Much of the 8 hectares (15 acres) of the estate, as it stands today, were planted over 125 years ago and is surrounded by extensive reclaimed agricultural land.

The Homestead which is restored to its former glory, was built as a Manager's residence between 1872 - 1875.  It is largely made of Kauri and still features some of the orginal weatherboards and iron on the roof.

The Homestead was surrounded by a 'village' of farm buildings, large two storied stables, woolshed, single men's quarters, bakery, blacksmith's shop, waterwheel, joinery shop, butchery, two storied implement shed and extensive stockyards for sheep and cattle.

These buildings were removed in 1928 when Don & Irene Riddell took up residence at Woodlands.

The gardens around the homestead contain four notable trees - one is regarded as New Zealand's largest Eucalyptus, another a Liriodendron which is believed to be the finest in the Waikato, and an American Ash and Juniperus chinensis, are considered to be of National interest.

The display of the country's most significant collection of old camellias, many of which were brought from Britian in the 1870's, is further enhanced with planting's of old fashioned roses.

The pathways lead to the lake with its Monet-style bridges and gazebo. The garden features wide vistas across expansive lawns, a cricket oval and a croquet lawn.

The all-weather paths are disability friendly and garden development is on-going, making Woodlands worthy of more than one visit, and certainly worth experiencing at different times of the year.

Rated by the New Zealand Gardens Trust in 2003 as a Garden of Regional Significance www.gardens.org.nz, for its beauty and historic significance.

Entry to the Homestead $5 for adults.  Under 15s free of charge.  This includes a multi-media presentation of the history of Woodlands.

All money raised from this entry fee helps to maintain, administer and develop the estate.

THE TREES OF WOODLANDS

One of the first things that comes to mind when most people think of the historic Woodlands estate is its magnificent trees.  Woodlands boasts a variety of trees that are among the oldest and largest of their kind in New Zealand.

One of the most photographed is the Liriodendron tuilipifera, situated on the Theatre Lawn in front of the homestead.  At 34 metres in height with a canopy spread of 28 metres it is impressive, and when lit at night it's simply spectacular.

When you enter the estate off Whitikahu Road and work your way down the drive a Euculyptus Fastigata dominates the view and it's not hard to understand why with a trunk that has a 15-metre girth.  This 45 metre high beauty has a span of 33 metres and often keeps us awake on windy nights wondering if her big old limbs will live to see another day.

Two of the rarest trees on the estate are our Fraxinus Americana.  The American Ash is the fasted growing American hardwood and the larger of the two at Woodlands has a height of 32 metres and a canopy that spans 29 metres.  But even these seem dwarfed when looking at our many Platanua x acerifolia – the two biggest being 40 metres in height.  One of them towers over the historic homestead reducing it to a mere cottage in size.

One of the favourites, a sentiment shared with our native New Zealand bird, the Tui, is the Erythrina Crista – galli.  Better know simply as the coral tree its flowers are a bright bright orange, giving the appearance of a blazing fire.  Coral trees are rare in the Waikato being a tropical tree from Brazil.  Hillier's Manual of Trees and Shrubs describes it as a beautiful semi woody plant.  The Woodlands Coral tree is 10 metres high with a canopy spanning just about the same measurement.

An article about the trees at Woodlands wouldn't be complete without mentioning the Camellias.  There are a number of them that date back to when the homestead was built in 1872.  We are unsure if seeds or plants were brought over from England but the history books tell us Captain Cook successfully took Camellias on his travels.

Four of the oldest at Woodlands have been named - “Helenor” and “Bronacha” were introduced into western gardens in 1866 and ended up at Woodlands not long after.  The other two we have named are “Lowii” and the unusual Thompsonii and Thompsonii rosea”, thus named because both coloured flowers are on the same tree along with “Thompsonii rosea variegated” – this peculiarity makes quite a picture.

The ‘gigantic' theme continues with the old Wisteria that used to drape the homestead but is now contained on a very robust pergola.  The Juglans nigra, chamaecyparis lawsoniana and Pyrus communis are among the other magnificent trees that grace the Woodlands estate and help to make it the Garden of Regional Significance it is today.