wellington botanic garden

Beautiful well kept enjoyed views from viewing platform and riding cable car to the gardens Bergonia house is very well kept and awesome colours for display

I walked from the Cable Car down the the Botanic Gardens. They were just as pretty as any other botanical garden. Was disappointed in looking for a what I thought was a "Rose Garden" turned out to be a "Rock Garden".

probably not at its best on a dull rainy afternoon. Bulk of the garden is hilly with fairly steep paths. Signage in the gardens a bit confusing. Beware whilst the gardens remain open late the greenhouse shut at 4 in February. As botanic gardens go it was pretty average, much preferred Dunedin

Lots of different area, paths good generally, some side paths took us off and we weren't sure we we were. A really interesting morning. We went up on the cable car and thought we would come back on it, but you walk through the gardens and there's no point going back as you are then near to town again.

These are beautiful, varied gardens not at all stuffy and formal. There are lots of little shaded paths going off the main tracks to quiet areas and yet the gardens still manage to cater for families looking for play areas or people wanting something to eat. Take the cable car up to the top of the hill and meander down, doubling back on yourself at times, you won't be disappointed.

I enjoyed the scenery and the birds that are around the park. it was a great walk which at point felt never ending. the little kiosk at the top of the walk had amazing ice cream to cool off and to enjoy the view with before aboarding the little tram. overall nothing too exciting but definitely a little adventure for a family day out.

On our arrival in Wellington on the cruise ship Voyager of the Seas we took the shuttle bus to the city. The queue stretched for half a block for the cable car to the gardens and, as we'd been on it two years ago, we went by taxi to the lower gardens which was the main reason for our visit. These comprise the Lady Norwood Rose Garden and the Begonia House plus the Picnic Cafe where we refreshed ourselves after walking around!! There is also an excellent gift shop where we inquired about the best way to get back to the city. This took us through one half of the Bolton Street Memorial Cemetery, which dates back to 1840, and many early pioneers and important historical figures are buried here. We then walked across the bridge over the motorway, which cut the cemetery in half, and a 20minute easy walk took us back to our shuttle bus.

The gardens were beautiful. I would recommend doing the walk from the trolley down to the rose garden.

I'd advise anyone visiting the Botanic Gardens to take the cable car up, it's a steep old climb otherwise ! Once there, it becomes a bit of a maze. No clear paths to take and the signposting becomes a little vague, but if you follow your instincts, the paths you take are at least informative. The rose gardens took me back to my childhood, the hot house and begonias were a treat. The herb garden is an education and the formal & sensory gardens well laid out. Up top the Australian garden and Desert gardens are quite spectacular... but I can't help feeling I missed out on a fair bit due to inadequate signing.

I was surprised not to find labels on lots of trees at the top of the walk, the map of Walk to the City was confused

Lovely gardens as well as wonderful view from hill top of Wellington and ocean. No cost entry too!..

Up the cable car and down through the botanic park for the best way to see it. Lots of plants, sadly also many poorly/un-marked but the more modern displays are better. Checkout the greenhouse displays. A must-see in Wellington.

We got the tram to the top of the hill and walked down through the gardens. Great views from the top and loved the walkways and the various beautiful gardens.

This is not a typical botanical garden access is best via a cable car team which is quite fun. The garden is The garden features 25 hectares of protected native forest, conifers, plant collections and seasonal flower displays. They also feature a variety of non-native species. The winding hill paths of the Garden are a popular spot for Wellington residents. It is used for walking, jogging and taking children to the playground, and tourists enjoy meandering through the Garden's via the downhill path to the city.The Gardens feature a large Victorian-style glasshouse, the Begonia House which was closed by the time we got there as was the Treehouse Visitor Centre. Large sculptures and carvings are located throughout the garden. These are by artists such as Henry Moore, Andrew Drummond and Chris Booth.The jewel in the crown of the garden is The Lady Norwood Rose Garden, There are 110 beds set out in a formal geometic design with columnades on three sides and the Begonia House as a backdrop. The flowering season starts in November and continues until the end of April. Today it was in magnificent colour and smell. Each bed contains a different variety of rose, ranging from old favourites to recently released varieties. David Austin, patio and climbing roses are on show around the perimeter of the gardens. A trial garden on the western side monitors new varieties for three years before a decision is made on their inclusion in the gardens. Lots of photos here.The roses are cared for using an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program which uses monitoring to determine pest and disease control, with low toxicity chemicals and natural predators such as ladybirds used.There are other things in the Botanic Garden including:Wellington Cable Car Museum which we had a quick visit around. Other things we did not have time to visit were - Carter Observatory, the National Observatory of New Zealand and TheMeteorological Service of New Zealand.We finished our tour by wandering back along the route to the sea again.

We took a hop on hop off tour round Wellington and stopped of at the cable car stop (vennicular) at the top of the gardens, so walked down amongst them to our next pickup. Would have be a lot more colourful at another time of the year but still pretty. I would rather walk down that up, quite steep in places.