Ayrlies
★★★★★★
“If you think of gardening as an art form, Ayrlies is the best expression of that art”, Jack Hobbs, curator and manager of Auckland Botanic Gardens and Auckland Domain Wintergardens (2008).
Situated in the gently rolling country of south-east Auckland, Ayrlies Garden is one of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s best-known gardens, characterised by sweeping lawns and informal but detailed plantings by ponds and waterways. A strong but sensitive use of colour is a hallmark of the Garden, seen best in the lurid border where ‘hot’ colours are used to great effect and in other areas where old roses, clematis and perennials are combined in romantic profusion.
Ayrlies now covers six hectares of countryside and is linked to the sea by the Wetlands. For over six decades, Beverley McConnell has created and tended the garden from a blank clay canvas of farmland, in a quintessentially New Zealand style. It includes many large trees – liquidambar, swamp cypress, pin oak and redwoods – which have grown rapidly in the warm wet climate. Each area has its own emphasis but merges easily into the next, preserving a harmony that inspires a reflective and soulful experience, offering a welcomed pause from the hectic pace and technology of our lives. Careful arboriculture preserves view lines within the garden and to the Hauraki Gulf. Colour is most vigorous during November, with the wildest array of roses blooming alongside spring-flowering plants. An abundance of blossoms provide homes to bees, insects and pollinators that proliferate in pesticide-free Ayrlies.
Beverley’s extraordinary vision saw the creation of 14 hectares of wetlands in 2001 on land that was originally a salt marsh. Only Aotearoa native trees and plants, including giant grasses, line the boardwalks and lake that provide an abundant refuge for wildlife. The ecologically rich environment combined with the foreshore has become home to an outstanding count of over 82 species of native and visiting wildlife, including the NZ dotterel and dabchick as well as the elusive spotless crake. The Wetlands have been acknowledged as significant and culturally important. The late James Brown, former chair of Ngai Tai ki Tamaki, said ‘Your work is the work of chiefs and benefits us all. In 1000 years, Ngai Tai ki Tamaki will remember Bev McConnell for her garden and forest, which I am sure will still be casting her shadow across Turanga.’
Four valleys link the garden to the wetlands and lake, and out to the sea. These woodland areas of deciduous trees colour vibrantly in autumn in a painterly contrast to the native species of the Wetlands. Ever evolving throughout the seasons, Ayrlies never appears the same twice.
Since 2008, Ayrlies has focused on increasing biodiversity, through ecologically sustainable and organic practices. This approach to maintenance manifests in a softer, naturalistic appearance. Ecosystems exist at the heart of the entire Ayrlies property, promoting a wide range of biodiversity from microorganisms to nationally beloved birds and everything in-between. By building healthy, fertile soil through supplements like compost and inoculated biochar, plants grow vigorously, flower profusely and are less susceptible to diseases. Refraining from the use of harmful chemicals, maintaining the balance of the Garden between tamed and overrun is driven by good plant selection and manual weeding. Across the property, clean waterways and predator trapping also contribute to the biodiverse landscape. While extremely labour intensive, investing in this practice looks towards the future of our environment and is of the highest value to the Ayrlies team.
Beverley’s legacy lives on, her creation reimagined by family members and fellow gardeners. Over the years, her collaborators have made an invaluable difference to restoring the health, beauty and magic of the garden, which will thrive for years to come.
Facilities and Amenities
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Map available
Book available:
Ayrlies - My story, my garden written by Beverley McConnell.
You can purchase the book through the Ayrlies Garden website -
Ayrlies is a private garden open throughout the year and includes entry to the Wetlands.
Monday to Friday 9am – 4.00pm. Closed Sundays and public holidays
Open on Saturdays: please email 'gardens@ayrlies.co.nz' by Friday 3pm beforehand for entry instructions.
An admission fee of $20 is payable online https://ayrlies.co.nz/visit/payment/ or cash to any of the gardening team
· Group guided tour has a fee of $250
· We regret no dogs or children under 12 years old can be admitted
· There is also a nursery from which you can purchase plants
Please note the garden comprises 6 hectares of rolling terrain, some with steep slopes
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From SH1
From the Southern Motorway (SH1), take East Tamaki/Otara, Exit 444:
a. If driving south - turn left and drive until you reach the 7th set of lights (East Tamaki shops)..
b. If driving north - turn keeping left, loop around on bridge over motorway on to East Tamaki Road. Drive until you reach the 7th set of lights (East Tamaki shops)
Turn right at arrow light into Preston Road, then left into Ormiston Road.
Drive approximately 8 km to top of hill where Ormiston Road becomes Sandstone Road. Continue downhill to T junction - Whitford Park Road.
Turn left - 200 yards to Whitford township.
Turn right at roundabout - Maraetai Beach Road.
Approximately 2km turn left into Clifton Road (opposite Whitford Landfill)
Approximately 1.5km down Clifton Road - take left fork to Potts Road.
'Ayrlies' is on the right - 1.5km down. Please park in Garden car park.
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Physical Address: 125 Potts Rd, Whitford
Phone: 09 530 8706
Email: garden@ayrlies.co.nz
Website: http://ayrlies.co.nz
