KEY POINTS:
Vandals have damaged thousands of dollars of rare and irreplaceable plants during a rampage at the Auckland Botanic Gardens in Manurewa.
Staff arrived at work yesterday morning to find plants uprooted in the rock garden section.
Leaves were torn and branches were broken on rare plants collected in the wild, and the tips of cacti were smashed and spikes broken off other plants.
The vandals also took two memorial seats, one of which was found in pieces in a nearby lake.
The $2000 seats were bought by members of the public to commemorate loved ones.
Rock garden curator Andrea Wright described the vandalism as devastating.
"Some of these plants have been in this garden for decades. They are extremely unique specimens that are internationally significant and we can't easily go out and buy replacements."
Ms Wright, who spent much of yesterday clearing up, had to remove several of the damaged plants, leaving gaping holes in the garden, a popular location for weddings.
Other plants are not expected to survive the damage they suffered.
The vandalism is believed to have occurred in the early hours of Sunday.
Staff are appealing for anyone with information to contact the Botanic Gardens and police.
The gardens are visited by more than half a million people each year. The rock garden is the largest outdoor collection of cacti and succulents in the country and is at the southern end of two lakes.
