Garden Safari returns to Kaitaia in November

Maxine Wild, of Kaitaia, pictured with Garden Safari organiser Irene Knowler, will showcase her small but immaculate garden as part of this year's event. Photo / Myjanne Jensen

A popular annual garden event is due to return to Kaitaia this year, after years of delays thanks to Covid-19.

Kaitaia Riding for the Disabled (RDA) is hosting its annual Garden Safari fundraiser next month, to raise vital funds for its operation and services.

Each year the event rotates among districts, including Mangonui, the Far North and Kaitaia, returning to each area every four years.

This year's event falls on the weekend of November 5-6 and will feature 12 local gardens, five of which are new listings.

Maxine and Peter Wild, of Kaitaia, are garden No 8 and will showcase their small but immaculate garden.

The couple's lawns are in pristine, well-kept condition and feature a range of various plant and flower species.

One of many mosaics Maxine Wild has created for her garden. Photo / Myjanne Jensen

Maxine is most well known, however, for her mosaics and garden ornaments, which she creates from mainly everyday, discarded items.

"I am a dressmaker by trade, so have always been quite creative and started to make mosaics when I retired," she said.

"I spend a lot of my time in my little garden shed creating things and have most recently started turning old bath towels into concreted pot planters.

"I love being able to show people around the gardens and even though this is smaller than our last property in Takahue, it's still got a lot to offer."

Garden No 3, owned by Kaitaia residents Lorraine and Jack Burke, is quite a bit larger than the Wilds' and features hundreds of bromeliads.

The Burkes' garden in Oxford St has continued to be a popular one among Garden Safari participants, with its gentle sloping lawns and sanctuary-like atmosphere.

Kaitaia resident Lorraine Burke is looking forward to welcoming guests back to her and husband Jack's Oxford St garden. Photo / Myjanne Jensen

Lorraine said she was looking forward to welcoming people back to their garden and hoped they enjoyed it just as much as they did.

"I love to spend time out here in the garden and just slowly putter around," Lorraine said.

"Bromeliads are so easy to work with and don't take much effort, so that's why we have so many.

"We just pop them in the ground and if they work they work, if not, we can just take them out again."

The Garden Safari has been running since 1992 and is the main fundraiser for Kaitaia RDA.

RDA is a national service that provides people with disabilities and diverse needs the opportunity to gain confidence, independence and wellbeing through horse riding, therapy, rehabilitation and other activities.

In the past, the event has helped raise funds to purchase the RDA's property in Church Rd, as well as to help keep the service going.

Kaitaia RDA co-ordinator Irene Knowler has been running the Garden Safari event for many years.

She said as the organisation's major fundraising event, it was a relief to be able to run it again after so many disruptions due to Covid-19.

"People are always very ecstatic to come through and we have people coming from everywhere," Knowler said.

"This is a really important event for us, so we are thrilled to be able to hold it again."

This year's Garden Safari will start at 9am and run to 5pm, ending at the Safari Headquarters at the CBEC Garden Centre in Pukepoto Rd, Kaitaia.

There is a range of food and stalls will be available, but only for the Saturday event.

The cost to participate is $25, with a bus from Kaitaia costing $10 a person that leaves Kaitaia's Te Ahu Centre at 8.45am.

Programmes for the event can be found at Mitre 10 Kaitaia, i-Site Kaitaia, Bloomfields Taipa, CBEC Kaitaia, Needful Things Kerikeri and Gloss Stationery Mangonui.

In conjunction with the Garden Safari, Kaitaia RDA volunteer Christian Steffen is also offering cheap knife sharpening services for the month of November.

Kitchen knives up to 5 inches/125mm cost $6 and 5-10 inches/250mm cost $10.

Drop-off and pickup of knives (must be wrapped in paper) at Riders Sport, 73 Commerce St, Kaitaia.

For all inquiries, contact Irene Knowler on 09 406 2022.