Pretty impressive that this used to be the Hamilton rubbish dump. Hamilton owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. Peter Sergel for all his work towards this transformation. Hilariously, the operations manager of the gardens used to have the surname Flower.

Curls, That mini marae is actually for food storage - Pataka Kai Loved the virtual tour of Hamilton gardens

Would love to see a new series of you travelling around New Zealand reviewing cities in a similar manner to this

Good to see you explore the Gardens, I hope you checked out the Egyptian, Surrealist and Mansfield gardens as well! Top quality stuff 😊

I think you've only seen half of the themed gardens! My favourite is the Surrealist one and the Mansfield one

Hit me up if you come to Rotorua. Ya gunna need your bathers on and painted on Abs. I'll have a boil up with water cress in it when ya down this way. The weather is better when it rains here, trust me, you'll never regret it. Camping style like maybe 6hrs of course. I only ask 1 day of your time. Bring no food.

This wierd thing at the fountain at the end of the video is a statue of Romulus and Remus. In Roman mythology, they are the founders of the city of Rome and are said to have been fed by a she-wolf. One of those stories about gods from the Mediterranean region. The image of the she-wolf with the babies has therefore been a symbol for Rome and also Italy in a certain way for thousands of years.

The recently added Egyptian Garden is incredible. It is very intricate and completely authentic. Shouldn't be missed. There is also a Sustainable garden. I love our city's Gardens. Last time I went to the Cafe it was very full. Thanks for visiting our city and being positive. When I go into the museum and walk past the waka and all the carvings, there is a massive window that looks out over the river. It looks divine. I also really love the Memorial Gardens where the cenetaph and lots of surprised are- mostly related to our contribution in Wars. The children's playground has a pool and an aviary. This entire park beside the river is stunning too. Hamilton has a terrible past but the names and things that previously honoured the brutal pakeha after the the arrival of the English have been removed and renamed. We love your korero about New Zealand. What an awesome guy you are. We are lucky to have you here, Curls.

I love Hamilton brother, I lived there for 14 years and its shat on a lot but honestly its a beautiful city in the heart of the Waikato surrounded by a lot of greenery. It has everything you need, its not to big or small and best of all it is central to places like the east coast coromandel. You have Raglan, Waitomo on the west coast, Taupo to the south and if you like the big smoke (Auckland) that's to the north. There's also a lot of nice hikes, walks, scenic things to do in and around Hamilton. The people of Hamilton are as i like to say my kind of people haha. The critiques are most likely coming from people who have never lived there and don't know anything about Hamilton. I went to the gardens for the first time 12 years ago and they looked nothing like they do today, they have come a long way and it is beautiful.

In the Maori maara kai the whare on stilts was a storehouse where we stored kai safely so rodents did not get to the kai.

a fellow hamiltonian here myself and the gardens are amazing! so happy to see someone covering a little corner of NZ that I like to call home. A real asset to the city and deserves more coverage tbh and you only saw the beginning. recently they've added fantasy gardens and ones inspired by literature like the Mansfield and more cultural gardens like the egyptian garden. Got to study horticulture there a few years back and is wonderful to be surrounded by such inspiring beauty.

"Get out of the tourist bubble," is something I'm seeing paraphrased here. Good job pointing that out. I've done that many a time, and have found it to be a rewarding experience.

I live just around the corner from the Gardens, so it was a nice surprise to see a little bit from my corner of the world there. I am glad you enjoyed it 🙂 It certainly is a bit quieter after the school holidays and is nice to visit when the weather is just a bit cooler.

Turtle Lake for the win for me. One of the things I love about Hamilton Gardens aside from Turtle Lake is that the gardens do give off the places they represent

Omg is that a bouncy house got meeee🤣🤣🤣 noooo, it's a gate And the kid throwing up

Thank you. Kiwi born breed access to nz places I've never seen from a very different perspective. When I retired purchased a mobile home to see these things thanks for the ideas. As Kiwis we're blessed I hope that doesn't sound arrogant in any way. May I suggest the sounds top South Island. Your honest and passionate comments made me a subscriber. Stay safe.

The building in the Maori garden is a pataka used for food storage...I hope you visited the tropical garden..stunning...and so many more the place is huge. The surrealist garden would blow your mind.

Did you get to wander over to the Rose Gardens while you were there Curls? Back in 1984 we were the very first couple to be married on the steps in the middle of those gardens. It was in November when the roses were in full bloom. It took us months to get approval from the council as no one had previously requested to hold a marriage ceremony there. It was a grand day and those beautiful gardens set the scene for the next nearly 40 happy years together.

Hamilton zoo is awesome too!

Hopefully you got around all of the rest of them, and maybe popped into the information office, where it tells you a bit about the history. It used to be landfill in the 60s! And it's all free, which is super amazing.

It’s an awesome place and I enjoyed this video. I have recommended Hamilton Gardens to many tourists. Looking forward to more.

Stunning gardens. I felt a little sea sick whilst you were in the English garden. Loved the Italian one 🙂

You missed SO much! There's another entranceway off that piazza with the fountain that leads to much more. A tropical garden, Tudor garden, Concept garden, Katherine Mansfield garden, Egyptian garden, and a Surrealist garden amongst others. So impressive.

Those gardens are gorgeous! Good job mate thanks for taking us along for the tour 👍👍

That was so enjoyable to watch great to see you appreciate flowers I haven't been there for a while I would find it so hard to not walk out with a huge bunch of flowers especially from the Indian garden 😁

The platform by Turtle Lake is for performances, small ones (I've been part of a Les Mis excerpts) the steps are used for the audience, large ones, known as Concert in the Gardens, everyone brings a picnic and sits in the bank on the other side of the lake.

Well Curls the best video so far. Wonderful gardens, something I want to see when I visit. And you left out food too. And most of all you didn't complain once. Well done. From Carl.

I hope you checked out the rest of the gardens especially the Egyptian one and thanks again for two more awesome videos Curls. Also thanks for turning the camera on yourself as you walked though some of the gardens. You face showed the total enjoyment and wonder that is Hamilton Gardens

The smell of chlorine in the pool reminded you of being in the pool as a kid, who would have thought haha, i had heard of these gardens before, i didnt realize there were so many inspired by countries around the world though, beautiful

Helloooooooo my friend! Thank you for the lovely garden tour! 🌹🌸🌺🌷🌻🌼💐

It's so nice to see you uploading so consistently! As a Kiwi who has been to Hamilton many times I can say it is really quite a nice place but sadly people seem to have lots of bad experiences with it so it is generally thought of as a sort of stink place that people would only go to as a last resort. And what you are saying is completely right. Love what you're doing keep it up! :)

Love turtle Lake. Grew up riding my bike around the gardens whilst they were being built in the 80's (they are still adding to them). You could have spent an hour walking and recording and you still would have not covered them. You still had the gardens up the top and the glass houses.... Love love love The Tron.

Wow, I never knew that existed. Might have to go for a drive before summers end.

The city I live in has also a strong underappreciated reputation among locals, though it's an amazing place to live. So I can absolutely relate to the "don't listen to them, check it yourself" advice. - Greetings from Milton Keynes, UK ;)

I'm late to the party but thanks for your tour of part of our lively Hamilton Gardens. I have enjoyed lots of your videos where you wander around the main streets in NZ cities and towns. It's great to see you also appreciating a place of beauty.

I got married in the English garden .. back when it wasn't cordoned off all the time and there was doves there.

Oosh I hope to see more of your Hamilton footage G

Hamilton is amazing the gardens is of the best in the country.

The Bamboo Forest is amazing; the Chinese Scholar's Garden is my favourite one there. Did you find the statues of the Egyptian gods there too? - The local whacko Christians got extremely upset when those "pagan" statues were first placed there - the statues were even vandalised.

Great video! I like the way you explain things.. 😃

Very good video, you made it sound an exciting place, which is lovely to me a Hamiltonian. As you just saw the tip of the iceberg, I hope there will be a follow up. The Katherine Mansfield garden is a stunning English garden, but as with any of the gardens that focus on flowers, it's best seen in springtime, tho it will still be worth checking out. (Katherine Mansfield was a New Zealand author, born 1888, and one of her stories is called The Garden Party.) The tropical garden is lovely, so much detail, there's even plants climbing up the sides of the bridge piers. And don't forget to follow the path along the Waikato River. (The bridge you walked over was just a stream, not the Waikato.) Thanks especially for your enthusiasm, I'm looking forward to part 2 :)

I hope you saw the Katherine Mansfield and the new Egyptian gardens as well!

Hamilton Gardens are stunning.

BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Hamilton Gardens is AMAZING. Wellington Botanical Gardens is NOTHING compared to that........and I'm from Wellington

Great video. I was at the gardens about a month ago and like you, I was blown away by the amazing scenery there. There were some other themed gardens I remember, like a sort of Harry Potter / medieval style and also a Victorian era and Egyptian garden...did you manage to see those?

that was heartwarming. lovely comments, too.

You are a great walking tour guide, thank you.

Dude you should check out the Botanical and Winter Gardens in Auckland.

Glad you enjoyed Hamilton gardens Curls! Hey, since you enjoyed the Chinese gardens, I'd recommend the Buddhist temple, in Stokes Valley, Wellington (well it's nearer Upper Hutt) It has some amazing buildings, and a very beautiful atmosphere, and gardens, set in amoungst NZ native bush. From the main complex, you can take a short hike up the hill to visit the Gold Stupa. I'm not Buddhist or religious in any way, but I totally recommend for a day trip to anyone living in the Wellington area.

ThaT was only half the gardens there was a lot more to see so many more gardens created there

Hi from Christchurch. Well Curls, those gardens are amazing. You've made me keen to visit Hamilton next time I'm up North. The only other Chinese Garden I've seen is tucked away at one end of the Oamaru gardens.

If you are ever in New Plymouth check out Pukekura Park it’s stunning 😍

Next head to Dunedin to see their Chinese Gardens. Stunning

Nice you made it bro 💯

It’s funny how your videos show up. I’d seen your Auckland one first, I spent my late teens early to mid 20s in the areas you highlighted in the early 1990s . Hamilton gardens I’d spent a lot of time at with my young family 2000s. My kids are now grown and I’m planning a trip back home in march. I can’t wait

I have been to the Gardens twice. Wonderful place :-)

I love Hamilton gardens, especially the Surrealistit and Greek one because of the clever way they let you make sense of what your seeing. The Greek garden looks like ordinary stone carvings on the outside but once you walk through it slowly changes to what it would have looked like at that time, the carvings colorful and the garden beautiful and built to last. It's like they told you a story. Like you went back in time. And the surrealistit one speaks for itself. All the interesting visual tricks and the moving tree branches make it look genuinely kinda creepy. Just thinking about is fascinating! A garden making you feel uneasy,, that must have been so hard to achieve! I only wish Curls would show it, because seeing someone react to something I enjoy is somehow satisfying, in a weird-good way. Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh if you read this far thanks for reading I guess, and no, I am not self conscious of my long words.

I was born in Hamilton..went to Melville High..loved it..1962⛧⛦💖from New Zealand.x

Did you check out the wood carving in the info centre? Its amazing!

That was beautiful

Pity I couldn't tell you while you were to try the ngaruawahia hot pools not sure what they are like now but used be fantastic and unbelievable in the middle of no were too

Hi Curl, I love your vids. Can you make a vlog on Tauranga,Bay of plenty? Thanks

Just subscribed!! You owe me a peanut slab😊 i intend to come to New Zealand some day (soon I hope!) to get it

Now imagine going in the Spring. 😊

Love Hamilton gardens.

Good on you for giving Hamilton a go. However, you should plan a trip back, you only saw half the gardens, the best ones have yet to be videoed.

Looks like you didn't get to see the rose gardens on the western side of the gardens. Maybe a map or google maps would've been a worthwhile companion. Great commentary!

I am impressed by how well your mic picks up your voice. Would you mind letting me know what mic it is?

Bro have you watched Bald and Bankrupt on KZfaq before? I get the same energy from your travel vlogging, keep this new style up if its possible! Its refreshing

About another six gardens amazing work all for free,The little house on stilts is in fact where food was kept away up from ant rats etc,

Lots of hidden places in the gardens, you can spend a good 3 hours there and still not see it all. Pucturesque garden is hidden away and it even has a Wooden Bell Tower building on the hill that not a lot of people see. Apparently they have more gardens in the pipeline over the next few years.

Should also check out glass house garden (forgot the name) at Auckland Museum

Great video mate, can I meet up with you when you come to Auckland?, love to meet you big time

Curls you need to try our ice cream, since you’ve been trying our pies 🖤

my partner and i would ride our bikes thru here back in 1999 it was like heaven on earth some of the best memories i have

I want to have beers with you and listen to you describe them as we're drinking. I'll be in Auckland soon, my shout.

Kapiti ice cream is better , Nice vid, nice guy , thanks for sharing .

One of my favourite places

Come to Tauranga and climb The Mount

I grew up in the Tron. Thiers the mother of swimming holes just beyond the ham gardens towards Cambridge

Do have a look at Queens Park In INVERCARGILL too - just beautiful....

I wish I’d known you were coming to Hamilton! Would have given you a tour, and a swim in my pool 😁

If you love looking at cultural things, look up. In NZ, whenever you're in a city or town, a lot of the buildings and storefronts have been repurposed from old ones. Looking above the signage you can quite often see the remnants of old buildings, sometimes even signs etched into stone as to what the building was.

I used to wag school and go to the Hamilton gardens lol

Next: Come to Dunedin to see the Chinese Garden. It's also incredible!

the art gallery is nice

Maybe you missed it or they took it down but, somewhere in those gardens there's a mini Zeppelin on a rope. It's weird cause it just appears out of the trees but as you get closer you realise it's not a real one just a replica with no one in it The gardens are HUGE. I don't think you actually saw it all. I reckon the time I went I didn't go around the whole thing

The negative attitude about Hamilton has been ongoing around the country for the past 50 years or more. It may have been a bit boring back then, but as I live in a small town near by, I found Hamilton quite interesting enough. There wasn't much happening in the evenings back in the 80's and I think because it is a city, people assumed it should be bustling like Auckland or Wellington. So basically, it is an attitude that stems back from the 60's-80's. Totally different now, it had great Theatre at the Founders Theatre. So plenty happened.

My most favourite place in New Zealand in North Island.

Nice video, but you only visited about a third of the specialty gardens. There is a lot more to see.

Come to Tauranga we are from the UK and moved here 18 years ago

i love the smell of hamilton gaedens

I love the walk through of the gardens but I think you missed about half of what is there. I think you can get a map from the info building on where all the gardens are. I was looking forward to you seeing the Egyptian, Mansfield and Tudor ones, maybe in part 2?

"I wonder if we'll see any koalas, probably not, we're in New Zealand" Brilliant Lol

Hamilton is my home town, learn surfing at Raglan, thats my make Greg beach, i regret not learning to Surf, sigh, visit Mount Te Aroha for a summit view of the Sunrise,

19:04 That's a statue of the brothers Romulus and Remus drinking the milk of a wolf that raised them. They are the mythical founders of Rome.

the beeping thing was actually a bird

That eucalyptus tree is a ghost gum I think. Eucalyptus trees shed their outer bark. I think the tree is fine.

Oh no! I missed you 😖 nemine, next time you're here Curls, it's not going anywhere 🤣🤣🤣🤣🥰

Have you visited Kirstenbosche gardens in Capetown South Africa