and a garden committee. Management goals are based on the recognition that the garden is a national treasure and seek to conserve its historical, botanical and design values.

A good level of fitness and mobility is required as the grounds are 4.6ha with steep steps and rocky paths and our group must stay together for security reasons. And for obvious security reasons, tours do not include the interior of the house.

This event was very popular when we first ran it in October 2023. The group limit then was 30 (now reduced to 20 for security reasons), we had to operate a waitlist as we were over-subscribed and everybody who came on the tour got a lot out of it. The grounds are spectacular and there are some incredible trees and a great deal of history on the site. And our tour guide was a real gem.

There is no charge for this event.

Numbers are strictly limited to 20. NO EXCEPTIONS. ID is required for all attendees and all names to be submitted before the event. Address details to be provided upon successful registration.  

NB - Priority will be given to GDSNZ financial members in the first instance and if, on 18th March, there are spaces available, registrations will open up to non-financial members. A waitlist will be created if registrations exceed spaces available. Should you miss out due to popularity, private tours can be arranged for groups of 6 or more by contacting Government house directly.

Registrations close on Thursday 21st March, 2024.