Hamilton Gardens creator Peter Sergel brings its history alive in a book

The landscape mastermind behind the Hamilton Gardens’ wants to take people back in time.

The former director of the gardens, Peter Sergel, has published ‘The Time-Travellers Guide to Hamilton Gardens’ book, recounting the unique history of the site, from rubbish dump to a place of beauty.

The book reveals a hidden meaning behind the designs and the Hamilton Gardens as a whole, which Sergel describes as a “story of humanity”.

Sergel is a big part of that history, with his role as director spanning over four decades, overseeing its transformation from a 1960s rubbish dump to a world-renowned attraction.

“I remember going there with my father and it was all sorts of open rubbish and seagulls everywhere. A rifle range used to be on the gully above and I think due to that, people would wander around the dump shooting rats.”

The gardens’ concept plan was crafted in 1979 and approved by Hamilton City Council in 1980, with Sergel at the forefront despite numerous challenges.

He said there wasn’t any money to develop the gardens at that stage, so they devised ideas to raise it.

“From 1979 to 1999, we had Government-subsidised labour schemes that came with money. Things like the retaining walls were built with that.

“The other thing was the community got right behind the garden development and helped raise the money. We had a lot of committees and set up trusts that all helped make it happen.”

For example, the existing Indian Char Bagh Garden had the Indian Char Bagh Garden Trust behind it, comprised of several Indian communities, and the Chinese Garden had a trust with members of the Chinese community.

He said there were also community fundraisers and many individual donations too.

“A notable thing about the Hamilton Gardens is that not a lot of it is paid by rates, not till about the year 2000, with only a little bit of rates.”

Sergel said it made him feel good to be part of something so beautiful.

“The hardest part is having an idea but how to make it work is a very technical and difficult job, it requires a lot of specialist skills.

“The choice of the gardens is based on research and trying to have the elements typical of that form. It’s not easy but it requires a whole team to do it.”

After more than 40 years of involvement with the gardens, Sergel retired in 2020, allowing him to reminisce on his life’s work with the The Time-Travellers Guide to Hamilton Gardens book.

With the upcoming publication, it’s as if his heart still resides in the gardens, ensuring ongoing fundraising for future developments.

“If you buy the book from Hamilton Gardens, all the money from that sale goes towards the developments of the next garden, and if you buy it online there will be a packaging and distribution cost that would go towards it. There will be a markup at the bookshop too, but I’m not sure how much exactly.”

While designing most of the gardens on the site, he doesn’t have a favourite one.

“My favourite garden will always be the next one to be developed. With what exists now, I don’t have a favourite, it constantly changes.”

He also hoped that the garden development would continue to progress over the next decade, with some new proposed gardens in the book ready to meet the public eye.

Although Sergel doesn’t have a favourite, he believes many people do and encouraged garden lovers to pick up the historic book.

“The gardens can help you make sense of the modern world and those transformations that shape this modern world, it’s also the history of Hamilton Gardens.

“It’s a summary of each garden and I think people can enjoy the gardens more if they know more about it. You can’t understand the gardens without knowing some of the history.

“It tells a story of humanity.”

The Time-Travellers Guide to Hamilton Gardens book will be published on April 24.

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.

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