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Victoria Esplanade Gardens (Public)

Named to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, the development of the Esplanade began in 1897 although the land was granted to the borough two decades before that time. Thus there are a significant number of registered trees in the garden. The Peter Black conservatory houses a wide range of tropical and subtropical plants where orchids feature as the single largest collection. Adjacent is a lathe house where cool climate exotics and native plants enjoy the overhead protection. A visitor Education Centre is located here also.

The Esplanade features a variety of both annual and perennial beds, a year-round display being the aim. There is also a fernery of note and adjacent to the Manawatu River, five hectares of native bush, one of the few remaining areas left in the region. Over 5000 plants are located in the Dugald McKenzie rose garden and there are rose trial beds nearby. The cherry trees which were formerly a major attraction have been removed due to disease and old age but an avenue of Prunus ‘Awanui’, planted to celebrate the centenary, have partly re-established this feature.