Our History

Waitakaruru Arboretum has been in the process of development since 1991; this is a rehabilitation of a derelict Winstone's quarry. This 17.5 ha (42 acre) hillside site provides panoramic vistas over the fertile Waikato valley. The site contains intimate tree-enclosed spaces and interesting landforms including towering cliffs, rocks, a stream, many ponds, and small waterfalls. More than 30,000 trees and shrubs have been planted, representative of flora from many parts of the world.

The first sculpture park event held here was in November 2003 when 47 sculptures were displayed as part of the “Window on Waikato” fundraiser on behalf of Hospice Waikato.

The attractive outdoor setting, ease of vehicular access to place large sculptures, and security all proved to be assets not easily provided in other locations. The idea of providing a venue for sculpture grew out of that success. The Sculpture Park & Arboretum was open every day from November 2004 to 2013, each year holding a full annual programme of exhibitions. Opening weekends supported various charities including St.John, Oxfam, Save the Children and Parentline.

The quarry cliffs and pond provide the visual and acoustic setting for musical performances.

In the year to May 2010, 8900 people visited the park.

Map of Waitakaru Arboertum & Sculpture Park showing various walking paths, native trees sections, themed areas, a pond, a playground, and facilities.

Rehabilitation Questions & Answers

The rehabilitation process has struggled with the lack of topsoil, difficult terrain, strong weed growth and poor water holding capacity. Apart from a few pines, the predominant plants at the outset were gorse, pampas and blackberry. The rehabilitation has been undertaken in a sustainable and pragmatic way as far as resources would permit.

Methods:

  • Recycling plants (gifts from nurseries and discarded plants from friends) to supplement our annual purchase of plants

  • Propagation of plants from cuttings and in situ planting of seed

  • Use of planting tools such as mattocks and tree shelters

  • Mulching to retain moisture and replace nutrients utilising and enhancing natural features such as rocks and ponds

  • Pest control (possum baiting and roundup for weeds)

  • Sparing reuse of Waikato topsoil which has been stripped from new subdivisions and roadsides 

  • Composting of organic waste

  • Installation of some irrigation from stream (since 1999)

  • Tolerating lots of failures

Outcomes:

  • Low maintenance woodland gardens suitable for a great walk

  • Forestry

  • Multi-level provision for wildlife (Ruru, Tui and Kaka have returned in recent years)

  • We started planting in earnest in the winter of 1992, about a year after we bought the site.

  • We wanted to plant trees and to live among the trees we had planted. We also wanted to be sure that the land we bought was not valuable agricultural land. We had looked at many parcels of land, but the constraints were manifold – too far from Hamilton – too expensive – over developed – too small – too noisy. Then on a whim, we looked at the old quarry at Tauwhare. We were at once hooked, captivated and enraptured! The workings from the hard-rock quarrying had created a landscape so different from the smooth, rolling hills of nearby. The views over the Waikato flood plain to Pirongia, Karioi and the Hakarimata Ranges weren’t too bad, either.

  • Pretty much, yes; you must understand that the quarry had its own charm – it was a relic, a piece of industrial history that had supplied the Waikato with gravel for about thirty years. The quarry workings had left behind a place with a strange, skeletal beauty that could only come of human activity on a large scale. The 30m sheer cliffs, the steep, rock-strewn slopes and the sweeping curves of the quarry roads all tied into a framework where form followed function. So, from our point of view it had everything going for it – it had its own character, it was ideal for a rehabilitation project, the Waitakaruru Stream ran through the lower parts and at 17.5ha, it was quite large enough for us to grow into. It also had a burgeoning number of noxious weeds, all of which seemed to have thorns, prickles or cutting edges

  • We were given lots of advice on what to plant and ignored most of it. There were about ten acres of land with some original topsoil and this we planted with pines. They have grown very well and we have maintained them in a silvicultural regime that one day could ensure some economic return. All other planting had to wait until we had cleared the gorse and pampas, so we progressed bit by bit, year by year, until now, when most of the property has been planted. There is still room for another few hundred trees and shrubs, though.

  • We did use a map to make an overall plan. Some of the geographical locations were mostly accidents of history and occasionally by design; nonetheless, this method seems to have worked quite well, although there are times when it is a bit of a limitation. For example, the Asian section is too small for the variety of trees that interest us from China, Japan, and India. We chose that particular valley because of its misty appearance in winter – a bit like a Chinese painting.

  • No, it’s not; but remember that I am an arborist and my interest is in trees from around the world, and the country.