Next March's Heroic Gardens Tour will feature 22 gorgeous gardens from all over Auckland – Piha to Pakuranga – and will raise money for Hospice NZ, say organizers. Now in its twelfth year, the Heroic Gardens Tour shows off spectacular gardenscapes created by green-thumbed LGBT Aucklanders, and is a popular cross-over event supported by the wider community. 2009's Heroic Gardens Tour will take place on the weekend of 7 and 8 March 2009. The slightly later timing means it will likely be outside the rest of this year's Hero Festival programme, with the organizers confirming it will not be part of Hero. Co-founded by The Fifth Season and the Gay Auckland Business Association, the event was started as a fund-raiser for Auckland City Mission's Herne Bay House, a respite and treatment centre for people living with HIV and AIDS. February 2008's Heroic Gardens raised $28,500 for Positive Women, Body Positive and the Cartier Bereavement Trust. 2009's tour continues the tradition of raising money for care of people challenged by illness – all money raised will go towards the nine hospices serving greater Auckland. Heroic Garden's co-organiser Wayne Deed says he's keen to hear from more people keen to volunteer to be 'gate guardians' at this year's event, directing tour-goers to the gardens. For further information on 2009's Heroic Gardens Tour and contact details, see the website linked below.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Monday, 17th November 2008 - 9:48am