The Huddleston

Head to these delightfully whimsical gardens, and you can’t help but notice an airship bobbing in the breeze, looking as though it recently crashed within a thicket of trees.

The Huddleston is one of the newest editions to the sprawling themed gardens at Hamilton Gardens. It’s usually tethered near the Concept Garden, adding a nostalgic, steampunk flair to the greenery that harkens back to a time when steam powered the world.

But the strange attraction is more than just an eye-catching blimp. It actually appears to contain fully functioning pieces of equipment. Stuffed full of gardening gadgets and gizmos, the aircraft looks like it could glide above the hedges at night, delivering plants and mulch to hard-to-reach places.

The patch of land the airship floats above is a concept garden inspired by map legends and two Maori proverbs. To enter the garden, visitors must walk through a gateway that looks like an enormous yellow wardrobe.