Ramble blooming for 20 years

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WORDS/PHOTOS/JULIA WADE

 

21 Nov, 2022

 

Hundreds of plant lovers and green thumbs descended on Mangawhai recently, visiting numerous private gardens designed with love and creativity, in an event which has been attracting and delighting visitors for an incredible two decades.

Starting from a seed and now fully grown into a ‘must-do’ calendar event, the Mangawhai Kindergarten 2022 Garden Ramble celebrated its 20th anniversary on November 12-13, an offering of wide-sweeping manicured lawns framed with exotic vegetation, compact designer gardens, intriguing hidden paths, curious sculptures, wild arrays of stunning blooms and fascinating bonsais.

Over 500 ramblers, including many from as far as Auckland and Whangarei, visited the 17 local gardens on show this year, helping to add just shy of $14,000 to the kindergarten’s fundraising kitty.

Head teacher Miranda Manwaring says having a 20 year event ‘is a pretty big feat’ for a small community and she is ‘always blown away’ by the generosity of the gardeners who are willing to open their homes for the kindy.

“Want to say a big thank you to them and our sponsors for everything they do, they’ve been awesome,” she says. “There’s so many hidden gems in Mangawhai, I’m always surprised when I go on the ramble by these amazing gardens.”

Organising the event was ‘a bit of learning curve’ she says, as local man and former ‘energetic’ coordinator John Dickie moved overseas early this year.

“We did miss him, had to try and fill his shoes and had a few incredible ladies come on board to coordinate the gardens so we got it off the ground. John was still involved however, even though he lives in India…”

Cash raised from the event goes towards ‘dream projects’ for the kindy Miranda says, such as special areas like gardens and carpentry, and the kindergarten was also listed on the Ramble so visitors could get an idea where the money is spent.

“The funds stay in the community and always goes straight back into the children’s environment and education,” she says. “We’re continuing to build this place and are very dedicated to making sure what we do is well thought out and built to last, so it will be here for many years to come.”

Several gardeners also set up stalls selling cuttings, plants, crafts and even clothes, adding a bit of variety which lends to the idea that the Ramble could become a bigger community event Miranda says.

“Gardeners commented on how quite a few people came up to stay at their holiday homes or hired baches to attend, so there is so much potential for the Ramble to grow and become huge and really benefit the whole community.”

Kindy parents held a morning tea to thank the gardeners who spent months not only preparing their plots of land and giving up their weekend to host visitors, but also had to do a quick spruce up two days beforehand due to the wild weather causing havoc including flooding. Postponing the event is not an option Miranda says and would leave a gaping hole in the fundraising pocket.

“The kindy looks the way it does and provides the educational environment it can because of the Ramble, hands down it is our number one fundraiser, along with the Mangawhai Opportunity Factory who have also been very kind to us with grants,” she says. “Between these two places, we feel really lucky. Every time we hold the Ramble, I’m just blown away by our community, such kind, thoughtful generous people, the magic of Mangawhai.”

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