WANAKA IN HER VIEW
WORDS Philippa Jones
PHOTOGRAPHS Martin Hill
Wanaka come with landscapes both natural and man-made. Migrating from Urban Auckland to a rural hillside, I have a whole new challenge ahead of me. Shaped long ago by a glacial movement into low rolling hills and plains set against distant mountains, the rugged ridge lines contrast with the ruler- straight horizontal of river terraces. The climate is extreme with frost prone with scorching dry summers, therefore planting is limited. The wind is a prevailing north westerly and the importance of views are they two key factors o consider whens designing a landscape in Wanaka.
"THE WIND IS A FACT OF LIFE HERE THAT YOU HAVE TO ALLOW FOR. YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE OUTDOOR FURNITURE THAT DOESN'T BLOW AWAY AND AVOID THINGS LIKE UMBRELLAS THAT FLAP".
Wanaka's existing established trees cape i mostly of exotic species. The huge historic poplars of Albert Town at roughly 100 years old are nearing the end of their lives and need to be replanted. Wanaka is a clean slate in terms of expressing its own individual character and it's important that council regulations get it right. While Wanaka's District Plan is ideally designed to preserve its character, anomalies happen such as surrounding a house so that it appears stranded in the centre as if its inside a moat. Most clients are seeking low maintenance landscaping, partly because so many houses are holiday homes and therefore are empty a lot of the time, and in their spare time they do not wish to work on the garden, but prefer to be out enjoying the outdoor life. However managing low maintenance gardening is not easy as geologically, the soil is very silty and gravelly.
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