Waipawa’s Madge Hunter Park was covered in water and shingle by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Waipawa’s Madge Hunter Park was covered in water and shingle by Cyclone Gabrielle.
What remains of Waipawa’s Madge Hunter Park is a shingle-strewn wasteland.
One hundred and forty-eight years of park and garden history was literally swept down the river this February, during Cyclone Gabrielle.
The sad and forlorn remains have prompted retired landscape architect Johanna King and engineer husband Andrew to open their large and quirky private garden to the public for a community cause, raising much-needed funds for the Madge Hunter Park’s restoration.
Spring is a wonderful time of year, say the couple, and garden walks, trees and flowers have a way of bringing people together.
Bring a picnic, wander the gardens, marvel at the views, enjoy a coffee and cake as you listen to live music, browse the 12 stalls, taste locally crafted Lime Rock wines on the terrace, linger and relax, play chess in the courtyard, challenge your friends to quoits or bowls, browse the art exhibition in the studio while the children enjoy pony rides. There are plant stalls for garden enthusiasts, elegant topiary and pot plants for your home.
The villa and the cottage are both relocated buildings. Everything is recycled, repurposed or handmade.
Those of you who watched the Mark Gainsford TV series, “Moving House” will want to visit this rather unique property and see the outcome and changes undertaken in relocating and renovating a 160-year-old cottage and a 123-year-old villa.
If you are interested in conservation, sustainability and recycling, or maybe thinking of relocating or renovating a house, the owners are happy to chat.
The villa and the cottage are both relocated buildings. Everything is recycled, repurposed or handmade from old materials, only the plumbing and electrics are new.
Take a look at the transformation that six years has brought from a rough paddock, into established gardens. This once-only opportunity to view is being held as a Cyclone Gabrielle fundraiser for the restoration of Madge Hunter Park, much missed by the children and families of Waipawa.
Bring a picnic, wander the gardens and marvel at the views.
Madge Hunter Park is the last remnant of the once-famous 16-acre Empire Gardens which belonged to the Empire Hotel, built in the early 1870′s.
The Empire Hotel burned down in 1967 and the land and gardens were sold for commercial redevelopment. Madge Hunter, a local identity and keen gardener, saved the last remnant corner of the gardens as a park, a gathering place for local children and family groups. The park was named Madge Hunter Park in 2004, in her honour.
The Open Garden event is in association with and the support of Central Hawke’s Bay District Council and the Vibrancy Fund.
Where: 34 Abbotsford Rd Waipawa
When: 10am - 4pm November 4 and 5.
Tickets: Adults $15 children under 12 free, seniors/Gold Card holders $12
