You are here
The Ōtari-Wilton's Bush plant collections contain about 1,200 species, hybrids, and cultivars. The collections include plants from New Zealand's mainland and off-shore islands.
Almost all the plants have been grown from cuttings or seeds collected from their original habitats. The collection has the following roles:
The plant collections were started in 1926 by eminent New Zealand botanist Dr Leonard Cockayne. He aimed to set up a collection of solely New Zealand native plants, displayed in family groups or as re-created ecosystems representing different areas of New Zealand.
The Lions Ōtari Plant Conservation Laboratory provides our team with facilities to conduct essential research into the propagation and long-term storage of New Zealand’s threatened plants. Options for long-term storage include conventional seed banking (storage at -18°C), cryopreservation (storage at -196°C in liquid nitrogen) and tissue culture (plant tissue in sterile conditions).
Plant conservation work at Ōtari is done in collaboration with partners including mana whenua, the Department of Conservation, Victoria University of Wellington, The New Zealand Institute of Plant & Food Research Limited and The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
The plant collections were started in 1926 by noted New Zealand botanist Dr. Leonard Cockayne. He aimed to set up a collection of solely New Zealand native plants, displayed in family groups or as re-created ecosystems representing different areas of New Zealand. Almost all the plants have been grown from cuttings or seeds collected from their original habitats.
Ōtari-Wilton's Bush is about 5km from the city centre, at 160 Wilton Road (between Gloucester and Warwick streets).
Ōtari-Wilton's Bush
Year-round | Dawn to dusk
Year-round | 7.30am - 4pm
Wheelchair-friendly paths run from the main car park to the Information Centre, over the Canopy Walkway, and to Cockayne Lookout. A step-free path runs from the Churchill Drive car park along the Kaiwharawhara streamside to the Troup Picnic Lawn. The Wilton Walkway from the car park through the Fernery and leading into mature podocarp forest, is also suitable.
Tāne Whakapiripiri - Visitor CentreŌtari-Wilton's Bush
160 Wilton RoadWellington, 6012
04 499 1400
Plan your 'must sees' before you visit by making use of one of our brochures. Available at Tāne Whakapiripiri, Ōtari Visitor Centre, or you can download them onto your phone.
We have just launched a new way to explore ōur tracks. Find out more.
Bryce Manukonga, of Te Atiawa, carved the two waharoa to Ōtari-Wilton's Bush from tōtara. The waharoa at the main entrance depicts unity and partnership and welcomes visitors to the reserve. The waharoa at the southern end of the Canopy Walkway depicts Tāne Mahuta and the forest's guardians. Stop to admire these beautiful works of art when you begin your walk.
Dogs are welcome as long as they are kept on a short lead and you clean up after them. Dogs off a lead are a threat to native wildlife.
The Ōtari-Wilton's Bush Trust offers guided walks on a variety of interesting topics. Experienced guides lead tours tailored to each group and are available for groups of all sizes.
The Leonard Cockayne Centre is a medium size room that can be hired for meetings, seminars or workshops. From the deck you can look into the working nursery where plants are propagated before they are planted out in the wider garden.
Scientists and volunteers counted 1,367 different living species - animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria - in the bush and reserve areas during a 24-hour bioblitz in 2007. Their finds included a new species of cave weta and an Amanita fungus.
Ōtari-Wilton's Bush is one of Wellington's best picnic spots. There are two main picnic areas - the North picnic area off Wilton's Bush Road, and the idyllic Troup Picnic Area on the Circular Walk.The Troup Picnic Area is an open space ideal for groups and school visits. It has toilet facilities, a water fountain, and two single plate push-button electric barbecues (these run for 20 minutes - for longer cooking push the button again). Availability is on a first-in, first-served basis. Please note the barbecues may still be hot from previous usage and these are free to use.Although bookings are not required, groups should advise the Treehouse Visitor Centre of intended visits.
Tāne Whakapiripiri Visitor Centre displays information on Ōtari-Wilton's Bush history and botanic diversity. The centre is located just inside the main entrance on Wilton Road. There is seating for visiting groups, toilet facilities and visitor information.
Ōtari-Wilton's Bush features about 11km of walking tracks through native bush and garden collections.
A self-guided Nature Trail starts at the Information Centre. Pick up a brochure at the start of the Canopy Walkway.Tracks are signposted. Forest trails are slippery when wet. Sturdy footwear is recommended.Learn more about the tracks at Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush here.
Our gardens are home to a dazzling array of plants and animals! They are fantastic habitats for a diverse array of endemic, native and introduced birds - Wellington is one of the few cities in the world where native biodiversity is increasing.
Pick up a copy of our Bird Watchers Guide at the gardens or download below – it is available in both English and Te Reo Māori. Can you spot them all?
A strong community volunteer network has long been a feature at Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush. Opportunities are varied, and managed by the Ōtari-Wilton's Bush Trust with support from the Wellington Gardens.
If any of the below opportunities interest you, head to the Ōtari-Wilton's Bush Trust's website to learn more and enquire.
Tropical-looking native plants thrive here with their big leaves and bold textures, alongside towering northern rātā. These plants hail from the warm, wet north above the 38-degree south latitudinal line where glaciers never reached.
The Adaptation Garden hosts plants that have evolved to thrive in extreme environments, to specific animals, and unusual situations. This garden includes a diverse array of mistletoes, divaricating shrubs, and parasitic vines.
Tarns, trickling water, and rugged rocks echo the alpine zones of Aotearoa. Discover hardy native plants from wild mountain habitats, no hiking boots needed.
This garden is one of the main entrances and was designed to be beautiful, drawing people in. Large well established kauri from northern New Zealand tower above the collection of Leptinella, Veronica, Celmisa, and a mix of divaricates.
It was named after Joseph Banks, the first European botanist to document the New Zealand flora.
A recreation of the beech forest (tawhairauriki) ecosystem to create a sense of place and contrast the local old-growth rimu/tawa forest of Wellington. Cast your gaze skyward to admire the tree canopy and be transported out of Wellington.
Low-growing shrubs and hardy herbs thrive here. Designed and built with blood, sweat and tears by former curator Walter Brockie, this bold, beautiful botanical and horticultural triumph is full of texture and colour.
This grove showcases our diverse native gymnosperms, including including kauri and the “Big Five” native podocarps: rimu, kahikatea, miro, mataī, and tōtara. Take a closer look at Halocarpus biformus, with its two distinct leaf forms.
This collection showcases plants that complement manmade structures, integrating built form with the natural landscape. This serves as native plant inspiration to landscape architects and home gardeners alike.
These gardens surround the Leonard Cockayne Centre, which was formerly the Curator's house.
Tangled, twiggy, and full of mystery. These wide-angled shrubs might be moa-proof, or prehistoric climate survivors. New Zealand is the only country where divaricates make up 10% of the woody flora.
Epiphytes are plants that perch on other plants but are not parasites.
Enjoy these hanging plants, including native bush lilies and orchids, or get inspired to hang some in your house as a kokodama.
This garden is in development and also has a growing number of lianes (plants that are rooted in the ground but are supported by other plants).
Lush and still, this shady nook feels ancient. Giant king ferns tower above tiny filmy ferns in a garden that whispers of the old forests of Aotearoa.
Interesting grasses and sedges that are found under the forest canopy, on the coast, and in the alpine meadows of Aotearoa. This garden also features scoria rocks from Tongariro.
Grasses, rushes and sedges can often be hard to tell apart. Try to remember this little ditty: Rushes are round, sedges have edges, and grasses have arses. But don't be too strict as there are always exceptions to these rules!
Whimsical and fun for all ages.
Native shrubs Corokia cotoneaster (korokio) and Coprosma rigida come together to form an intricate maze.
This garden is comprised of several large, well-established kōwhai much loved by kererū. Watch out in spring when the kōwhai is flowering; you don’t want to get dive-bombed by a tūī!
The kōwhai also shelter a collection of unusual groundcover plants.
Our unusual tree brooms are native to New Zealand and part of the legume family.
The garden is surrounded by a lovely sheltered lawn with a woven supplejack tunnel for tamariki/children. Large cabbage trees/tī kōuka are also a feature of this garden.
Crazy about daisies? New Zealand has a vast array of plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae). Our native daisies range from the tiny Leptinella nana to the huge Olearia trees - the tallest daisies in the world.
Evolution moves pretty fast on offshore islands. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Plants here are all sourced from beyond the three main islands that make up New Zealand. Keep an eye out for the native hibiscus.
Alongside the Offshore Islands Garden, you'll find the Rēkohu Garden. Rēkohu (Chatham Islands) is home to 47 unique plant species that have evolved in the last 3 million years. See some of them here, including the spectacular kopakopa.
A geometric garden best viewed from the lookout to appreciate the shape and natural patterns comprised of native sea holly and piripiri.
Nau mai, haere mai – Welcome to this pā harakeke. This is a collection of prized harakeke selected long ago for their special leaf and fibre properties. There are varieties for making kete, whāriki, piupiu and cloaks from muka.
If you would like to hauhake/collect harakeke rau from this pā you need to contact otari@wcc.govt.nz to get permission or come to a regular harvest session at 2pm on the second Thursday of each month to learn the tikanga we follow.
These harakeke were collected from around Aotearoa by Rene Orchiston of Gisborne, who gifted them to Manaaki Whenua. Now they form Te Kohinga Harakeke o Aotearoa – the National New Zealand Flax Collection. For more information about each variety check here for the harakeke you are interested in using its name or the number on the label.
New Zealand has some of the world's largest and smallest tree ferns. This includes one of New Zealand’s most iconic plants — the silver fern.
This collection of ferns creates a stunning canopy to walk through on your way to the Viewing Platform.
Inspired by the braided rivers of Canterbury, and the drylands of Central Otago. Named for the drier eastern side of the South Island, caused by the Southern Alps drawing most rain down onto the west coast.
This border provides a visual barrier to define the garden and screen the busy school next door. Sweeping up from the path, the established vegetation leads your eye to the Skyline beyond.
Around a third of the native plants in our garden are threatened with extinction. This garden tells the stories of a select few, each one rare, resilient, and worth protecting.
Otherwise known as Hebe, our shrubby Veronica species are found throughout Ōtari and take many different forms - from trees and shrubs, to groundcovers and whipcord. They are a favourite of native insects and have co-evolved flowers to suit.
How many different Veronica species can you spot on your visit?
Windy and salty, that’s Wellington’s climate! These coastal natives are adapted to thrive where others fail, perfect inspiration for any local seaside home garden.
This Horoeka stand (Lancewoods) contains a small forest of Pseudopanax ferox and P. crassifolius (Horoeka). These iconic native trees have different juvenile and adult growth forms (which is known as heteroblasty). Here you can see juvenile, semi-mature and mature trees.
One theory is that this adaptation allows the plant to avoid browsing by moa.
Wetlands are increasingly rare in Aotearoa, less than 10% now remain. They play a critical role in the landscape soaking up water and filtering out sediment and nutrients. Our Wetland Plants garden sits on heavy clay soils with a natural spring beneath that keeps the area wet throughout the year. Harakeke (flax or Phormium spp.) and purei (Carex secta) are the main plants, which are complemented with our forest giant kahikatea and toioi which naturally occurs in estuaries (where rivers and streams meet the sea).