Ayrlies Garden

Some areas feature roses, clematis and perennials; others contain lush, sub-tropical plants, such as Petrea, Alocasia, bromeliads, vireya rhododendrons and Ficus dammaropsis.

It also includes many large trees - mostly liquidambar, swamp cypress and pin oak - which have grown rapidly in the warm and wet climate, with rare frosts and over 50 inches (1.3 m) of rain a year.

It contains several structures around the main house, including a small 'sitooterie' - a low gazebo, to sit out in and admire the view.

[3] The garden began in 1964, when the McConnells moved to the site with their young family, starting with a 3-acre (12,000 m2) coastal site which was previously bare paddock with a heavy clay soil, and expanding to 12 acres (49,000 m2) in 1978, including the addition of three large ponds.

From 2000, 35 acres (140,000 m2) of swamp flats below the homestead were transformed into a wetland area with an 8-acre (32,000 m2) lake, linking the garden to the Hauraki Gulf nearby.