An inspiring guide to outstanding New Zealand gardens that are open to visit (and sometimes to stay).

Visiting a beautiful garden feeds your soul and lifts your spirits. Here are more than 50 remarkable New Zealand gardens, all of them open to visit.

Well-known garden photographer Juliet Nicholas and journalist Rosemary Barraclough travelled from the top of Aotearoa to its southernmost regions to track down this collection of captivating private and public gardens. There’s something to appeal to every taste – from gardens that burst with flowers and fragrance, to wilder places that celebrate eco-friendly, naturalistic trends, and gardens built on their owners’ passions, whether it’s for butterflies, bromeliads or bamboo.

Visit these outstanding gardens in person, or simply enjoy them through the pages of this book.

Arranged in geographical sections from north to south, it features one or two gardens in each area for close attention, then others in slightly less detail, plus a final list of other gardens around the country that are worth visiting.

Each section includes engaging text about the people who created the gardens, their gardening wisdom, the best time of year to visit and outstanding features.

The regions are: Northland; Auckland; Waikato & Coromandel; Gisborne & Hawke's Bay; Taranaki; Manawatu; Wellington & Wairarapa; Marlborough & Nelson; Canterbury; Otago & Southland.