To Whenua Garden

Welcome to
To Whenua Gardens

To Whenua is located about 7 km from Taumarunui down on the Forgotten Highway and has been the home of Elle & John Anderson since 2016. The house and gardens are situated alongside the Whanganui River, offering special views across the paddocks to the river and bluff beyond.

To Whenua consists of approximately 14 acres of land on which Elle & John run dry stock, grow their own vegetables, have a large chicken run and supply all their own firewood. They run the property as sustainably as possible

while following many organic principles. For them the garden is as much part of the wider landscape it sits in.

At over 100 years old the house has seen many additions & alterations since it was built. The garden and wider property have also seen many changes and improvements since then – one of the biggest being that only jet boats go past now, the river boats have long since ceased their journeys. In it’s early days the house was serviced with goods via the river, until a decent road link was established to Taumarunui.

A gardener, landscape designer and artist, Elle and her very supportive husband John have spent the years since owning purchasing To Whenua reimagining the many previous owners’ long abandoned gardens

and wider areas around the house. The garden presented them with many challenges and pesky weeds (such as Wandering Jew, Convolvulus, Montbretia, Oxalis) to eradicate along the way. This has meant the replanting is being done slowly, to ensure these weeds are eradicated, and to stop future tears and frustrations.

During the renovations of the gardens, several great features were discovered, and these have been given a new lease on life while adding other
interesting features.

The garden consists of a mix of native and exotic plants, such as tree ferns, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, and many fruit trees which provide John & Elle with their yearly fruit for bottling jam making.

Made up of several intimate spaces, from a bog garden to a Hosta garden, the garden is linked through walkways and private spaces from which to enjoy the sun or the gorgeous views to the Whanganui River.

It is bordered by a stream across which several large purple and green beech trees can be seen. These trees appear to be from a vintage that is similar to the
age of the house.

There is a second stream that runs through the property, as well as the rapid in the Whanganui River bend which inspired the naming of the property, ‘To Whenua‘. The spelling of this can be found to differ, depending on which book or author you read. ‘To Whenua’ means return to the land.

Visitors need to be sturdy on their feet, and able to walk up/down steps and on a gravel driveway and paths Unfortunately To Whenua is not wheelchair or walker accessible

The garden is not suitable for young children due to a stream and pond For the safety of you and us, you/your group will be briefed on Health & Safety aspects of the garden before
the tour starts

To visit To Whenua, please arrange an appointment via email or phone. To Whenua is open from 01 October
until mid/late April
(season/weather dependent)

Contact
elle@elleanderson.co.nz
| Ph 021 044 2057

Read more about Elle's Art and Photography here

Landscape, Tree & Garden Services

in the Taumarunui Ruapehu Area

Want your garden to look better?
Tree shading your house? Just don’t
know where to start the garden
clean up again?

We invite you to contact us –
we can help.

Discover Forgotten World Gardens

Hidden Gems Along New Zealand’s Forgotten World Highway.

Forgotten World Gardens consists of four stunning country gardens nestled along New Zealand’s iconic Forgotten World Highway (State Highway 43). This scenic highway stretches between Taumarunui in the north and Stratford in the south.

At the northern end of the Forgotten World Highway, you’ll find
To Whenua Garden, Omaka Lodge,, Bradleys Gardens, and Lauren’s Lavender Farm. While each is a country garden, they offer distinct landscapes and plant varieties, ensuring a unique experience at every stop. For more detail on the four gardens that feature in Forgotten world gardens click in the website link below

To Whenua Garden

Lauren's Lavendar Farm

Omaka Lodge

Bradley's Garden

Contact Forgotten World Gardens:

To make enquiries or arrange your Forgotten World Gardens experience, please contact the conveners:
Omaka Lodge owners and hosts, Scott & Christopher
www.omakalodge.nz | contact@omakalodge.nz | 07 974 8543

Contact Us

Visit us by appointment only
Email elle@elleanderson.co.nz
Phone 021 044 2057

To Whenua Garden is 5 minutes drive out of Taumarunui
down State Highway 43 'The Forgotten Highway'