Tauranga Botanica

The Tauranga Botanic Gardens Trust is setting up a new botanical garden (2005-2006) on a three-hectare site in Brookfield, Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The land was donated by Frank Sydenham for a botanical park, and is to include a subtropical component. It is planned to become a hub for visitors seeking information and links to the region's botanical treasures: heritage sites, notable trees and parks as well as natural areas. Natural areas within 30 minutes' drive include indigenous vegetation such as coastal dunes, harbour saltmarsh and inland forests. Horticulture is a major industry in the Bay of Plenty being home of the New Zealand kiwifruit industry, a key avocado-growing area with many specialist nurseries.