Cherry Blossom Festival

Overview

See in spring with a picnic beneath blossoming cherry trees in an idyllic zen garden setting. The Zen Garden Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the age-old Japanese tradition of picnicking under a blooming sakura with friends and family.

The Zen Garden, designed and built according to the architecture and gardens of Japan’s ancient capital Kyoto, offers the perfect setting for sakura. Tucked away between rolling hills in the Whitford countryside, this private lodge is home to kauri forests, water features, Japanese gardens and sweeping hilltop views across the Waitemata to Rangitoto Island and the distant city.

There's something for everyone at the Zen Garden Cherry Blossom Festival; food, music, workshops and beautiful grounds for an afternoon stroll. The line-up of east-meets-west music includes traditional instruments—Taiko drums, Shamisens (Japanese guitars) and bamboo flute—plus the more contemporary. Also on offer are arts and culture demonstrations and workshops. Test your skills as a swordsman (or woman) or try your hand at martial arts and ink painting. As for the food lovers , you can be assured of all your Eastern cuisine favourites.

Tickets include some food vouchers for the festival. More Zen Yen can be purchased from the official “currency exchange store” at Zen Garden on the day.