Planning your festival just got a little easier. The Taranaki Garden Festival app is now available to download, putting everything you need for your festival visit right at your fingertips. Browse the gardens, explore events, check opening times and locations, and plan your days as you make your way around Taranaki. Whether you’re mapping out the full 10 days or deciding where to head next while you’re out and about, the app is a handy way to keep the festival programme with

Q: What are your earliest memories relating to gardening? A: I remember Mum and Dad (Pauline and Denis) expanding the original garden to include the tennis court and swimming pool, and associated new plantings, which created the enjoyable family environment we have today. – Graeme Q: Who or what inspired you to get into gardening? A: Our mothers’ enthusiasm for gardening was an important influence. Their passion showed us the enjoyment that came from creating a garden. In man

Virginia Winder catches up with Dee Turner from Korito to discuss what changes she has for 2026.

Even in her final days, Shirley Greenhill was doggedly determined to have her “happy place” open for this year’s Centuria Taranaki Garden Festival. “She was still in the garden the day before we took her up to the hospital,” her son Stuart Greenhill said. “She was absolutely exhausted, but she'd still go out.”

Set across one and a half acres, Nikau Grove is a peaceful native sanctuary nurtured by owners Ian and Elsie Lind over many years. In this Q&A, Elsie shares how her passion for nature has shaped the garden’s evolution, her efforts to support the surrounding birdlife and the memorable visitors who’ve left a lasting impression. What keeps you coming back to the festival year after year? Seeing visitors really enjoying the garden and the people seeking knowledge about plants an