***Less than 2 weeks to go. Get your tickets now to this fabulous Waiheke event, and feel good about feeling good (yes, you spend, you enjoy, you eat, you drink, and sniff the flowers, too, BUT the proceeds go to the Jassy Dean Charity!).
Waiheke Garden Festival is the new name for Waiheke’s famed fund-raising garden festival weekend.
This year it remains a self-drive event, but Fullers are offering plenty of transport options for those wishing to attend without their own vehicle. One option includes ferry tickets, bus charter, lunch and visits to all 6 gardens in the festival, while another is just a ticket and transfer to the Lynda Hallinan Garden Party, and that’s where you will find me (more about this in a minute).
The Festival takes place over two days, 11th and 12th November, and is open from 10.00am-4.00pm on both days. Ticket buyers get exclusive access to some of Waiheke’s most interesting gardens while supporting the Jassy Dean Trust, an organisation that supports sick children and their families on Waiheke Island.
Along with being able to sticky-beak around some gorgeous and amazing gardens, there are options to attend workshops and garden talks, to enjoy the Sundowner event on Saturday at 4.00pm, and try your luck at finding a bargain, or that plant you have always wanted, at the plant sale at Ngaio Lewis garden.
Sunday is Garden Party day! Put on your party frocks and fancy shirts and come along to enjoy what can only be described as a slice of paradise on Waiheke: the Sacred Blessing Sanctuary, at Enclosure Bay. It is eye-poppingly, gobsmackingly beautiful. Yes, I have some pics of flowers included here, but it is much more than a garden of beautiful blooms.
The garden is spread over 2 acres of lovingly tended land, surrounded on two sides by the McKenzie Reserve, a 12 acre regenerating native reserve, and includes a tropical garden, woodland garden of camellias and magnolias, tropical rhododendron garden, rose garden, fern garden, Japanese inspired garden and herb garden with vegetable plantings and orchard. You’ll want to sniff in the scents and embrace it all, as garden after garden unfolds its magic, with the resident cheeky ‘king’ Tui keeping an eye on you wherever you go!
As you meander down the various levels, taking in stunning sculptures and works of art by renowned artist Paul Dibble, you may well marvel at how this has all been created in just 13 years. Waiheke is not an easy place to garden because of poor soil, long hot summers with coastal winds, and usually, not enough rain (don’t make that comment to locals this year however; Waiheke was drenched, twice during 2017). Sacred Blessing Sanctuary
The Garden Party on Sunday 12th is an integral part of fundraising for the Jassy Dean Trust. It kicks off at 2.00pm, with a glass of bubbly and canapés, then the lovely Lynda Hallinan will regale us with her pithy humour, gardening adventures and expertise. I’ll be pumping out tempting tastes from the onsite kitchen with my team throughout the party, and a whole bunch of wonderful volunteers will be delivering them to you, while you get to enjoy the ambiance of the garden. What’s not to like about a day like this?
Find out more about the Jassy Dean Trust here
Craft beers and Waiheke wines are also available for purchase.
Why not make a weekend of it and come over Friday, get tickets for the Art In The Garden Art Auction, zip around and see all the stunning gardens on Saturday and Sunday, squeeze in a workshop or two, enjoy the Sundowner and unwind at the Garden Party. Make sure you come up and say hi!
Tickets are on sale at Fullers.co.nz here, or can be purchased in person at Paper Plus Waiheke.
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