Otari-Wilton's Bush

This reserve in the hills of suburban Wellington is the only public botanic garden in New Zealand dedicated solely to native plants. It combines a cultivated collection of indigenous species with tracts of original forest, including an ancient rimu tree estimated at around eight centuries old. A network of walking tracks and a canopy walkway lead through gullies of ferns, podocarps and regenerating bush alive with native birds. The reserve serves as both a conservation site and an educational garden for the country's unique flora.