A quarry on Mt Eden, abandoned in 1928, was later purchased by a city businessman, Sir Frank Mappin, as an addition to his neighbouring estate. When, in 1962, Sir Frank presented his home to the nation as a vice-regal residence, the Government of the day rejected the old quarry, not as an overgrown wilderness, but as an eyesore and an embarrassment. Two years later, a far-sighted horticulturist, Mr Jack Clark, with fifteen fellow enthusiasts, took on the task of converting it into a garden. What you see today is the result of his vision.

Developed by volunteer workers who give freely of their time to maintain established areas and plan and work on further development, Eden Garden is now a national showplace. (Most of the Garden paths you tread commemorate Society members, prominent in that development.) Today, the 5.5-acre (2.25-hectare) Garden features mature trees and flowering shrubs, with splendid collections of camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons.