Supplied Content
Hamilton, January 25, 2018
Inspired by a time when steam power ruled the world, the Huddleston airship is Hamilton Gardens’ newest piece of gardening equipment.
Designed to glide through the night delivering plants for the gardening team, the fanciful airship can be discovered tethered beside the Concept Garden – which will be the latest garden to open at the award-winning Waikato visitor attraction on February 1, 2018.
Fantasy Collection
The Concept Garden forms part of Hamilton Gardens’ Fantasy Collection and is a modern representation of the Gardens’ internationally unique concept of telling the Story of Gardens through time, and across different civilisations.
Concept gardens are not necessarily practical, natural or even attractive but are usually based on a central idea or message. This concept garden has been inspired by map legends and two Maori whakataukii (proverbs).
Nine types of New Zealand landscape are represented in blocks like those on the legend of land use maps in old school atlases.
Two whakataukii are inscribed within the garden. One interpretation of the first suggests as the population grows, it is at the expense of natural environments.
The other whakataukii is inscribed on a majestic steel pipe, which over decades will gradually rust away; the message of this interpretation is “But in the end, Nature is going to win.’
The Huddleston is in the Braithwaite Court and has been sponsored by Hamilton’s Braithwaite family who have had a long involvement with Hamilton Gardens.
Ongoing Development
The Concept Garden is the second of the five gardens in the current development programme; the first was the Tudor Garden (opened 2015). The Mansfield Garden will open in spring 2018, the Picturesque Garden and Surrealist Garden should open in 2019.
About Hamilton Gardens
Hamilton Gardens is operated by Hamilton City Council.
Developed substantially over the last 35 years, Hamilton Gardens contributes an estimated $13.8 million to the city’s economy annually. There are more than one million visitors to Hamilton Gardens every year.
Entry and parking at Hamilton Gardens is free and access if from Cobham Drive/SH1.
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Photo Caption:
- Huddleston Airship at Hamilton Gardens
- The Concept Garden
(Pictures Supplied)
