Taitua Arboretum: A photo journey
When you arrive, there will be a welcome party. This welcome party is less about the banners and streamers, and more about the feathers and clucking. The Taitua Arboretum is home to hundreds of chickens and roosters. It is a real hens party, but without the dildos.
If you are not a fan of birds, this moment will be less reminiscent of a cute welcome party and more akin to a scene from Hitchcocks, the birds. They will surround you, they will run towards you like a kid running towards an ice cream truck. And guess what kid, you are the ice cream. They may even peak you if you are lucky.
After waving through a mosh pit of crowing cocks and clucking hens, you enter the tree farm.
There are a few different walks you can take here.
All shown on the map at the entrance.
This post is going to be a journey of Taitua Arboretum through images that made me smile or things that I thought were beautiful. To experience the walk as a whole, you will just have to go there yourself.
The cold hard facts:
Hours: Taitua Arboretum is open seven days from 8am to half an hour before dusk. Admission is free.
Getting there
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.
Dogs: Yes. But need to be on a leash.
Bicycle: No.