Ngatea Water Gardens

 

COROMANDEL

Ngatea Gardens: a water wonderland

• WORDS: HEATHER WHELAN
• PHOTOGRAPHY: HEATHER WHELAN AND SUPPLIED

• PUBLISHED: MAY 30, 2024

Heather Whelan has long had Ngatea on her ‘must-visit’ list. Coromandel Peninsula is a favourite spot to visit but stopping off along the way has been sidelined for her last few trips, until now.

We’d been meaning to stop at Ngatea for some time – the cafés along the main street always look tempting – but usually, we’re heading to, or from, the Coromandel Peninsula and hadn’t considered Ngatea as a destination in its own right.

However, after visiting the Ngatea Water Gardens and exploring the town, we can wholeheartedly recommend it as a stop. There’s even freedom camping right in the town centre at the Hauraki District Council car park.

Weird and wacky water gardens

Left: Waterwheels and water features are part of the joy of this wonderland
Right: Magical fountains are dotted around the property

The Water Gardens are tucked away behind Ngatea’s main street. As we pulled into the car park, we got the first inkling of what was in store for us. Our space was reserved for ‘wizards, oil refiners, and unemployed miners’. Every other parking space had the same quirky kind of signage. The creators of the gardens, Roger and Emma Blake, obviously have a sense of humour. At every turn throughout the two hectares, there’s something to make you smile.

Paths led us over bridges, past lily ponds, water wheels, and fountains, beside a castle and above a waterfall. Everything was lush and flowers bloomed. Unlike conventional gardens, though, we came across things such as parking meters in a lake. They had the instruction, ‘boat parking only.’ Another sign warned of a ‘fork in path ahead’. Sure enough, there was a garden fork cemented in. ‘Please close the gate’ said the notice on the gate sheltering ‘sheep’. Of course, there was no fence attached to the gate. There were lots more amusing signs, but I won’t spoil things by relating them all – I’m sure you’ll want to visit and discover them for yourself.

A mammoth undertaking

Quirky features are part of the picturesque appeal

It’s hard to realise that back in 1995 when Roger and Emma started work on the gardens, there was nothing but bare paddocks at the property. They had little gardening experience, but they had a dream – and the drive to create it. Roger borrowed his father’s excavator and dug out 5000 cubic metres of clay to form the four ponds. This clay, together with topsoil, contoured the surrounding areas. Later, tonnes of greywacke rocks were delivered. Roger built the waterfall with 200 tonnes of them, which he set into concrete to form the waterfall. This pumps 100 litres of water per second, which cascades down into one of the ponds.

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Tiny town: westbound on Route 99

Underground services were installed (power, irrigation, and lighting) and area by area, the gardens were planted. Roger built the large structures, such as the castle, barn, and bridges, himself, although, the couple had help from family and friends. After all, this huge project was done after work and on weekends. Ngatea Water Gardens opened to the public in 1998, just three years after starting the enterprise.

Now well established, the gardens boast splendid mature trees and shrubs. In the ponds, you’ll see water lilies and lotus, which are home to goldfish, ducks, and black swans. Peacocks parade on the lawns and bees buzz among the mesmerising array of flowering plants. There are also some ancient turtles, believed to be among the oldest in New Zealand.

Arthur’s Canny Museum

Thousands of drink cans line the walls

While it looked like a humble garden shed from the exterior, it’s fair to say that stepping inside took us by surprise. Inside were seemingly endless rows of drink cans, much like a kaleidoscope for the eyes. Featuring more than 10,000 different drink cans, this unique museum is New Zealand’s only collection of beverage cans of this scale on display to the public. Information in the museum explained that Roger’s late father, Arthur, picked up a beer can from the roadside one day and so started this collection. It was interesting to peruse the different beer, soft drink, and unusual cans; the oldest was 50 years old and there were many fascinating ones from overseas.

A history of excavation

Left: A great spot for photographing the ducks
Right: Lakeside tranquillity

It’s apt that the Blake family constructed water gardens at Ngatea because water and digging are central to Ngatea and the Hauraki Plains area. Early in the 20th Century, people drained the peat swamp, bog, overflowing rivers, and Kahikatea forests so they could farm the land. The first drains and stop banks were hand-dug. There’s a sculpture named Plains Pioneer by Paul Dibble commemorating these drain diggers in Pioneer Park in the town centre. Nowadays, there’s a vast network of canals, drains, floodgates, and pumping stations that keep the land from being inundated.

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Small And Perfectly Formed

Early travel in the area was by water, but as roads were built, a bridge was needed at Ngatea. A unique central lift span bridge was constructed in 1917, linking both sides of the Piako River. Until they replaced it in 1960, the bridge served as a landmark in the area. To celebrate the start of the new millennium, a half-scale working replica of the bridge’s central span was constructed in the Tilbury Reserve, beside the river.

In Aunt Daisy’s footsteps

Left: Waterfall views
Right: The castle, moat, and drawbridge at the heart of the property

One engineer who worked for the Hauraki Plains Council was Frederick Basham. His wife, Maude, who became better known as Aunt Daisy, began her radio career when they lived in Ngatea. Her popular radio programme made her a star of the domestic. She became a celebrity food writer, with her cookbooks running to several editions – 2010 saw one on its 22nd reprint.

Ngatea has obviously taken heed of its famous cook and baker. I’d spotted half a dozen cafés in the little town. We couldn’t sample them all (this time) but had morning tea at The Glory Company, where the Aunt Daisy tradition continues with great coffee and baking.

Year-round delight

Goldfish galore

Ngatea Water Gardens has been cleverly planted to offer year-round visual delights, and there’s no doubt that it’s a fun place to meander and explore. Winter hours kick in from 1 May, where the usual Sunday to Thursday opening hours are limited to Sunday only, through until 1 October, so if you’re planning to travel and explore, consider this to avoid disappointment. It’s a wonderful spot to spend time for all ages and there’s a wheelchair-friendly path through the gardens.

 

My latest article in Motorhomes Caravans & Destinations Magazine

Kaipara Harbour: Exploring Helensville and the Kawau Parua Inlet

• WORDS: HEATHER WHELAN
• PHOTOGRAPHY: HEATHER WHELAN

• PUBLISHED: AUGUST 9, 2021

Heather Whelan investigates some peaceful spots that border the Kawau Parua Inlet.

Kawau Parua Inlet is almost enclosed by headlands that jut into the Kaipara Harbour – Oyster Point to the east and Shelly Beach to the west. Helensville sits at its southerly end, at the entrance to the Kaipara River.

Historic Helensville

Māori had long lived on the shores of the Kaipara when the first Europeans settled there. John McLeod came to mill timber in 1862, and built a kauri villa as his family home. He named it Helen’s Villa, and the name stuck for the whole settlement of Helensville.

The area had previously been known as Te Awaroa, ‘the valley of the long river’. The Kaipara River played a vital part in Helensville’s early development, as did the railway, which opened in 1875. The timber industry boomed in the 19th century, when kauri spas were transported by ship from Helensville. It wasn’t until the 1940s, when a road was built over the Brynderwyn Hill, that river and harbour routes north from Auckland declined in importance.

THE RIVERSIDE WALKWAY AT HELENSVILLE

Helensville’s fortunes have gone up and down over the years, but it is a pleasant place to stop and wander around. We discovered the riverside walkway, which begins at Mill Road and took us along boardwalks and paved paths to the high point of Commercial Road, beside the old Post Office. As well as giving us views of the river and a cluster of boats, the path led through plantings of native trees and shrubs: a peaceful change from the busy main street.

We turned left on Commercial Road and wandered down to the old Railway Station, home to the Ginger Crunch Cafe, which is always worth a visit. The station was built in 1880; before this, passengers and goods had to travel by sea from Onehunga, or make their way overland from Riverhead.

Railway buffs will be interested in the 1881 steam locomotive that stands beside the railway station. On loan from MOTAT, it is almost identical to the D class engine that brought the first train to Helensville. The Helensville Railway Museum is housed in a new building beside the locomotive, but only opens on Sundays, so we’ll have to check that out another time.

A CARVED SEAT BY THE WALKWAY.

LOCOMOTIVE AT HELENSVILLE RAILWAY STATION

Te Korowai-o-Te-Tonga

The South Kaipara Peninsula, renamed Te Korowai-o-Te-Tonga in 2013, extends 35km from Helensville to the mouth of the Kaipara Harbour. The name means ‘the cloak of the south’, and reflects the protective role of the peninsula in sheltering the harbour from westerly winds. We turned north and drove through Parakai, famous for its hot pools. We had booked overnight parking there, but wanted to explore further up the peninsula first.

Our first stop was MacNut Cafe, tucked off the road in a macadamia orchard. The cafe has pretty views over the orchard and lakes; visitors can take self guided tours, but we just took in the view, along with the coffee and macadamia-themed treats.

Further along the road we took the turn for Shelly Beach. Originally known as Aotea, the beach was named for the canoe, Aotea, brought into the Kaipara for repairs that were carried out at this spot. Later, Aotea was the venue for a meeting of local Māori who were debating whether to join the King movement (they didn’t). A meeting house was constructed and a copy of the Treaty of Waitangi was kept under glass, surmounted by an image of Queen Victoria. Later a hall and church were built, but all these buildings were eventually moved to another part of the harbour. A pyramid monument on the shore commemorates this history.

VIEW FROM THE JETTY CAFE AT SHELLY BEACH

The stretch of Shelly Beach near the monument was actually sandy, but at the other side of a long wharf and a recently installed groyne we came to the shells. We walked along the beach, before taking a track up to the cliff-tops and then down through pōhutukawa to a carpark beside the wharf. At the end of the carpark we discovered an area for motorhome parking with powered sites.

This campground is administered by the folk at The Jetty cafe, which looks out over the beach, wharf and harbour. We couldn’t resist buying lunch here and enjoying the picturesque view.

Fishermen were busy launching boats, and casting their lines from the end of the 100 metre-long wharf. Locals advise taking care at the end of the wharf, especially in windy weather, as it has no handrails. Next time we’ll stay at Shelly Beach and also venture further north, as there are a regional park and lakes to explore at the end of the peninsula.

MURAL AT THE JETTY CAFE

Hot pools and hot chips

We were keen to have a soak in Parakai’s hot pools, so returned to the little town and parked in the campground area next to Parakai Springs. The campground is now run by Auckland Council, and you have to pre-book to get the code for the gates. The kitchen and ablution blocks have been removed, so it is only suitable for self-contained vehicles. However, the location is picturesque as it is part of Kaipātiki Reserve, a grassy area with many mature trees.

People have been enjoying Parakai’s thermal water since 1881, when the first muddy ‘pool’ was dug. By the early 1900s the pools had been developed and there were hotels to cater for visitors. We spent the next hour at Parakai Springs, a big complex with a hydroslide, indoor and outdoor pools, and private spas. It was off-season so we practically had the place to ourselves. There’s another pool complex, Palm Springs, across the road. This has recently been upgraded and is lovely to visit on fine days (the pools are all outdoor).

Feeling relaxed after our soak, and too lazy to cook dinner, we wandered along to the Four Square, which has a hot food counter at one end with a variety of takeaway options. We got hot chips to go with the chicken and salad we had in the fridge in our bus. The other dinner options in Parakai are a Chinese restaurant and a pizza place.

PARAKAI SPRINGS HOT POOLS

Plants and sculpture

Heading north on SH16, through Helensville and past the village of Kaukapakapa (which sticks to the watery theme as its name means ‘swim with much splashing’), we soon came to a sign for the Kaipara Coast Plant Centre and Sculpture Gardens. At the end of a driveway there’s a cafe and the entrance to 3.5km of garden, sculpture and forest trails.

David Bayly has run the plant centre since 1988, and he has developed the property to display over 40 sculptures, sited along the trails. The sculptures are changed every year, so it’s worth visiting regularly. We had coffee and cake at the cafe before strolling around the gardens and admiring the artworks, which ranged from tiny to huge. It takes about an hour and a half to complete the circuit. There’s a new track opening soon – the Harbour View Track – and, looking at the map, I think visitors will be able to look across the Kawau Parua Inlet to Shelly Beach on the far shore.

ON THE SCULPTURE WALK AT KAIPARA PLANT AND SCULPTURE GARDENS

THE CAFE AT THE KAIPARA PLANT AND SCULPTURE GARDENS

More Information

• For more on the places mentioned, visit: helensvillerail.org.nz; parakaisprings.co.nz; palmspringsparakai.co.nz; macnut.co.nz; kaiparacoastplantcentre.com
• You can book motorhome camping at Parakai at: aucklandcouncil.govt.nz. Go to the section ‘Book accommodation at our parks’.
• To arrange parking at Shelly Beach, contact the Facebook page of The Jetty cafe, Shelly Beach or phone 09 420 2595.

Hidden Treasures: Kai Iwi to Pouto

 Heather Whelan and partner Malcolm discover some peaceful and picturesque spots near Dargaville

Shipwreck remains at Pouto

The weather was forecast to be good for a few days, so we stocked up our bus and headed west from Whangarei – first stop the Kai Iwi Lakes. These rain-fed, freshwater lakes are part of a 538-hectare recreational reserve, 35km north-west of Dargaville, and are popular with campers, fishermen and those who enjoy water sports.

There are two campgrounds on the shores of Lake Taharoa, the largest of the Kai Iwi Lakes. One is called Pine Beach – though the pines have been removed in recent years – and the other is at Promenade Point. We didn’t plan to stay overnight, so parked overlooking Marina Bay and set off to walk around the lake. There are tracks around all three of the lakes, and side paths lead to Lake Waikare and Lake Kai Iwi from the Lake Taharoa track. On a hot afternoon we thought the 8km loop would give us enough exercise, so stuck to the main track.

We started our stroll at the boat ramp, where a group were launching jet skis. Visitors can enjoy a whole range of water activities on Lake Taharoa and Lake Waikare, including waka ama, kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, water skiing, fishing and swimming. However, motorised craft are not allowed on Lake Kai Iwi.

Lake Taharoa, Kai Iwi Lakes

Lake Taharoa is New Zealand’s third largest dune lake and the country’s deepest. The lakes were formed 1.8 million years ago when rain fell in depressions of sand that had impermeable ironstone pans beneath them. There are no inlets or outlets so the depth in the lakes can vary, as can the water temperature; extremes range from 12C to 21C.

Kai Iwi Lakes have unique biodiversity and are home to many native species, some endangered. Bird life includes the North Island brown kiwi, white-faced heron, paradise shelduck, grey teal and the Australasian bittern. Rainbow trout were introduced in the 1960s.

Kai Iwi means ‘food for the people’ and early Maori settlers in the area enjoyed catching fish and eels in the lakes. During times of war, injured warriors recuperated at the lakeside. Later kauri gum diggers built huts in the area, however this industry died out in the 1920s, leaving little trace.

There were plenty of campers at Pine Beach, enjoying the shallow waters fronting the campground, the children’s playground, and generally relaxing. One family were unloading bikes as the loop tracks are suitable for cycling as well as walking.

Our path continued beside crystal-clear water and golden sandy beaches, giving the lake a tropical look. There were few walkers on the track as we passed the aptly named Sandy Bay and continued past Deep Water Cove to the strangely named Sin Bin area and on to Promenade Point. The campground here has fewer facilities than Pine Beach and is described as a relaxed kiwiana experience.

We arrived back at our bus after taking just over two hours to walk the Lake Taharoa loop. We stayed for a while longer, and then headed into Dargaville.

Sunset at the Dargaville NZMCA Park

HISTORIC DARGAVILLE

We always enjoy staying at the NZMCA Park, which is situated picturesquely at the junction of the Kaihu and Wairoa rivers. We spent happy hour – actually close to two hours – chatting with other motorhomers in one of the historic boatsheds that once belonged to Thompson Boat Builders.

The NZMCA Park beside the Kaihu River

Swedish-born Erik Thompson was the first of three generations of boat builders to produce craft here. Hundreds of launches, sailing boats and whalers were constructed from kauri over the years, the most famous being the whaleboats constructed for Ernest Shackleton’s 1907-1909 Antarctic expedition. Full-scale drawings of these were discovered sketched out in pencil on the boatshed’s loft floor.

Earlier we’d strolled along Dargaville’s waterfront from the band rotunda, past the Boating Club and through the Riverside Gardens. Prominent at the junction of Parenga Street and Hokianga Road is a statue erected as a tribute to the area’s early gum diggers, who came mainly from Dalmatia (now Croatia).

Dargaville honours the memory of its gum diggers

There’s a brochure available at the information centre that details a 5km walking trail around Dargaville’s historic buildings. We just looked at some of the sites, including the ‘petticoat houses’, six identical cottages built for workers at the Dairy Company. They were built with fireplaces but you had to pay extra for a chimney!

Lake Taharoa with Maunganui Bluff in the distance

The following day we went to discover more local history at the Dargaville Museum. There’s a wealth of information here about early European pioneers, especially the gum diggers. Another section of the museum is dedicated to shipwrecks, as the Pouto Peninsula and Kaipara Harbour entrance were notorious for shifting shoals and a dangerous bar.

Reconstructed gum diggers’ huts at Dargaville Museum

Among the flotsam and jetsam displayed are portholes, anchors and substantial parts of ships and boats dug up from the sands of the area. These range from a punt used from the 1880s to the 1950s, an American ship built in 1870, and the Mathieu, wrecked in 1885.

PLACE OF HIDDEN TREASURES

From Dargaville we drove south on the Pouto Peninsula. This 55km long spit stretches from Dargaville to Pouto Point, separating the Kaipara Harbour from the Tasman Sea. Described as one of Northland’s best-kept secrets, the peninsula is off the beaten tourist track. Visitors and bach owners enjoy a quiet spot for fishing – Pouto means float for a fishing net – though tourist information describes it as ‘the place of hidden treasures’.

Te Kopuru Church with Maungaraho Rock on the horizon

Our first stop along the road was the little settlement of Te Kopuru. Once a thriving town with sawmills and a shipbuilding industry, in its heyday Te Kopuru had a population of 3000. It had banks, shops, a post office, church, library and cinema, but when the kauri was all gone the town’s prosperity dwindled. Now Te Kopuru has only a school, a post office/ store, a pretty wooden church and a community veggie garden.

The community veggie garden in the tiny settlement of Te Kopuru

It also has what must be Te Kopuru’s most photographed spot. Near the church on the main street there’s an old villa that has its garden decorated with hundreds of fishing floats and buoys. As well as the floats there are old ropes, fishing nets, sails, shells, whale bones and structures made from all kinds of things thrown up by the tide. It’s worth stopping in Te Kopuru just to gaze at this whimsical place. 

Hundreds of floats and buoys decorate this garden in Te Kopuru

The road down the peninsula is sealed until the turn for Kellys Bay. From here the road to Pouto Point is gravelled, as is Kellys Bay Road. We took a short detour to the little community and parked on the grass beside the beach. While we enjoyed our morning tea we watched flocks of terns, oyster-catchers, stilts and gulls advance towards us as the incoming tide gave them wet feet. There’s a campground at the end of the road with some powered sites and lots of room for self-contained campers. Facilities are minimal here with long drop toilets and solar showers, but the beach is safe for children and is a good spot for catching flounder.

Finally we arrived at Pouto Point and parked beside the hall at the tiny campground. We signed in across the road and settled down to enjoy stunning views across the Kaipara Harbour. It’s always been hard for boats to enter the harbour, as evidenced by the remains of wrecks we’d seen at the Dargaville Museum. Maori history tells how the captain of the waka Mahuhu drowned when his ship was wrecked at the entrance. Both Cook and Tasman sailed by, leaving Marion du Fresne to be the first European explorer to identify the entrance, though it was 1836 before the first European sailors made their way into the harbour.

A fine view of the Kaipara Harbour at Pouto campground

 

Although the entrance was known as ‘the graveyard’ (there have been 113 recorded shipwrecks), the harbour offered ease of access to lucrative kauri. Early charts were misleading, and sandbars shifted constantly, but many sailing captains took the risk and entered. By 1884 there was a lighthouse, a signal station and custom house at Pouto. (In fact, the Marine Hall at the campground is the old custom house, New Zealand’s first.)

It’s a 7km walk out to Pouto lighthouse (disused since 1952 and now maintained by Heritage New Zealand) followed by an energetic 10-15 minute climb up steep dunes, but we opted for a stroll along the beach. We were delighted to come across the remains of a boat’s ribs protruding from the sand; another of the ‘graveyard’s’ wrecks coming to light, to be either recovered or reburied by the shifting sands.

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Details about the camping grounds at Kai Iwi Lakes can be found at: kaiiwicamp.nz. There are limited power sites at Palm Beach and it is vital to book sites in both camps in advance in summer and on holiday weekends.
• The NZMCA Park is at 2 River Road, Dargaville. Overnight parking is also available at Dargaville Museum, $15 per night, $12 for NZMCA members.
• Phone 09 4390781 or 0274 509473 to book at Kellys Bay Reserve Campground.
• Pouto Marine Hall Campground is at 16 Signal Station Road, Pouto.
• At Kai Iwi Lakes the Lake Taharoa track is an easy 8km, Lake Waikare and Lake Kai Iwi are both 4km. There is also a walk along the beach from Kai Iwi to Maunganui Blu , 1.5 hours one way.