Wairarapa Garden Tour supports Hospice Wairarapa

While it’s pretty tough going for many events in the current Covid-19 climate, there’s a little local one that’s gearing up to forge ahead – welcoming garden lovers to the region on 6 & 7 November.
The Wairarapa Garden Tour is a major annual fundraiser for Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre. Last year the tour sold out. “We’re down to our last tickets with two weeks to go so it’s looking set to be another sellout,” says event organiser Rachael Dell.   “Because the tour is outdoors and runs over two days in 13 defined spaces (ie gardens) the event is reasonably insulated from the challenges of putting on an event at Level 2,”  she says.  

“Last year we were in Level 1 on tour weekend. Our volunteers were fabulous on the garden gates asking tourgoers to scan and sign-in. We’re all pretty socialised to contact tracing and masking up on entry to premises now. We’re confident the tour can be  run safely and will be an enjoyable and uplifting event for everyone.”

The Wairarapa Garden Tour began as a fledgling flundraiser for Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre more than a decade ago. The simple and successful format has endured through time: the tour is self-drive, alternating each year between north and south Wairarapa, visiting more than a dozen private gardens in a single weekend

“The  event is not just an important fundraiser for Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre, it makes a significant contribution to our regional economy each year.  It’s community-minded and collaborative as we welcome other local charities to raise funds for their own causes by selling refreshments in the gardens,” says Emily Court, general manager of Pūkaha.

        This year, the garden tour will be supporting the fundraising efforts of Opaki School and Hospice Wairarap

         The garden tour works exclusively with Wairarapa businesses and growers to sell plants and other garden-related treats in the gardens on tour weekend. It’s also proud to be continually striving towards a zero-waste kaupapa – from byo picnics to composting toilets.
Info and tickets: www.wairarapagardentour.co.nz