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Historic gardens in the Bay of Islands

© Lynda Jardinet

There's something magical about taking a step back in gardening time - to the days when New Zealand's early settlers tried to recreate English gardens in their new homeland. (The native Maori weren't quite so fussy - their gardens were for production, not prettiness.)

When New Zealand was colonised in the early 1800s, the Bay of Islands became a prime destination for whalers and sailors, seeking food, wine and women. My motives for visiting this month were far more innocent - all those Northland nurseries and gardens to visit!

My partner Grant and I packed up the car (leaving plenty of room for plants) and headed off on the three hour drive from Auckland to the Far North. On arrival in Paihia we grabbed as many brochures as we could from the local information centre, and spent the night drooling over the glorious photographs of sundrenched beaches and the endless blue sea. I, meanwhile, had discovered the most delicious lime green Kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos) growing in the hotel garden. The hotel manager looked horrified at my suggestion that a wee clump of it could easily be dug off one side - but she was most obliging. The car now contained its first tourist-gardening acquisition. (Thanks to Diversity Media for use of the photo.)

We were up bright and early the next day to catch the ferry across to Russell - once the capital of New Zealand. Russell's a delightful destination, and as it happened, the local garden club was celebrating its 50th flower show. The town hall was overflowing with colour, including stunning orchids and these prize-winning birds of paradise (Strelitizia reginae). Also on display were some rather imaginative vegetable animals constructed by local schoolchildren. (Who could think you could turn a cabbage into a pig? Let me tell you, the result was hilarious!) As I made a beeline for the trading table, Grant wandered the aisles, wondering how on earth I'd managed to time our trip to coincide with floral frivolity!

It seemed fitting to worship our good luck, with a visit to New Zealand's oldest surviving church. Christ Church was built in 1835, although it has undergone extensive renovation and restoration since. My eye was immediately drawn past the graves, to the two large clumps of this fantastic Iris germanica in front of the building. I've always believed that seed-collecting falls outside the definition of horticultural theft, and so it seemed only fitting to pop a few ripe seedpods into my handbag, for propagation at home.

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