The Cobourne Reserve is a wonderful place. Quiet and peaceful and full of growth. Everywhere you look in this 3 acre paradise there are plants and trees and bushes and bulbs of every shape and size. There are broad green areas suitable for a family picnic and swings and slides handy with soft landing in case a child falls. Over a year there would be about 10 weddings at the Reserve, numerous buses arriving full of visitors, tourists from all over the world call in to rest and admire the plants. Other gardening clubs come from around the area to see how the Cobourne Reserves plants are growing. Cameras click all the time. People can buy petrol and food and goods at the adjacent shop. Further on down a few hundred yards is the wonderful Port Waikato sunset beach. The beach is very beautiful but can be dangerous like many west coast beaches. Parental care is essential at the beach because of rips and currents. Bathing between the flags is the best safety precaution.
The Cobourne Reserve land was gifted to the community by Florence and Daphne Cobourne in 1983. A lot of work and preparations was done and from 1985 onwards plants were planted, trees and bushes planted , huge boulders carried and put where needed and all this work was done by a willing band of workers every Monday morning with a lovely morning tea assisted by Millie. Every Monday public holiday rain hail or snow the Cobourne Reserve volunteers turn up and look after the gardens. But mostly it is beautiful sunshine. You can see how wonderfully they do this by the photographs below. The picture at the top is a baby hipopotomas who lost his mother so he made friends with a 100 year old turtle.
These photos from albums kindly loaned by Wally Whyte and Dorothy Wrigley . Many thanks for the two aerial photos (Environment Waikato) and the road map from Auckland to Port Waikato ( Surf Forecast) and several photos from Weekend Gardener and much appreciated help from Franklin Council & staff and Keep NZ beautiful Society.
