Media Release 20 October, 2010

Aussies jumping ditch to see Taranaki gardens

Expect to hear a few Aussie twangs in Taranaki gardens as tour groups and media personalities jump the ditch to visit this year’s Taranaki Rhododendron and Garden Festival running from October 29 to November 7.

The largest booking is a 32-strong garden-mad group from the Orange Garden Club from the Blue Mountains region in New South Wales, followed by 30 people from the Dural and Hills District Garden Club in Sydney.

Meanwhile, Issey Manor owner Kevin Wensor reports he is booked out for eight of the 10 nights of the Festival – and all by Australians.

Australian television and radio personality Colin Campbell will also be visiting the Festival for five days. Mr. Campbell is the Queensland Presenter on ABC TV’s "Gardening Australia", and is a talk-back host for a gardening programme on Radio 4BC, Brisbane. He also writes a gardening column for the "Courier Mail" in Queensland, for "The Range News" in Maleny, and hosts garden tours both internationally and within Australia.

Festival manager, Lisa Haskell, puts the influx of Australian visitors down to the Festival’s presence and promotion at the last two Melbourne International Flower & Garden shows supported by Venture Taranaki, and a focus on PR activity to East Coast Australian media.

“The Taranaki Rhododendron & Garden Festival is a quality New Zealand garden experience,” explains Lisa.

“With garden environments including coastal, sub-tropical, rural and alpine, Australians appreciate our green and botanically diverse landscape located over a relatively small accessible area. The media exposure in Australia for the Festival following Colin’s visit will be invaluable in continuing to build the Festival’s & Taranaki’s legend as New Zealand’s premiere garden experience,” says Lisa.

In its 23rd year, the 10-day Festival will open the garden gates to nearly 50 high quality private and public gardens, featuring some of the most stunning environments in New Zealand and including nine new gardens. As one of the longest running garden festivals in New Zealand, the Festival will also feature jazz & wine events, guided walks and celebrated guest speakers from October 29 to November 7 this year.

To open the Taranaki Rhododendron & Garden Festival, this year’s landscape design project made possible with a grant from the TSB Community Trust will be launched at a free, public event, at the TAFT office building at 5.30pm, on Thursday, October 28.

Known as a “vertical garden”, the installation will be the largest living wall of plants ever created in New Zealand. The lush tapestry of plants will be created on the outside of the Taranaki Arts Festival office in New Plymouth by Tracey Peryman of Vertical Plantscapes.

Called the New Zealand Garden Experience, final details of gardens, guided walks, events and guest speakers during this year’s Festival are available at www.rhodo.co.nz or call 0800 RHODOFEST for a free programme.

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