Wrights Water Gardens Cafe

Location :

128 Mauku Rd, Patumahoe 2678
Added by Jopie, at 12 October 2016

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• Patsy Pickup

  15 October 2017

  I was hesitant to come to these gardens after reading the reviews on this website but I'm glad that i did decide to ignore the reviews and see the gardens for myself. I thought the price was fair and my mum and I had a brilliant time here. It was so tranquil and relaxing. A great way to de-stress it was like a load had been lifted off our shoulders. Parts of the garden were quirky. You had to look carefully for all the detail. Someone has a sense of humour too. It is the type of garden that makes the best use of its natural surroundings with a beautiful waterfall. Where ever you are in the garden you can hear the waterfall which brought music to my ears. The cafe is in a wonderful setting and again so tranquil. There isn't really any cabinet food but the meals or sides are great. I wouldn't like to visit the gardens in the winter though. The gardens are not suitable for pushchairs and people that find it challenging walking down steps or uneven surfaces. If you prefer modern garden structures and perfect rows of flowers then I would not recommend that you visit these gardens but if you like gardens set in amongst their natural surroundings this garden is the perfect one for you. I would definitely visit again.

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• Viv Princis

  23 July 2017

  Lovely friendly waitress. Nice place but if you're from out of town, definitely not worth the drive. Food overpriced and small portions. Gift shop lacking inspiration. This place has so much potential but is only achieving about 5% of it.

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• Weddingmoon Vacations

  18 July 2017

  Sadly, when my wife and I visited Wright's Water Garden, it was disappointing and potentially dangerous as a wedding venue. After a series of email and telephone exchanges with the owners we agreed to drive approximately ninety minutes to vet this place on behalf of a same-sex couple who wanted to get married by the waterfall. Regretfully, this is a cheap tourist trap and is not worthy. The building and grounds were in a terrible state of disrepair. The lily ponds are full of slime and smell bad. The path leading down to the waterfall was extremely treacherous (NOT recommended for high heels or people with mobility challenges).
  
  The entrance to the venue is a sad little souvenir shop selling tacky knick knacks. That's correct, as you and your wedding guest arrive for YOUR special day, everyone must run the gauntlet of a pathetic merchandising attempt to sell absolutely worthless geegaws to a "trapped" audience.
  
  Unfortunately, the worse part was the mercenary bigotry we encountered regarding our clients. During our tour, the owner revealed that initially they considered charging extra to permit the marriage at their waterfall for the sake of gaining ongoing revenue from our business, however they prayed overnight about it and in the end decided on behalf of their church to just refuse to allow same-sex marriages altogether.
  
  We have never given a negative review before. In more ways than one, as fellow New Zealand business owners, it truly hurts to do so now.
  
  Our recommendation is NEGATIVE five stars.

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• Kim Te Kani

  23 February 2017

  Place is rundown, needs a serious makeover, turtles were in stagnant water, paths overgrown with weeds, broken statues was a theme throughout the whole area. You can't take your own food in even though there are picnic areas to eat. On site Cafe had broken outdoor umbrellas with the outdoor seating that was provided.

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• Martin J C Page

  20 February 2017

  Very nice the right time of the year.

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• Dominic Toon

  29 January 2017

  Very run down. Big stains on dirty brown carpet. Poor food cabinet selection. Place nearly deserted at lunchtime on Saturday. Gift shop used to be great, now almost empty put plant at door covered in white disease. Car park unsealed. Driveway a real car breaker. Badly in need of repair. Glad that I've got a 4WD! We left without eating.

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• Jan Megan

  09 January 2017

  Visited the garden over the weekend first time . Didn't get a warm friendly welcome , staff were talking in their own lingo and busy arranging jewellery. We paid the entry fee and was given a map no additional information.
  The walk was great but not well sign posted in a lot of areas , found it very disappointing and very dull, waterfall and oriental garden was lovely.
  Needs major maintenance and love and care if you are running this sort of business .
  We had a small bag with packed lunch but were refused , so please update your website.
  Will not return to this place again in a hurry.

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• Keith Eades

  19 October 2016

  This was our first visit here. We took a packed lunch and spent a few hours wandering around exploring the wonderful sights.

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