I spent a wonderful day taking lots of pictures of the beautiful Queenstown Gardens. The big front gates were closed but there was a small gate open beside them for visitors to walk through (by the way, this is a huge garden just like the Christchurch Botanic Gardens).
Queenstown Gardens: Best Place to Enjoy a Clear, Sunny Day
There was a marvelous view of the snowcapped mountains beyond the lake. Huge coniferous trees were growing all around the gardens.
It was a clear, sunny day and the sky was bright blue.
The first thing that I found was a large bed filled with bright pink flowers. The petals looked so soft and the flowers were absolutely lovely!
Quite a few people were walking around the Queenstown Gardens. They were enjoying the sunshine and the flowers, just like me. There were proper walking paths so that visitors knew which way to go.
I found a white rotunda with wooden fences on all sides. There were flower boxes surrounding the rotunda. It looked like a nice place to sit and chat for a few hours.
The Queenstown Gardens had been established in 1867. There was a map showing the way to the rose garden, the tennis courts, the native gardens and all sorts of exciting places. The garden was located right next to Lake Wakatipu.
I walked around the edge of the pond and admired the clear water. The surrounding trees and mountains were reflected in the water and the view was excellent.
There was a slight breeze and I could see the water rippling gently. The snowy peaks were visible in the background.
After some time, I decided to move away from the edge of the pond and to explore more of the Queenstown Gardens. I was sure there were a lot of interesting and beautiful structures to see.
A couple of ducks were waddling near the pond. Their necks and heads were brightly colored and they looked very majestic. I decided to quickly take a picture of the pair of ducks.
Then I found a signboard with more information about the Queenstown Gardens. I discovered that the rotunda I had seen earlier had been built in 1999 because the original one had fallen into disrepair. There were a bridge and a fountain as well and the gates had been built in 1911! The signboard had paintings and pictures of the Gardens from the old days.
A huge coniferous tree was growing by the side of the path and it was casting shade over the path. I walked around the tree and decided to take a picture.
The trunks of some of the trees were so thick! I knew that these trees must be very old. Some of them had been standing for decades.
There was a strange triangular structure in the middle of the lawn with some engravings on it. It looked like a memorial that had been made for people who were long gone.
There was a lifelike statue of a jumping dog right beside the pond. There was a sign that said ‘Kuri’ on a rock beside the statue. It had been installed quite recently, in 2020. I wondered if Kuri was the name of the dog.
Some of the trees had turned brown in the winter but many of them were still bright green in color. There was a wooden bench under one of the big trees on the other side of the pond. This area seemed very peaceful and lovely. Flowerbeds had been planted beside the water.
I could see bright blue flowers with bright yellow centers growing in the flower beds. I was sure there were many more flowers in the spring and summer months.
I started walking along the lawns, back towards the rotunda. I could see small birds flying about and sitting on the grass here and there. The Gardens were quiet other than the chirping of the birds.
Some of the trees were really amazing! They were some of the tallest trees that I had ever seen and they all looked so old and majestic. I had to take lots of pictures.
I could even see a little bit of the lake from in between the tree branches. The lake looked bright turquoise blue in color. There was a path running beside the lake.
I also found a very interesting statue of a young woman. She was sitting on a pile of pillows with her arms folded around her knees and her chin resting on her arms.
Dried brown leaves had fallen on the lawns and some of the trees had lost all their leaves.
I stood under one of the huge trees and looked straight up. There were dozens and dozens of branches all growing in different directions.
There was an arbor on one path and climbing plants had been planted along the arbor. They didn’t have any leaves or flowers at the moment but I was sure it must look beautiful in the warmer months.
Then I reached the courts.
There were benches all around so that people could sit and watch the matches.
The tennis courts were surrounded by a fence.
I walked past a row of enormous fir trees.
I found another memorial. It was surrounded by a well-maintained hedge.
I could see colorful birds perched in the trees and decided to take a picture, even though I didn’t know the name of the bird.
At one point, it felt like I had walked into a forest. It didn’t even feel like a garden anymore.
There was a large and sunny clearing in the center.
When I reached the lakeside, there were directions showing the way to Queenstown and Frankton.
I could see the city on one side of the lake, built into the hills around Wakatipu.
There was a clear view of the mountains beyond.
The walking trail inside Queenstown Gardens was really nice.
There were some other people walking along it or taking pictures of the lake.
I started walking back towards the main Gardens.
It had been a lovely visit and I was very glad that I had decided to spend a few hours at Queenstown Gardens.
