• Garden tours and visits are by appointment only.
• Garden closed on Sundays and public holidays.
• Garden closed during events such as weddings. 

Dick chose this land as it was frost free, making it perfect for growing subtropical fruit. He named it Landsendt after the family orchard in Holland. His first crop was Tamarillos. He later grew kiwifruit, macadamias and feijoas. Always on the lookout for something different, he went to South America to find new crops. He brought back babacos, cherimoyas and coconuts to name a few. These plant hunting expeditions were the beginnings of what the garden is today.

Dick and Annemarie have retired and their daughter Carolyn and her husband Anthony Melling now run Landsendt - a garden, nursery and landscaping business. Carolyn's passion has been to transform the amazing plant collection into a garden, showcasing the special plants from her father's forays.

The garden tour takes you on a journey. It is not just a pretty garden but also an interesting story of horticulture in New Zealand. Our botanical history is so important.

Sunnydale also has an interesting past. Built in 1860 from kauri timber milled on the site. In 1892, William Thompson was murdered by poisoning. This murder was sensational at the time, being a rare occurance in the new colony. The research has uncovered a story that starts in Thames and ends tragically in Oratia. The tale lives on through part of the plant collection at Landsendt. This story unfolds during the tour.

Everything has a story. This is what makes a place so interesting. Our plants tell stories. South American coconut with a Gondwanna link to New Zealand, amazon snake trees, tallest palms in the world, ethno botanical plants, stunning xerophytic plants such as a pure white bromeliad, South African aloes, Mexican grass trees... and of course we can't forget about the birds. You will no doubt have a close encounter with the many wood pigeons and tui that nest in the garden. Landsendt is a food larder for birds. Occaionally we get some really special visitors - the kaka, blue heron, a stray kookaburra and white cockatoo. Spotted doves have also recently become residents.

If you have never visited Landsendt then this will be a truly amazing experience. If you have visited but it was a while ago, you probably will not recognise the place.

The gardens have been transformed from an orchard to a tropical paradise. It is an evolution...
of a garden, a family, and a piece of West Auckland's history.

Garden tours are by appointment only. We look forward to seeing you.

A guided tour around our garden takes about one hour. Let us know your time requirements before-hand so we can tailor it to suit.