Explore gardens & galleries filled with incredible art, Matakana

Posted By : kevinwV9274WI
Warm welcome. Amazing experience, exceeded our expectations. Would highly recommend and suitable for all ages and tastes. Beautiful setting and very friendly staff. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon. Kev and Maria UK.🇬🇧
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Posted On : 2024-05-08

Posted By : LoisM1033
Wow! Fantastic value for money. It just kept going and going, and I was blown away with the quantity and quality of art pieces they had. Obviously a massive labour of love over many, many years. Don't miss the indoor gallery...amazing!
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Posted On : 2024-04-26

Posted By : Pitinimuir
Family of 10, all enjoyed our meal. Wait staff were very nice. The art in the main building was a very eclectic mix, something for almost everyone (I will come back to that). Very little space for the art to stand out and some amazing pieces were a bit lost. The outdoor gardens were very impressive. Beautifully kept. Some amazing art work, lots of space. Unique. However, the copy about the art was poorly written, a little condescending at times and obviously not professionally written. The quote garden was baffling, it was a space filler at best, spread it out around the whole gardens maybe?, dozens and dozens of quotes forced into a small space gave no space to think about any of it. The oddest choice were the poor animals scattered through the gardens. My young son was so sad to see such beautiful creatures in such sad cages. I agreed with him. It took us right out of the experience, untold money was spent on displaying some art works but the cages the birds were in were ugly and depressing. The copy to justify this? "Animals are art" Please treat the animals like art then or better still, remove them. Something for everyone? If you are Māori, don't expect to see your culturally unique art represented here at all. An odd choice for a New Zealand tourist attraction. All in all, a wonderfull place but just don't think too hard about the place as a whole. Conclusion, best art salad and well worth the visit.
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Posted On : 2024-04-20

Posted By : MariaTeresitaC5
You set out on your journey with little excitement, but what awaited you was beyond your expectations. You discovered not just one, but three lovely gardens and an art gallery. Despite not being avid art fans, you found yourselves drawn to the beauty of the paintings and sculptures. It was a delightful surprise, and it left you with a deeper appreciation for the simple pleasures of nature and the power of artistic expression. I love the art gallery most with the lighting and colour. I also like as to how the garden was set up and how I can just stay in the place without having to rush. It truly is worth the money!!!
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Posted On : 2024-04-19

Posted By : D799NGjans
Entire family loved it including our teenager. We came out of the galleries after closing but they waited for us and didn't rush us - thank you
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Posted On : 2024-04-17

Posted By : jkaway111
From the very friendly and helpful lady at the front desk through to the amazing displays both indoors and outdoors. Give oneself at least two hours because not only is this world class, one also needs time to reflect and appreciate the displays and artwork. Cannot recommend this enough. A must see.
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Posted On : 2024-04-15

Posted By : o2bsxe
This is thought provoking and soooo much FUN! The quality of the sculptures and artwork from around the world, located in little Matakana, I found unexpected. The Restaurant was of a high standard and one of the few eateries open on a Monday. I use a wheelchair. All the walkways are paved. This makes it easy for prams, walking frames etc. You can then enjoy the sculptures and not worry about access. Restaurant and toilets are accessible. Brilliant ! Don't ignore a day trip to Sculpureum .
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Posted On : 2024-04-09

Posted By : Thehubs1962
What a find on our trip from Auckland to Puilia in the Bay of Islands!! Wonderful Sculptures set up in a lovely garden with sympathy and humour. Attached to the Sculpture Gardens and Galleries are a cafe and restaurant as well as a very tasteful small shop. Beautifully maintained and the lady who greeted us was so informative about the owners who also own the Vineyard next door. Great value for money. Dont miss it.
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Posted On : 2024-04-04

Posted By : Heartwrite
We had no idea what to expect of this tour as the tickets were gifted to us by a family member as a surprise for our last day in New Zealand. It was an easy 45 minute beautiful coastal drive from Auckland's North Shore and we avoided the motorway and took the Hibiscus Coast drive which was worth the diversion and not much longer or slower and probably with less traffic. I've been in galleries all over the world and this one was the most beautifully and thoughtfully curated that I've ever encountered. We followed our lovely guide's advice and wandered through the outdoor garden first which was beautifully crafted and grown with thoughtful information posts containing just enough text to explain concepts and the artists and materials without being overwhelming (as was the case in Te Papa in Wellington last week). It was a joy to see a wonderful tribute to Steve Jobs in one of the gardens as he's a personal hero of mine and his inspirational garden was formed so thoughtfully. A lunch segue gave us one of the best pizzas I've ever had from the pizza truck made by a real Italian hence why they were as good as those I've had in Italy. $25 for a dinner plate sized pizza was pretty good for NZ prices. Unfortunately the restaurant was closed so maybe check if you're going there and want to eat there. Following lunch we sauntered through the indoor galleries and pink snail garden. The indoor collection was stunningly curated with black walls, beautiful presentation cases and framing and an explosion of colour. Even the ambience was thoughtfully curated with perfect music, cool floors and air conditioning and again the perfect amount of information about each piece. You can sense that the owners Andrew and Sandra love and cherish their art and have chosen each artist on his or her merit and display pieces from all over the world. If you love art and gardens DO NOT MISS this outing. It's worth every cent and you'll depart feeling calm and nourished.
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Posted On : 2024-04-03

Posted By : Maddi555
We had a thoroughly enjoyable day wandering the gardens and galleries of Sculptureum, at the weekend. Lots of very interesting art and sculptures for all ages to take in.
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Posted On : 2024-04-02