Eastwoodhill Arboretum

[3] The history of Eastwoodhill Arboretum will remain permanently connected with the life of William Douglas Cook (1884–1967).

Originally from New Plymouth, he established a farm of 250 hectares (620 acres) in the Ngatapa settlement, calling the property "Eastwoodhill" after his mother's family home in Thornliebank near Glasgow.

[4] The first foundations for the present arboretum were laid as Douglas Cook started creating a garden immediately.

[5] In 1918, back at Eastwoodhill, Douglas Cook started planting thousands of Pinus radiata for wood production and for fire-wood.

He also started creating parkland with, amongst others, Platanus orientalis, different kinds of Ulmus, Acer pseudoplatanus and A. platanoides.

Planting was interrupted for journeys to England in 1922 and 1924 but in 1926 the garden was extended with thousands of tulips, hyacinths and peonies from The Netherlands.

[9] Through the years the number of plant specimen collected reached immense proportions, with about 5,000 different taxa at the maximum point, at large costs.

[11] In the 1920s, Cook could still finance the expansion of his property from his other income and funds, but in his mid-fifties, he had to sell 925 acres (3.74 km2) of his farmland to get further money for planting new trees in the 'Circus' park.

[13] Although Eastwoodhill in the 1960s was often praised for its important collection of plants, many people worried about the future of his unique park, especially after Cook got older and started having health problems.

(Bill) Williams), an entrepreneur from Gisborne, bought the property off Cook with the intention to keep the collection in order, and to guarantee that everyone with interests in plants and trees will be able to visit the arboretum in the future.

Williams agreed to the vesting of the property in a Board to be established under a private act, "in the belief that a body so constituted offers the best prospect for the maintenance and development of the arboretum".

In 1998, an accommodation wing was ready to cater for student groups, botanists and dendrologist and the plant loving public.

[17] "An ongoing project, the garden provides a fitting introduction to the arboretum and is full of interesting plantings aesthetically combined in a unique setting".