Princely touch in Tupare art exhibition

12 November 2009
Botanical artist Susan Worthington's work has won an appreciative audience straddling social and geographic boundaries - from everyday Kiwi postage-stamp users to the royal patron of an exquisite publication which features three of her paintings.

And with her work to be exhibited at Tupare in New Plymouth later this month, Taranaki people have an opportunity to see why the Stratford-born artist is so highly regarded.

Worthington's Plant Portraits will be on show from 22 to 29 November in a most apt setting - the beautifully restored Chapman-Taylor home amidst Tupare's lush, landscaped grounds and gardens.

Also on display for the first day of the exhibition (22 November) will be a copy of Volume 2 of the Highgrove Florilegium, a painstakingly produced publication featuring work by Worthington and other leading botanical artists depicting for historical record the plants that grow in Prince Charles' organic garden at Highgrove, England. The Prince has signed each copy of the Florilegium, which sells for £11,000 a copy. Proceeds go to his charities.

Worthington was initially asked to submit one work for the Florilegium. Its editors deemed it "a most beautiful, sensitive and refined painting" and asked her to do two more. Two of her works depict rhododendrons, (R. 'Scarlet Wonder' and R. x ponticum 'Purple Splendour') with plants from Pukeiti used as "models". Her third painting is of an English horse chestnut.

In a more everyday setting, Worthington's work also appeared in a 2004 stamp issue by NZ Post. The set included this country's first "scratch and sniff" stamps, which featured her paintings of Magnolia 'Vulcan' bred by the late Tikorangi horticulturalist Felix Jury, and Rhododendron 'Charisma' grown at Pukeiti.

Her botanical art has been exhibited throughout New Zealand and in Birmingham, Oxford, Kew, and London in the UK. She has been awarded four medals at Royal Horticultural Shows in London and Birmingham.

Worthington was also the artist in residence at Pukeiti during this year's Taranaki Rhododendron and Garden Festival.

Botanical art is an exacting discipline and has been enjoying a resurgence in recent years. To create the magic that is botanical illustration, the plant's flowers and leaves are measured and drawn accurately, leaving nothing out. After transferring the drawing to fine watercolour paper, the colours are carefully matched and deciding on the composition is the next step. As the artist is often working with dying models, there is sometimes not much time to record and paint a plant.

The Tupare exhibition will be open from noon to 4pm daily from Sunday 22 to Sunday 29 November, with Susan Worthington in attendance daily from 1.30pm to 2.30pm. Entry is free.

Tupare turns on charm for Labour Weekend

19 October 2009
Spring has brought colour and vigour to one of New Plymouth's premier heritage properties - and this holiday weekend will bring food and music to add to its charms.

Tupare, the stately house and landscaped gardens nestled alongside the Waiwhakaiho River at the top of Mangorei Road, is hosting the Taranaki Farmers Market on Saturday (24 October) from 9am to noon.

The quartet Six by Four will play Latin and classical music, and there'll also be tours of the Chapman-Taylor house. Gardens staff will give away heirloom pumpkin seed to children wanting to enter the "Not the Biggest Pumpkin Competition" which will culminate in May 2010 with a grand pumpkin festival at Hollard Gardens, Kaponga.

Both Tupare and Hollard Gardens are owned and administered by the Taranaki Regional Council on behalf of the people of the region. The holiday market day is part of an extensive programme of free public events at both properties - see www.tupare.info and www.hollardgardens.info for more information.

Both properties are open daily from 9am to 8pm. Entry is free.

Antiques Roadshow with green tinge

9 October 2009
From antique heirlooms to contemporary eco-care ... Tupare will have it all on Saturday (17 October).

To celebrate its extended summer opening hours, the New Plymouth heritage property will host an Antiques Roadshow starting at 4pm, with classic motorcycles also on display, live jazz in the garden and dinner on offer as a school fund-raiser.

Biodegradable plates and utensils will be used, so they can be composted to help feed Tupare's extensive landscaped gardens.

"We held and Antiques Roadshow at Tupare last spring and it proved most popular," says Greg Rine, Regional Gardens Manager for the Taranaki Regional Council, which owns and administers Tupare.

"It's not only about getting heirlooms and other precious items valued, but also learning about their social and cultural background. Last time, people went away with a wealth of information."

Specialists from Webb's, the Auckland auctioneers, will run the roadshow. There will be a charge of $2 an item (maximum of four), and proceeds will go to Fitzroy Rotary Club community projects. Jewellery and paintings will not be assessed.

The New Plymouth Classic Motorcycle Club is organizing the bike display, Mangorei School is preparing the food and Fitzroy Rotarians are providing refreshments.

Mr Rine says the event celebrates spring and the fact that Tupare's opening hours have been extended three hours to 8pm.

"The property's looking great and well worth a visit at any time," he says. Tupare is on Mangorei Road, near Mangorei School.

Saturday's Antiques Roadshow is part of a series of events at Tupare and at Hollard Gardens, the other heritage property owned and administered by the Taranaki Regional Council on behalf of the people of the region. For more information, see this website's events page, and the Hollard Gardens website.

Both properties are open daily from 9am. Enry is free.

What makes a great garden?

7 September 2009
What makes a great garden? That was the question posed by Tupare's Senior Gardener, Mitch Graham, at a workshop covering the 'Foundations of a Landscaped Garden' last Sunday.

Some 50 people came down to Taranaki Regional Council heritage property to learn some of the practical considerations and artistic tricks of the trade. Whether you are establishing a new garden or redeveloping an old one, there are some simple recommendations to follow.

First, understand your land - its aspect, soil, topography, climate and views. In Taranaki we are lucky to have a benign climate, just the right amount of rain and great soils, particularly for the acid-loving plants such as those from the Ericaceae family.

Take a walk through your potential garden area and imagine the journey you wish your senses to take as it unfolds in front of you. Remember to notice the relationship between your house and garden, and use appropriate symmetry and scale. With this in mind, create a unified theme with the plants you like.

Rather than having a mish-mash of lots of random plants, Mitch recommends tying it all together with repeated "rhythms" of your one or two favourite plants to create consistency with "platforms". You can then add some architectural plants for impact. Balance can be achieved through this simplicity - both in your plant choices and your layout. Pay attention to plant textures and shapes as well as the colour arrangement. There are lots of books in the library, or the BBC has a good gardening website - http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/design/ - with garden plans, styles, advice, plant finder and lots of useful links.

Do you have an inescapable view of your neighbours' shed? An interesting trick is to "create a destination". This provides an opportunity to direct attention away from a distraction. Arts and Crafts-style gardens like Tupare have areas, or 'outdoor rooms', in which the visitor can really experience some peace or seek shelter and some privacy. This destination space in your garden could be a view, a pond, a piece of art, a mirror or a seat.

Saying all that, it is subjective. And in answer to his original question, Mitch says a great garden is one that brings the gardener pleasure.

The inside story on outdoor design

28 August 2009
The art of exterior decoration will be the focus of a free public workshop at Tupare, New Plymouth, on Sunday 6 September.

The workshop, called the Foundations of a Landscaped Garden, will draw on the successful design elements of the garden at Tupare, which is sculpted out of a hillside overlooking the Waiwhakaiho River.

Sir Russell Matthews and his family started developing Tupare eight decades ago, and the heritage property is now owned and managed by the Taranaki Regional Council on behalf of the people of the region.

The Council's Regional Gardens Manager, Greg Rine, says Tupare is a good example of how spaces have been used to the best effect.

"This is the key to good design, whether you're looking for a modern or a classic look, or whether you're starting from scratch or rejuvenating an older garden."

The workshop will be led by Tupare's senior gardener, Mitch Graham, who will discuss the best ways to blend plantings, natural contours and built structures into an eye-pleasing garden design.

The two-hour workshop will begin at 10am on Sunday 6 August - meet at the gardener's cottage at Tupare, 487 Mangorei Road, New Plymouth.

The workshop is part of regular programme of events at Tupare and at Hollard Gardens, the other Taranaki Regional Council heritage property. For more information, see this website's events page, and the Hollard Gardens website.

Both Tupare and Hollard Gardens are open from 9am to 5pm daily. Entry is free.

Tupare in focus for photography workshop

18 May 2009
If you want to take better photos, where better to learn than one of Taranaki’s most picturesque heritage properties?

Tupare, on Mangorei Road on the outskirts of New Plymouth, will be the venue for a free photography workshop at 10am on 31 May. The two-hour session will be hosted by the New Plymouth Photography Club and the Stratford Camera Club.

The workshop comes as nature puts on a spectacular autumn display in the landscaped grounds of Tupare, one of two heritage properties owned and administered by the Taranaki Regional Council on behalf of the people of the region.

“Tupare has long been a favourite subject for photographers, professional and amateur alike,” says the Council’s Regional Gardens Manager, Greg Rine.

“It has a lot to offer in any season. Right now as autumn deepens, we’ve got stunning contrasts as the rich vibrancy of the deciduous trees gives way to skeletal forms as the leaves fall, amazing light and shadow. These all lend themselves to great photography.”

To create an additional potential picture subject on the day, people with pre-1975 vehicles will be able to park them on the tennis court next to the house at Tupare.

Mr Rine expects much interest in the workshop, as cameras have become both more sophisticated and more affordable. The workshop will take place regardless of the weather, and hot refreshments will be provided.

Hollard Gardens and Tupare invite eaters for Easter

27 March 2009
A tasty Easter is in store for Taranaki with food-related free events at two of the region’s premier heritage properties. They are:

Taranaki Farmers Market making its first outing to Tupare in Mangorei Road, New Plymouth, on Easter Saturday (11 April).

A workshop focusing on edible ornamental plants, to be held at Hollard Gardens, Kaponga, on Easter Sunday (12 April).

The events are being organised by the Taranaki Regional Council, which owns and administers both properties on behalf of the people of the region.

“Hosting the Taranaki Farmers Market at Tupare on Easter Saturday gives people an opportunity to enjoy local produce and craft in a unique and beautiful setting,” says the Council’s Regional Gardens Manager, Greg Rine. “There’ll be a mobility shuttle from the gates to the market stalls on the tennis court, and the Friends of Tupare will run free tours of the Tupare house.

“It will be the last chance to look through the house until next spring, as our regular programme of weekend house tours ends on 31 March and will resume on 1 October.”

The event will run from 9am to noon.

Those with a taste for fresh produce won’t want to miss the Hollard Gardens Easter Sunday workshop, which will run from 3pm to 6pm.

“We’ll be highlighting ornamental plants that have other surprising uses,” says Mr Rine. “In fact, we’ll be eating and drinking plants from the garden.”

Workshop participants are invited to bring produce from their own garden for a shared tea, which will also feature dishes prepared from plants at Hollard Gardens.

The workshop will end with an opportunity to look for glow-worms as darkness falls, and as at previous Hollard Gardens workshops, participants are also invited to bring seed and other plant material to share.

Both Easter events are part of a year-long programme at Hollard Gardens and Tupare.

See the Hollard Gardens events page and the Tupare events page.

How to measure pulse of big city river

4 February 2009
Insects, crustaceans, worms and snails will be on the menu for a public workshop at Tupare, on the banks of the Waiwhakaiho River in New Plymouth, on Sunday, 15 February.

Not for the eating, though. There’ll be barbecued bangers to ease any inner pangs as workshop participants learn how the Waiwhakaiho’s tiniest inhabitants can reveal much about the river’s health.

The free, hands-on workshop will be led by Taranaki Regional Council education and scientific staff who will explain and demonstrate well-established techniques for assessing a waterway’s quality by studying the type and number of invertebrates living in it.

“The Waiwhakaiho is one of the largest rivers to flow off Mount Taranaki and it flows through the region’s biggest urban area, so this is a good chance for people to get to know it better,” says the Council’s Regional Gardens Manager, Greg Rine.

“Health and well-being is a hot topic for many people these days; this is an opportunity to extend that interest into the health and well-being of the environment we live in.”

Participants will need suitable footwear for the river ecology workshop, which will run from 5pm to 8pm on the Tupare river flat.

Tupare is a premier heritage property that features a house designed by James Chapman-Taylor and stunningly landscaped grounds developed by Sir Russell Matthews.

The river ecology workshop is part of a year-long schedule of public events at Tupare and at Hollard Gardens, Kaponga, another heritage property owned and managed by the Taranaki Regional Council on behalf of the people of the region.

Taranaki falling under Tupare's spell

8 January 2009
It’s a house with plenty of stories to tell – and Taranaki people are flocking to hear them.

Hundreds have taken advantage of free tours of the former Matthews homestead at Tupare, the heritage property on Mangorei Road, New Plymouth, in the three months since refurbishments were unveiled.

The tours have been running at 11am on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays since mid-October, with queues forming during an Antiques Roadshow that launched the refurbishments and hundreds more visiting during the Taranaki Rhododendron and Garden Festival. On peak days during the festival, multiple house tours were run to cater for 50 or 60 people.

Formal tallies have been kept since the end of November, with 270 more people ushered through the house by volunteers from the Friends of Tupare.

The volunteer guides say visitors appreciate having access to all areas of the Chapman-Taylor-designed house, as similar attractions in other places usually have many rooms roped off.

Visitors also appreciate Tupare’s stunningly landscaped grounds, originally developed by the Matthews family and also newly revamped in a major project by the Taranaki Regional Council, which now owns and manages the property on behalf of the people of the region. Nearly 8,600 people have visited Tupare since the refurbishments were completed in October.

“The feedback to the volunteers confirms our belief that Tupare is one of Taranaki’s heritage jewels,” says the Council’s Regional Gardens Manager, Greg Rine. “An important aim of the refurbishment project was to give visitors to the house an authentic insight into the work of James Chapman-Taylor, the vision of Sir Russell Matthews, and the lifestyles of their era.”

Chapman-Taylor, the renowned “arts and crafts” architect, designed the house for Matthews in 1932. Unusually for the architect, though, he relinquished control of its construction to Matthews, who had firm ideas about what he wanted. Construction took 12 years.

The result was a unique stately home with the unmistakeable Chapman-Taylor stamp but also reflecting the dreams and aspirations of the innovative Matthews, whose accomplishments included laying the first bitumen road in New Zealand.

“Many of those taking the house tours have some knowledge of the Matthews family and are thrilled to see the home as it was in its heyday,” says Mr Rine.

“Tupare was considered an important house in New Plymouth and many local people were very proud to have it in the city. The Matthews were considered to be very prominent people in the city, and people took an interest in the house.

“There are a multitude of stories. The Matthews’ guests over the years included Roger Whittaker, Joy Adamson, Alistair Cooke, Sir Roy Jack and Lloyd Geering. Many of the visitors were connected to the oil industry and Ivon Watkins, the chemical company Russell Matthews had helped finance. Americans involved with the International Harvester agency Sir Russell had were frequent visitors, as were people connected with his horticultural interests.

“There were many parties in the house, the liveliest of them involving Australian and American oil explorers based in Taranaki at the time.”

The house tours, at 11am on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, continue until 31 March, and will resume in October. There is no charge.

Also proving popular is the refurbished Hollard Gardens, a heritage property at Kaponga that is also owned and managed by the Council. Nearly 5,000 visitors have passed through the gatehouse since its refurbishments were unveiled at the end of October.

New features at the gardens include a children’s play area and free barbecue, an events pavilion and interpretive material that reflects the character of Bernie Hollard, the renowned plantsman who developed the 4.5 ha grounds starting in 1927.

Both Hollard Gardens and Tupare are open from 9am to 5pm daily. Entry is free.

Friendly faces sought for Tupare

10 November 2008
Taranaki people are being given the opportunity for an up-close-and-personal involvement with Tupare, the newly refurbished heritage property on Mangorei Road, New Plymouth.

New members will be welcome at a meeting of the newly rejuvenated Friends of Tupare group on Wednesday, 19 November, at 7.30pm at the property, which is owned and managed by the Taranaki Regional Council on behalf of the people of the region.

The Council’s Regional Gardens Manager, Greg Rine, sees the Friends group as crucial to Tupare’s future as a premier heritage attraction.

The Friends volunteers will be ambassadors for Tupare and get the benefit of training in hosting visitors and access to the extensive botanical and historical information about the property.

Friends of Tupare will host visitors and lead tours of the house and information centre, support charity fundraising events and assist with garden workshops.

Click here for more information

Tupare to be celebrated in all its splendour

15 October 2008
Major refurbishments at a historic New Plymouth property will be celebrated in appropriate style this weekend.

Jazz, vintage cars and an Antiques Roadshow will be features of a free Garden Fair at Tupare this Saturday, 18 October. People can bring up to four items to be valued (no jewellery or paintings), with a $2 fee per item going to charity.

The Garden Fair will mark the completion of a project designed to extend Tupare’s appeal beyond the attractive gardens and beautiful vistas it has long been known for.

Food and crafts will also be on offer at the Mangorei Road property – along with an authentic taste of life in the mid 20th Century heyday of the two prominent and strong-willed men who shaped its original development.

James Chapman-Taylor, the renowned “arts and crafts” architect, designed Tupare’s stylish house for businessman Sir Russell Matthews in 1932. Unusually for the architect, he relinquished control of its construction to Matthews, who had firm ideas about what he wanted.

Changes crept in over the ensuing years and now the property is owned and administered by the Taranaki Regional Council, which launched a renovation project in 2006 as it implemented a new management plan.

“We’ve taken out some of the later influences that have impacted on the house over the years,” says the Council’s Regional Gardens Manager, Greg Rine.

“Visitors can now get an authentic insight into the work of James Chapman-Taylor, the vision of Sir Russell Matthews, and the lifestyles of their era. It really cements Tupare as a cultural and historical attraction.

“As well as enjoying the superb grounds, visitors can get a feel for what life was like for the Matthews family back in the 1950s. This is certainly adding depth and character to the functions that the house is hired for. ‘Relive the Splendour’ is the perfect catchline for the new logo that’s been developed for Tupare.

“And as has always been the case, the property is open every day and remains free to visit.”

The work on the house was part of a wider project at Tupare, which also included major restoration work in the hillside property’s landscaped garden containing majestic trees, a water feature and extensive plantings in different settings. The cottage is now the interpretation centre for the property and a gathering point for garden workshops. The project also included a new car park and gatehouse, new paths and lookouts and a new glasshouse.

As well as the new logo, Tupare also boasts a new website – www.tupare.info.

Saturday’s Garden Fair at the property follows a small formal launch function today (15 October).

A similar refurbishment project at the Taranaki Regional Council’s other heritage property, Hollard Gardens near Kaponga, will be celebrated with Farmers Markets during the Taranaki Garden and Rhododendron Festival.