Garden’s multi-million dollar makeover

Almost $5 million has been spent on revamping Taranaki’s world-renowned Pukeiti rhododendron garden – and those behind the attraction say the investment is paying off.

The redevelopment of the 360 hectare park, set between Mt Taranaki and the Kaitake Ranges, had been estimated to cost $3.143m back in 2014.

Two years later the budget was bumped up by another $957,000 to $4.1m – and then another $700,000 was added earlier this year to cover the cost of reconstructing the park’s 1950s lodge.

So far the upgrade has largely focused on Pukeiti’s infrastructure.

This work includes the recently-opened Founders Cafe, open Wednesday to Sunday, at the park’s newly-built entrance; the Bublitz Education Centre, tucked underneath a new elevated walkway, and a series of treehouses planted along the 45 minute-long Rhododendron Stroll, linked by ‘‘secret trails’’.

And earlier this month the park’s new Rainforest Centre was officially unveiled by the Governor-General of New Zealand, Patsy Reddy.

The centre will let visitors ‘‘experience the wonderful gardens’’ regardless of the weather and time of year, chairman of the Taranaki Regional Council, which manages Pukeiti with the Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust, David MacLeod said.

‘‘The magic of this place has been important to generations of Taranaki people,’’ he said. ‘‘The new Rainforest Centre and associated developments will ensure the magic continues.’’

Only the lodge rebuild, with a proposed budget of $1m, is still to be completed.

The aim is to replicate the original 1950s lodge in a project set to begin next month and which will take a year to complete.

The Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust has pledged $200,000 to the work, with the remainder covered by the TRC, which acquired the gardens in 2010 after the Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust failed to prove its financial viability.

The two entered into a partnership to manage and invest in the site, where new landscaped features have been added in order to ‘‘provide contrast and stimulate the imagination’’, TRC regional gardens manager Greg Rine said.

‘‘Pukeiti’s slogan is ‘encounter the mystery’, and there’s mystery and magic here galore.

‘‘And the most recent transformations make it all so accessible.’’

Upcoming developments are set to focus on the outer Pukeiti rainforest, with work likely to take place during the next three years.

At the moment, however, ‘‘we’re celebrating what’s been achieved so far,’’ McLeod said.

‘‘And it’s looking fantastic.’’