I have the morning for a last walk along the Waikato River. Local friends tell me that Hamilton is learning to look at the river, having built with its back to it.

Part of the path is blocked off, so I did a bit of off-roading and bush bashing before getting back on track.

A cold drink seemed like a good idea after that. I chose the café beside Browsers bookshop. Further along Victoria Street the Book Club Bar caught my eye.

At Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery I took a closer look at representations of Waikato history.

There were school children exploring an early photo of Hamilton.

Next to the museum is the Waikato Society of Arts building which I had explored before. I took another look.

Next: taxi to the airport – with some trepidation after the cancellation of my flight getting here!

I took the riverside path to Hamilton Gardens this morning. My umbrella was in my backpack but wasn’t needed. Instead, sunglasses were more appropriate.

On the walk I managed to photograph a tūī. There were lots of them enjoying the kōwhai flowers. There were also fantails and some parakeets.

The path is wide and paved and well-signposted, used by friendly joggers and dog walkers.

You can tell you have arrived at the Gardens when the foliage becomes tidier and more flowery.

With the help of the audio commentary, I concentrated more on details in each of the enclosed gardens this time. There is impressive research and planning behind them.

Other treats:

The Ancient Egyptian Garden is astounding for meticulous details in the recreation of a sacred garden.

As I left to walk back along the river, I noticed again that in this part of the country double letters are used instead of macrons.

Next on my list of places to see in Hamilton was the Classics Museum – a car museum with a 1950s diner. The museum smells of oil and something else – old leather car interiors perhaps. The rain drummed on the roof.

Despite being crammed full of signs, hood ornaments, model cars in cabinets, petrol bowsers, old jukeboxes, and vehicles of all sorts, everything was clean and shiny and efficiently displayed. You had to slow down to take it all in.

There is a range of vehicles from the sleek and elegant to the cute and quirky.

Maybe this little car pulls up alongside the seat where you wait while your engine gets a tune up. Another seat is made from a car bench seat, while the coffee table top sits on an engine block.

I learnt that the first bowser was named after Mr Bowser.

The diner was a treat – as was my pancake stack.

Browsers in Victoria Street is the most wonderful place to browse, particularly on a rainy day. Every corner was a delight – so I took several pictures.

This must be the tallest bookshelf in the world. They don’t have a ladder to access the highest shelves!

Clearly, the operators of this shop have a strong sense of book aesthetics.

I was reluctant to leave, and explored the lane alongside.

In the Sip and Sew Workshop a woman was teaching sewing skills to a group of young girls – perhaps a school holiday activity.

As I waited for the ticket office to open, it was the heavens that opened first. Oh well, so I bought an umbrella! The rain eased to a light drizzle.

It took about three hours to see all 17 gardens. I was pleased that I opted for the informative audio commentary. The English Flower Garden was closed for renovation but you could look through a window – so that makes 18 gardens. A Medieval Garden is planned, as is a Baroque Garden and a Pacific Garden. Signs around the place told me that these gardens are a whole community effort.

There are a number of courtyards between the gardens.

Some gardens were grand, others more down to earth, so to speak.

There was some gorgeous spring colour.

The Te Parapara Garden showed how kūmara are grown in mounds.

I finished in the Tropical Garden which seemed perfectly suited to the rainy weather.

Back in the city centre, I walked along the riverside and discovered this gorgeousness.

This garden was the highlight today – the last day of the tour. Note there’s no apostrophe in the name. Perhaps that’s because both husband and wife garden here. Thirty years ago there were only bare paddocks. Melana Bradley said her mother-in-law took her to a garden centre to explain the difference between annuals and perennials.

It is the most formally organised of the gardens we’ve visited and it caters specifically for weddings.

There are some quirky elements.

The gardens are designed to accommodate weddings and other gatherings.

This horizontal punga trunk is supporting new life.

We were treated to carrot cake and tea in china cups.

In Te Kuiti there were spring flowers in the public loos, a statue of famous All Black Colin Meads in the main street and the railway station is now a restaurant where I had lunch.

Today we went over the Rimutakas to Aston Norwood Gardens to see the blossoms.

There were fairy houses for children to play with, and a cream tea for us.

We drove north along the transmission gully road and were entertained by the puns on bulls in Bulls.

We’re staying at the Powderhorn Hotel in Ohakune which looks as if a whole pine plantation was used in its construction.

Here’s the aftermath of our dinner at the Maple Leaf restaurant. Like the hotel, it’s all beams and rustic fireplaces.

Longbush Cottage Garden is delightful. Just ten years in the making so far, its owners returned from London, bought the bare paddock and derelict cottage and set to work.

There are chooks and a marvellous garden shed. Dotted about are places to sit, including a gorgeous glasshouse with a chandelier.

Greytown is full of delightful wooden cottages and boutique shops. The bookshop is divine as is the shop with beautifully displayed Pashley cycles – and locally made gin. An interesting combination!

It was a beautiful day; Wairarapa at its best.

An early morning walk on the Napier waterfront refreshed and revived my spirits (bit grumpy yesterday!)

Behind our hotel, up on a hill – some character homes.

It was a good start to the day which included a visit to a biodynamic garden which produces creams and health aids and a wildlife reserve where the highlight was seeing two kiwi.

At Mt Bruce Pūkaha Reserve we saw kaka, kakariki, weta, wood pigeons and kiwi.

The title is from Allen Curnow’s poem which describes the discomfort of settlers finding their place in New Zealand. That was evident today on the first day of my North Island tour. There were pine plantations and geothermal pipes on stripped-back land. The Esk Valley is still cyclone-scarred.

I’m travelling with a number of Waikato people who refer to the ‘Māori Wars’ – a term I’d thought we’d long since corrected. This probably explains my response to what I’ve seen today.

The first garden at Lava Glass tried too hard to create something pretty.

Trelinnoe Park was much wilder, but crammed with exotics as if recreating something not quite of this place, lovely as it is.

Now we are in Napier where exotic palms line the street and art deco is the theme. Charming though, and our hotel frontage curves to give views of the sea and sunset. Is this how we make ourselves feel settled here?