There is one place that I find myself returning to time after time whenever I visit Hamilton, and that place is the Taitua Arboretum. Being an avid lover of all things foliage related, I enjoy my time in this nirvana of trees.

The Taitua Arboretum is the love child of Bunny and John Mortimer. These two started to plant trees on their land in their seventies with pockets filled with seeds and cutting from their intrepid journeys around New Zealand, China, The Americas, and Australia. It was not with the express purpose of building a tree wonderland, rather they wished to create shade for their livestock and attract more animals. Their approach to planting was dictated by separatism, Bunny wished to plant grand Oaks and other species, while John had a collection of Conifers which he wished to get into the ground. They could never have imagined what a haven it would become and that over 100,000 people a year would end up visiting this space.

Walking around the paths you can see all of Bunny and John's passion and hard work, from the Australian eucalyptus tree to the funky, monkey puzzle trees that hail from Chile and Argentina. They gifted this sprawling 22 hectare space to Hamilton City in 1997, and now this wondrous place is open for the public to ramble through.

**A curious rooster, there are many at the Taitua Arboretum.**

Often when I arrive at Taitua Arboretum, I am given a rooster greeting. A cheery cock-a-doodle-doo. The roosters and chickens who call this place home converge at the carpark. This gang of crowing roosters and softly clucking chickens. Perhaps looking for food, perhaps acting as gatekeepers to this wonderful place. As you walk along the path, you will often notice these chickens and roosters slowly emerging from the trees. Or closely following behind you, a fowl shadow.

There are many other wonderful birds fluttering through the park as well. From piwakawaka or fantails zooming around to ducks waddling to a very elusive peahen who likes to suddenly pop up at the most randomest of times. Taitua Arboretum is filled with many feathered friends.

Some of my favorite spots in the park are the redwood circle, the duck pond, and the tree tunnel. The redwood circle always makes me feel like I have entered some fairy tale. The trees are huge and you feel your neck straining as you look up and up trying to see the canopy. Their is a whimsical fairy door on one of the trees, perhaps signalling that some fairy lives there. These Redwoods hail from California and in their natural habitat, can live up to 600 years, though some have been known to live up to 2000 years. This species of tree is one of the tallest living trees on Earth, growing as high as 115.5m.

**Admiring the Redwoods at the circle of trees**

The pond is often filled with ducks and has some lovely seats nearby so you can have a relaxing time simply watching the water and water birds float by. And the tree tunnel is a winding tunnel of trees that is a great spot for a cool photo. see below for cool photo shenanigans.

**The winding tree tunnel complete with an Autumn leaf**

Another reason why I love the Taitua Arboretum so much is that the seasons can really be seen in this park. In Autumn, you can crunch through the leafy carpet on the ground and marvel at all the changing colours of the trees, fiery reds, yellows and oranges. In winter, explore through fog and dew and make sure to wrap up warm, springtime brings baby ducklings and chickens and sweet smelling blossoms. In the summer months, the canopy is alive with the sounds of hundreds and hundreds of cicadas or kihikihi. Their song is so loud it almost deafens. And as you walk along, you will see hundreds of exo-skeletons clinging to the trunks of trees and hidden amongst the leaf litter. All the seasons can be very keenly felt here.

The place is very busy during the weekends and school holidays with people flocking here for a lovely picnic, to walk their dog, or to explore with their eager children. For some tranquility, I would recommend visiting early in the morning, the gates open at 8am, or during the weekdays.

Info

Location : 25 Taitua Road, Temple View, Hamilton 3289

Directions - From Hamilton follow SH23 west (towards Raglan) and turn left into Howden Road, then left again into Taitua Road.

The Orbiter Bus also stops on Whatawhata Road (just before Melva Street) where you can walk from Tills Lookout at the end of Melva Street to Taitua Arboretum.

Times : Gates open at 8am and close 1/2 hour before dusk. Free Admission.

Walk time : 2.3 km of easy walkways, allow 1 -1 1/2 hours to ramble through the woods and enjoy the trees and animals.

Dogs: Dogs allowed, but need to be leashed.

Perfect place for : a nature ramble, to explore nature with your children, a picnic and a dog walk.