Time to get your Hamilton Gardens entry pass

Wednesday, 21 August 2024

MyGardens Pass is free for locals who want to visit Hamilton Gardens

Although Hamiltonians can still enter their beloved Gardens for free, the technologically inept of us may feel daunted by the idea of signing up for the entry pass.

Fortunately, the whole process is designed to allow for absolute ease and convenience, says Hamilton City Council’s director of Hamilton Gardens Lucy Ryan.

“For us, our measure of success is just that things are easy. So we’ve made this so anyone can do it,” Ryan said.

“You can do it online, or you can come straight to the garden and head to the ticket booth, or inside of the information centre, and do it there as well.”

Waikato Times reporter Sarah Morcom visited the Gardens to get the inside info on how to apply for a My GardensPass.

Once Hamiltonians have applied for their My GardenPass, either online or in person, they will need to bring proof of address and a photo ID to the Gardens to receive it.

Hamilton City Council’s director of Hamilton Gardens Lucy Ryan said council wants to make sure the process of getting into the Gardens is still as easy as it ever was.

The pass can be printed off, and can also be digitally added to Google Wallet or Apple Pay. From there, Hamilton visitors will no longer need proof of address or ID when visiting, only their pass.

“You can also register your whole family,” Ryan said.

An artist’s impression of the Gallagher Visitor Centre, set to open publicly from September 18.

“So if you've got children, you can register your whole household on one pass, which makes life really easy.”

The passes are available for application from today. Ryan said that although it’s hard to know how many people will apply before September 18, there’s been a lot of interest already.

“When the information went out in the rates bill, over 7000 people scanned the QR code to find out how to apply,” she said.

The Hamilton Gardens has been gaining increased international traction, and was named in the top 1% of “things to do” in the world in TripAdvisor’s 2024 Travellers’ Choice Awards.

“So there’s definitely an interest there. Ideally for us, we’d have as many people sign up in the next month as possible, so that when it starts on the 18th, we won’t have massive queues.”

Extra staff will be on site to make sure the process is seamless, but Ryan said she doesn’t think there will be an issue.

“People will be able to just rock on up to the gate, walk on in, and their experience won’t really change from what it's always been in the Gardens. The last thing we want is for people to have to queue up every time.”

My GardenPasses can be collected from the ticket booths outside the new Gallagher Visitor Centre. Out-of-town visitors will have to pay, but can get an annual pass. The annual pass will ordinarily be $50, but is going for $39 until the end of the year.

Each My GardenPass will need to be renewed every two years, and annual passes will need to be renewed one year from the date of redemption.

10% discounts will be given to those holding SuperGold, Community Services, or student ID cards.