Ohinetahi: Garden, House And

Book Reviews Ohinetahi: Garden, house and art His book, Ohinetahi: Garden, house (Araucaria cunninghamii), macrocarpa By Sir Miles Warren and art, has a similar layout to the (Cupressus macrocarpa), Norfolk pine Published by Sir Miles Warren, Trotts garden books. Indeed, it was (Araucaria heterophylla), and silver Lyttelton, New Zealand, produced by the same company birch (Betula pendula). December 2014 (Quentin Wilson and Associates, Great gardens don’t just happen – Hardback, colour illustrations, Christchurch), and they kindly loaned they require the vision of the owners 138 pages, 257 × 257 mm me their copy for this review. and are created through decades ISBN 978-0-473-30263-4 The subtitle Garden, house and of hard graft by a team of talented $NZ45.00 art is most fitting as it reflects designers, builders, landscapers Reviewed by Murray Dawson Sir Miles erudite and broad tastes. and gardeners. Sir Miles generously His book follows the development acknowledges the dedication of of the garden, but also outlines the many who have shared the dream of restoration of the house (before Ohinetahi. and following the Canterbury His sister Pauline (an accomplished earthquakes), and notes the artist and plantswoman) and sculptures commissioned for the brother-in-law (a fellow architect, grounds and the artwork lodged in the the late John Trengrove) co-owned house. Ohinetahi when all three purchased The first chapter provides an early it in 1976. They were, and are, history of European land ownership talented gardeners who bought the in Governors Bay including details property for the specific purpose of of a cottage that first stood on the creating a grand garden. Readers site. We are told that the name are told that after they sold several ‘Ohinetahi’ was given to the area by respective properties to raise the In a recent issue of this journal1, local Māori. Work to build the current funds to jointly purchase Ohinetahi, I reviewed two books on Trotts house began in the mid-1850s, they embarked on a whistle-stop tour Garden near Ashburton. In this issue, and in 1858 it was purchased by of the great English gardens before I have the pleasure of reviewing a Thomas Henry Potts, a well-known taking possession of their own garden book written by another creator of British-born naturalist, ornithologist, to be. This tour provided a wealth of an outstanding Canterbury garden entomologist and botanist. Potts design and planting ideas to take with – Ohinetahi by Sir Miles Warren of extensively reconstructed the house them. We are told that Hidcote Manor Governors Bay on Banks Peninsula. (and it essentially remained in this (in Gloucestershire) was a highlight configuration up until the 2010 that provided much inspiration for Sir Miles Warren (Fig. 1) is a notable earthquake). Potts also created a Ohinetahi. architect based in Christchurch. huge garden including vegetables, Soon after moving in, they embarked He formed the practice Warren fruit trees and a fernery. As a keen on an extensive restoration of the and Mahoney in 1955 from which collector of plants, Potts planted house to make it more liveable, and he retired in 1994. Since then, a considerable range of trees and much work was needed. It also fell he has continued to be active as some are still surviving today. These into neglect earlier, in the 1900s an architectural consultant and in include historic camellias, English (Fig. 2). As a professional architect, developing his historic home and oaks (Quercus robur), hoop pine garden. Sir Miles freely admits that “Ohinetahi must have accumulated more drawings per cubic metre than any other New Zealand house”! We read in a later chapter that Pauline and John left Ohinetahi after 12 years, but Sir Miles stayed on. Fig. 2 1900s photograph of the house and grounds in a most neglected state. Fig. 1 Sir Miles Warren in his garden Ohinetahi. Photo courtesy Ohinetahi. Photo courtesy Ohinetahi. 1 New Zealand Garden Journal, 2016, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 29–32. New Zealand Garden Journal, 2017, Vol. 20(1) 27 Fig. 7 Broad view of the house from the park. Photo courtesy Ohinetahi. Hard structures include the pool and pool house, swing-bridge, viewing tower, sundial, folly, gazebo, garden walls, paths, steps, columns, and numerous garden sculptures. Dare I say it, but has the eminent Sir Frederick Miles Warren (ONZ, Fig. 3 Basic plan of the new garden. Photo courtesy Ohinetahi. KBE, FNZIA), also been a bit of a Jack-the-lad in his day? He seems The bulk of the book comprises to have had a remarkable knack of chapters devoted to the design of the repurposing all sorts of interesting new gardens. These are beautifully trophies for his garden ‘at the right illustrated with concept drawings price’. Sir Miles recounts an amusing and watercolours (e.g., Fig. 3), and story of acquiring several crockets photographs of the completed garden carved from Oamaru stone, which areas. involved a ladder and a policeman. To be fair, he is likely to have also paid Taking inspiration especially from handsomely for the commissioned Hidcote, they designed a garden of garden artworks from notable interconnected ‘rooms’, arranged New Zealand sculptors. along two axes. The six basic Fig. 4 Aerial view of the restored house and elements were: newly created red garden. As the garden grew they employed Photo courtesy Ohinetahi. Mark Walker, their first full-time 1. A large lawn next to the house gardener and carpenter. Others who 2. A traditional rose garden framed followed include Marilyn McRae, by buxus edging joined later by her brother-in-law Ross Booker, and more recently 3. Herbaceous borders either side of Mark Chandler. These and other a broad path contributors are acknowledged and 4. A white flowered garden have rightfully gained their places in the continuing history of Ohinetahi. 5. A swimming pool wisely doing double duty as an emergency Damage from the Canterbury water supply in case of fire2 earthquake on 4th September 2010 must have dealt a terrible blow to 6. A pleached hornbeam walk – Fig. 5 The peony garden. Sir Miles. I recall the media of that hornbeams (Carpinus betulus) Photo courtesy Ohinetahi. time frequently mentioning the hedged to create a tall corridor. devastation of his house. A chapter of Building upon this plan came the book is dedicated to the rebuild of a potager (traditional kitchen this Category 1 Historic Place. This garden), themed plantings – a red involved removing the stone third garden (Fig. 4), and plantings of storey of the house (which probably camellias, daylilies, peonies (Fig. 5), saved the building from the later rhododendrons and magnolias – a 22nd February 2011 earthquake) and woodland garden (Fig. 6) and native reconfiguring it as a more modest and bush walk (in the formerly overgrown less-imposing two-storey structure. lower part of the garden), and, more Sir Miles accepted the challenging recently (Fig. 7), a park-like setting circumstances and the house was and amphitheatre (following the largely repaired and strengthened purchase of some neighbouring land). within a year. The garden plantings Fig. 6 The woodland garden. were relatively unscathed, although Representative plants used are listed Photo courtesy Ohinetahi. for many of these garden areas. some of the garden structures needed repair. 2 Fortunately, Ohinetahi escaped the February 2017 fires that ravished the Port Hills behind the property. 28 New Zealand Garden Journal, 2017, Vol. 20(1) Fig. 8 North front of the house and garden. Photo courtesy Ohinetahi. Ohinetahi has been awarded the other gardens. Ohinetahi attracts place for futureproofing. Sir Miles is six-star maximum by the RNZIH thousands of visitors each year. currently in his late eighties, and in New Zealand Gardens Trust (NZGT; 2012 he gifted his house and garden Several of New Zealand’s greatest see www.gardens.org.nz/christchurch- to the people of New Zealand via the contemporary private gardens were canterbury-gardens/ohinetahi). Ohinetahi Charitable Trust. In the final developed over many decades by the This means that Ohinetahi garden pages of his book he writes “I hope original owners – Margaret Barker of provides one of New Zealand’s top that Ohinetahi will continue to be one Larnach Castle and Bev McConnell garden experiences, and achieves of the best, most visited and enjoyed of Ayrlies are two that immediately and maintains the highest levels of gardens, park, house and art gallery come to mind. For a great garden to presentation, design and plant interest in New Zealand.” endure and become intergenerational, throughout the year. Six-star gardens as has happened for the historic Ohinetahi (Fig. 8–9) really is one of are described as the complete gardens of England, trusts need the jewels of Banks Peninsula, and package which inspire garden lovers to be established and plans put in indeed of New Zealand. Sir Miles and deliver an experience above all Warren’s extraordinary design and architectural skills are fully reflected in the rich legacy that is Ohinetahi. Websites (accessed June 2017) Interview: Sir Miles Warren, by Rebecca Macfie, 7 December, 2012: www.noted.co.nz/archive/ listener-nz-2012/interview-sir- miles-warren/ Sir Miles Warren’s Ohinetahi, by Rosa Shiels, 27 March, 2013: www.stuff. co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/ avenues/home/8359304/Sir-Miles- Warrens-Ohinetahi Available from Touchwood Books Fig. 9 A view of the garden as it is today. Photo courtesy Ohinetahi. New Zealand Garden Journal, 2017, Vol. 20(1) 29.

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