Wellington Botanic Garden, Botanical garden in Kelburn, Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington Botanic Garden is a botanical garden spanning 25 hectares of hillside terrain between the Thorndon and Kelburn districts. The site contains native forests and international plant collections spread across multiple pathways for visitor exploration.
The New Zealand Institute established this garden in 1868 to assess the economic potential of imported plant species. Management passed to Wellington City Council in 1891, transforming it into a public botanical space.
The garden's name ki Paekākā, adopted in 2020, refers to the realm of the kākā, a native parrot. Live music has been performed here since the 1900s, with Sunday band concerts at the 1907 band rotunda and later pop concerts at the Soundshell. Sculptures by artists including Henry Moore stand along the paths.
The Wellington Cable Car provides direct transport from Lambton Quay to the garden entrance. Multiple marked paths guide visitors through different plant areas at their own pace.
The garden holds the oldest collection of exotic trees in New Zealand, and some of its large Pinus radiata were grown from the first seeds of the species imported into the country from California. The first map of the garden, drawn by John Buchanan in 1875, listed every plant growing there.
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