Ever since I started to collect house plants, I have also developed a new appreciation for gardens. The Wellington Botanical Gardens is my favourite lunch spot whenever I go into the office. When I discovered the Aston Norwood gardens, which is also named “Wellington’s best-kept secret”, I was really stoked. The gardens are in Kaitoke, which is about a 30-minute drive from Petone, so it’s my favourite day trip on the weekend.

Autumn has finally come to Wellington. But the thing about Wellington is that it’s an evergreen city. There’s hardly any magnificent colour transition in Autumn. When I stumbled across Aston Norwoods gardens on Instagram, I was immediately drawn to their autumn photos, instead of their famous cherry blossoms.

If I have to picture a perfect autumn day in my head, it would be exactly like last Saturday. The low fluffy clouds from the night before got burned off just before noon to reveal the bluest sky. George and I took a drive out to Aston Norwood gardens. It was luckily not too crowded so we could have the gardens to ourselves for the most part.

Autumn is definitely happening vividly at Aston Norwood. I was instantly blown away by the feast of colours - the warm gold, crimson and carmine, against the dark green backdrop.

This autumn day had my spirits soaring beyond the colourful boughs above. The brilliant shafts of sunlight caressed the carpet of scarlets and golds before me. Each and every corner I turned my camera to was a picturesque snap.

As we walked through the gardens, we stumbled across the garden residents enjoying their afternoon naps in the sun. It was a sight of utmost serenity.

On this brilliant autumn day, I found myself filled with gratitude. And I was reminded that it doesn’t take much to feel joy. It’s always the little things that bring the purest happiness.