Whangārei Quarry Gardens

The Whangārei Quarry Gardens are a community-built oasis a few minutes from the centre of town, carved out of an old rock quarry and planted over years by local volunteers. The result is a lush subtropical garden with a lake, a waterfall and a scatter of dramatic settings for a ceremony. Couples can marry beside the lake with the waterfall behind them, in the bunker, a concrete ruin now hung with orchids and epiphytes, or on the open lawn of the Wedding Garden surrounded by camellias and flower beds. The Visitor Centre gives an indoor option and a base for smaller receptions and special occasions. Garden hire is priced simply, starting at $400 plus GST for up to 25 guests and rising in bands to larger groups, with photo-only shoots welcome for a small donation. It is run as a charitable trust, so the fee goes back into the gardens. It is a good-value, genuinely pretty choice for couples after a relaxed garden ceremony close to Whangārei, with the planting doing the decorating for you.