Maple Glen Gardens

Maple Glen Gardens were recommended to us as well worth a visit. They're situated about half an hour north of Tokanui, just south of a place called Glenham. They're easy to miss—we drove straight past their gateway.

We'd been told the day before that the lady here loves birds and has a lot of them. She feeds them all the time and they've very tame. Nevertheless, this Golden Pheasant was rather shy.

Until Muriel came out to greet us. Then the pheasant came running up to her and I managed to get a better photo. Isn't it stunning?

This paradise duck was also very tame, hanging around Muriel, looking for snacks.

Muriel and her husband have planted all these trees and shrubs themselves. They've created the gardens from scratch—we saw their son working on the property at one stage, spraying. He also works the digger and talked about one of the ponds he had created. The gardens are now over 42 acres and free to visit. There is a box for donations, but it appears Muriel's main desire is that people enjoy them.

At about this stage, we realised we had seriously underestimated how long it would take to fully appreciate and enjoy these spectacular gardens. We had a time limit, so we raced around, seeing surprises around every corner, when it would have been pleasant to meander and relax. Never mind—it was still a wonderful experience.

These are Chinese geese.

A small waterfall in a creek running through the garden.

Then there were swans. When this one saw us, it kept following us.

It came right up beside us, probably hoping to be fed.

Here it comes again!

And still it followed us. It's honk sounded like a fog horn.

We were on the bridge above and I don't think it was sure where we were. It kept swimming around back and forth under the bridge but never looked up. So nice to see one up so close.

Back near the beginning where we were parked. This time, found the map. Maple Glen also functions as a nursery.

Muriel's birds used to fly free. They would come and land on her and feed from her hand. The authorities, however, have insisted they be caged as they were considered a danger to the environment and other birds.

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