Garden to celebrate sister-city relationship

Plans for the new Fukuoka Friendship Garden. Photo / Supplied

A new Fukuoka Friendship Garden costing about $1 million is due to be in place in time to celebrate next years's 30th anniversary sister-city relationship with the city of Fukuoka.

The removal last year of the Fukuoka Friendship Garden, created in 1989 by volunteers, upset many local Japanese and led to a formal apology by Mayor Len Brown at last year's Japan Day celebrations in Auckland.

Last August, the council settled on a new site at Western Springs Lake, which will feature some of the items salvaged from the original garden.

The council has released images of the concept design by ZEN Environmental Design in collaboration with Fukuoka City Greenery Department and Professor Kubota, the designer of the original garden.

Features of the old garden incorporated into the new design include lanterns and a water basin, paving stones, bonsai trees and the entrance structure.

Councillor Cathy Casey said the advisory group was excited at how the concept for the garden is progressing.

"This whole process has been about repairing a damaged relationships as well as the physical damage to the garden," she said.

Construction of the garden is due to begin early next year and be completed by August.