Manor in bloom for first festival
The manor sits at the end of a long driveway lined with cherry blossoms.
Built in the 1930s, it was moved from Auckland in five pieces.
It took 20 years for owner Paul Oulton to create the sprawling English gardens that surround his property. It was something that evolved to remind him of his old home in the UK.
Oulton planted cherry trees along his country driveway with the aim of creating a beautiful aisle, a plan which has taken years to come to fruition.
It’s not rare to find people sneaking in to take pictures with the cherry blossoms, only running away when they see Oulton and his partner Anne Cao.
So this year they have decided to open their doors to the public and host the first Waikato Cherry Tree Festival.
Tickets to the festival sold out almost a week ahead of the event.
Festival visitors will be able to feed alpacas and cows and enjoy a variety of stalls, seminars and entertainment.
The English Cherry Tree Manor and gardens will be open for the public to peruse, including a tropical area, a pond and an orchard.
‘‘We want to share it with people,’’ Cao said.
‘‘We want them to enjoy their time here.’’
Many Chinese tourists who don’t have gardens of their own visit the manor in Tamahere.
They find the concept of having five acres of land and living on the ground floor completely alien.
‘‘We have a lot of people from around the world come to stay with us and they love it.
‘‘We want to give them a good quality experience in New Zealand,’’ Cao said.
‘‘When they come here, it’s just an incredible experience to see a grapefruit tree or a mandarin tree and pick one,’’ Oulton said.
‘‘That for them is an amazing experience.’’
Cherry blossom season is traditionally seen as a time to reflect not only on rebirth, but on the beauty that can be had in fleeting things.
The Waikato Cherry Tree Festival will be held on September 23 and 24.
For further information, visit the website, www.eventfinda.co.nz