What it is
Development began in the early 1960s on land that had been the city's rubbish tip. The Rogers Rose Garden opened in 1971, and from the late 1970s the focus shifted from botany to garden design. The first of the enclosed Paradise Gardens opened in 1992.
Today 28 gardens are grouped into five collections: Paradise, Productive, Fantasy, Cultivar and Landscape. They range from Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Italian Renaissance gardens to a Māori productive garden and a Tudor garden. Owned by Hamilton City Council, the park is the Waikato region's most visited attraction and was named Garden of the Year at the International Garden Tourism Awards in 2014.
Getting there by bus
Route 17 (Hamilton Gardens Uni) runs right to the park: the Hamilton Gardens stop (stop 5776) is about 180 metres from the gardens, a walk of two or three minutes.
The same route also stops on Galloway Street and Brookfield Street, roughly 400 to 550 metres away, which can be handy on the return trip towards the city centre and the university.
