Ōtautahi / Christchurch Daily Photo

I had never been to Broadoak Gardens before, so when a friend told me about the open day, I was very interested in visiting, despite not knowing much about it, or even doing any real research! It was a garden, in Ohoka, and it was a free open day. That sounded like a great day out for starters. So to say I was stunned by this garden is an understatement. I feel like my photos have not done it justice (it was a bit of a grey day). But you should be able to get a good feel for just how immensely beautiful and well planned these gardens are – divided into lovely ‘rooms’ with delightful surprises everywhere. We had initially thought we’d do a few other gardens today in Selwyn – but we stayed so long at Broadoaks that we just didn’t have the time. It’s an extensive garden, but also has a wedding chapel, a wedding venue, mature orchard, formal English style gardens, a meeting room, a pub, cottage accommodation, and to top it all of an incredible collection of vintage vehicles.

To visit the garden you can arrange a private tour via their website at https://www.broadoak.co.nz/. You would not be disappointed! It would also be a stunning place to get married.