Lovely gardens and a oasis of calm and serenity in Auckland. We had gone in October and managed to…read moresee some cherry blossoms as well

Great botanical garden with so many things to see as well as a few other parks joined together. So…read moremany different sections. We couldn't believe this was free and you could easily spend a few hours here. There is also a cafe and art gallery near the entrance. Our favorite section was the rock garden

Loved visiting this beautiful Wintergarden in Auckland Domain…read more Wintergardens are conservatories or glasshouses that were built to enjoy flowers in the winter. They were very popular stating in the early 1900s. The Auckland Domain Wintergarden was built a century ago. It has two glasshouses that contain the most beautiful flowers, a sunken Fernery and a courtyard with a pond and sculptures. Loved the glasshouse filled with so many colorful flowers. Giant hibiscus. Sunflowers. Gladiolas. Foxgloves. Begonias. The Fernery is so interesting. Loved walking into the sunken quarry and looking at all of the native ferns. The wooden statues which represent bird native to New Zealand were a nice touch. The Wintergarden is free. Located in the Auckland Domain, it is a nice place to stop and enjoy the flowers and history.

One of the highlights of my trip to Auckland was visiting the Wintergardens. It was an especially…read morecold and gray day when I set out to explore Auckland Domain, so by the time I got here I was thankful to be heading inside. The gardens are two main greenhouses: one very warm, the other more temperate. In between the two is a fountain and pool, outdoor plants, and at the back is the entry to the fernery (a word I didn't know existed but now I want one for myself). The building on the right of the entrance is the warm one, which keeps the doors closed. Inside are many warmer weather plans including orchids, lotus, ferns, and tropical flowers. The building on the left is more temperate and has flowers galore; so many colors it's hard to know what to see first. The fernery is an amazing place - dark, damp, and quiet; you can either walk around the ring path at the top or go down the stairs to the bottom to look up. There are statues of various New Zealand birds around to show you what their silhouettes would look like if you came across them in the wild. You can't be aware how varied ferns are until coming here. This is an amazing free activity to do on your visit to Auckland, plus lots more nearby. You can easily spend a day in Auckland Domain. There were a few groups of retired people and school groups as well, worthwhile for any age.

Beautiful water garden that I stumbled across by accident online and correctly knew that I had to…read morevisit in person with the family. The photos do not do it justice- it was so much more beautiful seeing it in real life. Had such a great day just being with nature and soaking up the summer sun with good company. An amazing, huge circular garden with a maze of walking paths on the forest floor, ground, mud, grass leading to different points of interest marked by letters of the alphabet, at different levels and heights. Had a good time admiring the various sculptures within the gardens from life size to small garden ornaments. At Wrights, they specialise in aquatics as well as ground-bound plants- there were several big ponds with waterlilies frequented by thin dragonflies, saw their eel pond but had trouble finding their colony of turtles. They had a cool wooden boardwalk-type over the ponds that we had quite some fun with. Tall, small, colorful and vibrantly bright flowers around everywhere amongst the green bushes, grass, shrubery and trees. Lots of ups, downs, curved pathways into mini forests, next to fields and around the Mauku Waterfall and stream the gardens were built around. A surprise temple and neat wedding venue field as well. A lovely gift shop with a huge range of Chinese porcelain vases, as well as tinkling windchimes, souvenir jewellery and other knick knacks. They also have a cafe that we were unable to visit this time around but noticed their small collection of drinks and snacks if you don't bring your own just before entering the gardens. Stopped by the garden nursery just before we left as well to see the plants thriving in their individual water crates as well as lots of different types of fish for sale. A beautiful spot to visit for anyone of any age- highly recommend it

This was our first visit here. We took a packed lunch and spent a few hours wandering around…read moreexploring the wonderful sights. It is also a great location for a Wedding !

This place is a gem. I can't believe it's just open to the public. Anyone can access it and it's…read moreabsolutely free. The roses are gorgeous. There are small restaurants where you can order take away and eat here or at a nearby park. You can smell the roses as soon as you start walking in the garden. This place is quite a distance from central Auckland, but it's worth a stop!

A stunning open to the public park with over 5000 roses. We explored the gardens, then meandered…read morealong the paths to the overlook above the water. Gorgeous, with plenty of benches so you can sit and appreciate the peace and beautiful that's absolutely free. Long expanses of green space make it a perfect place for children!

We were driving to Tawharanui Regional Park and noticed the sculptures peeking out from inside a…read moregarden and decided we must stop in. We are so glad that we did. We found a lovely art gallery that even includes pieces from Chihuly that led to a couple of beautiful gardens adjacent to the gallery. Beyond this there is yet another larger sculpture garden with meandering paths that sometimes led to aviaries as well as other small animal areas (such as rabbits). They will be having a couple of "native" pigs join the property soon as they just arrived today. We met the owners, Anthony and Sandra Grant as she arrived on property with their new pets. Between our visit to the gallery and the larger sculpture garden, we stopped by for a wine tasting and met Tina who was generous and informative sharing about the wines grown on their estate. The Gallery Syrah and Bordeaux Blend were our favorites. Much appreciation is extended to Tina for her kindness and hospitality! After the sculpture garden, we ventured over to their restaurant, Rothko. Unfortunately for us, the restaurant was fully booked with reservations. Fortunately for us, they had seating at the picnic tables outside and they served wine and small bites. Overall, we had a very pleasant experience and will definitely be back!

Fabulous collection if (mostly) modern art sculptures set in beautifully manicured gardens and chic…read moreindoor galleries. One hour from auckland cbd... we were tourists, renting a city hop car (very reasonable and convenient)... 1 hour to get there and 3 hours in the setting, well worth the time and expense!

My new favourite local eatery…read more Oozing with charm and tranquility, St Margaret's Cafe is a perfect way to unwind with a stunning garden outlook (I imagine especially so in Spring), warm and inviting service and the food..., the food was just amazing! So good in fact, that I had to have dessert with my breakfast (and I would totally recommend the season fruits with mango sorbet and nut brittle to all).

A friend of mine recommended this place, and since I was on holiday, a drive out to the Karaka…read morecountryside sounded like a nice lunch excursion. And WOW! Am I glad I made the effort! This place is seriously one of Auckland's hidden gems. The name "Country Cafe" does it no favours. We turned up on a stunning spring Friday, and discovered the most gorgeous country garden setting, complete with lake - St Margarets is apparently such a popular wedding venue during the summer months that Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays are mostly fully booked. I can see why. Entranced by the scenery, we sat down & got just as engrossed in the menu! A delicious selection of salads & more substantial main dishes made it really difficult to choose. We opted for the Chargrilled Smoked Chicken & Candied Walnut Salad with potato & bacon & dressed with maple aioli, as well as the Oriental Sticky Slow-Cooked Pork Belly Sandwich with salad & spiced pineapple chutney. I learnt a while ago never to go past pork belly on a menu, and I haven't been disappointed yet. Both meals were stunning - visually gorgeous & utterly delicious. Well worth the drive, and with such picturesque surroundings to walk off your meal, you can bet I'll be making the drive again.

This was a wonderful cafe with a great atmosphere and fabulous staff. Sadly, it closed for good…read moreearlier in 2025.

Always good food and amazing service. I would highly recommend to everyone…read more It's also pet friendly and you can have your dogs with you

OMG. I love this place!!! It is so cute. We came here yesterday when it was pouring down. Not that…read moremany people inside. They sell lots of different products that you would not often see in central Auckland. I think the guy serving everyone had had a rough day as he didn't seem very cheery. Service was still good though but a happy face would have made it top notch. I ordered a soy hot chocolate which was yum but I guess you can't really mess that up. He had a long black which was made very well. I ordered the curry of the day (Thai chicken) and it was ok, I have had better as the chicken was dry and the courgette flavour was strong, quite fusion. He had their big breakfast which apparently was a lot nicer than any other one he had back in Auckland. I thought they are all the same hahaha. When leaving was I tempted to try their cabinet food so I got a cheesecake brownie and a strawberry brownie to take away. LOVED IT. He usually doesn't like sweet food (like most guys) but he loved it too! Kitchen closes at 2.30pm but cabinet food goes until close. I would highly recommend this cafe and then you could stop by clevedon coast oysters before or after = perfect day

So you've gone on your country drive down south and you're feeling parched. Perhaps you are on the…read morehunt for fresh veges, fruit or a jar of jam? Well, Ciao Bella has both a nice, homey looking country cafe with an Italian twist, as well as all your farmer's market needs. They hold the Italian Country Market here every weekend, but don't hesitate to venture here another day. They also have the most amazing bathroom, covered in multi-coloured tiles. Feels like an acid trip from the 60s. Basically, it's a breath of fresh air on your journey to Clevedon or beyond.

The name needs to be updated. It's called Alenna Cafe and it's great…read more We needed a quick breakfast place and wanted to stop somewhere out of the city. They have lovely pastries and I chose the cinnamon roll. They warmed it up for me and it was perfect. I like light frosting and this one was light. I had a hot latte to drink with my roll. The coffee was topped with latte art and was creamy and nice and hot. We ate inside with several tables available. Service was excellent. We were very happy with this stop.

It's now called Alenna which made it a bit harder to find so once the name changes over in…read moresearches, that will be better. We popped in a tried their beef lol lak- yummy! Salad was fresh and dressing was flavorful. Beef was tender and served in a delicious sauce with a perfectly fried egg. Service was friendly. It's definitely a casual laid back cafe.

Again their coffee is weak. I can hardly tell its coffee. If you want a coffee hit, dont come here…read more The food is ok and expensive. There is a good amount of gluten free options.

me and my partner do our ritual breakfast here once a week. oh lord you guys have hooked me on my…read morepregnancy cravings.. bacon ans pancake stack. I wish the pancakes were made there though and not from the grocery store. so yum though