Back in June we were pleased to have gone to the Field Days on the Thursday. Friday was cold and foggy, and we sat it out. Saturday we set out to explore some of Hamilton. It had always been somewhere we passed through or bypassed. We figured it was time to see some of it. We needed a bit of a walk so found our way to the lake – Lake Rotoroa aka Hamilton Lake. There is a track right around with views of houses and parks – and the lake. There is a yacht club – presumably for dinghies. And a keen bunch was having a wonderful time racing radio-controlled speedboats. These weren’t little speedboats you’d buy in the Warehouse. These were powerful monsters, over 1m long.
- Lake Rotoroa Hamilton’s big duck pond
- Birds, Lake Rotoroa Hamilton
- Hamilton Hospital across Lake Rotoroa
Later we went to see the Hamilton Gardens. I guess I expected rose gardens and flowers and borders and stuff. Was I ever wrong! The highlight is a bunch of themed gardens, collectively called the Paradise Collection, walled and hedged from each other. There was a Japanese Garden of Contemplation, and an English Flower Garden and an American Modernist Garden. The Indian Char Bagh Garden was extraordinary and the Italian Renaissance Garden was stunning. Whoever had the idea was brilliant. Each garden is completely different, and gives a glimpse of other times and places.
- Japanese Garden of Contemplation – Hamilton Gardens
- Wyn contemplating at Japanese Garden of Contemplation – Hamilton Gardens
- Japanese Garden of Contemplation – Hamilton Gardens
- Indian Char Bagh Garden – Hamilton Gardens
- Indian Char Bagh Garden – Hamilton Gardens
- Indian Char Bagh Garden – Hamilton Gardens
- Indian Char Bagh Garden – Hamilton Gardens
- Italian Renaissance Garden – Hamilton Gardens
- Wyn at the Italian Renaissance Garden
If I had heard about the gardens, then unfortunately I can’t have been listening. Luckily we got there anyway. It’s fun, not expecting anything special and discovering such a wonderful collection.
Gallery of photos – Hamilton June 2012
Click on thumbnails to see full size. (And then you can click through them)
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