Aston Norwood Gardens in Kaitoke north of Upper Hutt was established in 1994 when owners Mark and Fiona Rammell acquired a former dairy farm and incrementally set about transforming the bare paddocks into gardens, a plant nursery and garden centre, wedding/function venue, cafe and guest accommodation.

Inspired by a visit to Kyoto, Japan, during hanami or flower watching season, they planted avenues of flowering cherry trees and today, the mass plantings of 350 Prunus Awanui cherry trees with their striking soft pink blossom are the star of the show.

The prolifically-flowering trees prompted the ticketed annual spring event Blossom Valley which has gained momentum through social media channels and been a complete sell-out – even through pandemic-disrupted times – and photographers have flocked to capture the sight of the flowering trees.

The entire property is loosely based on a Japanese garden theme, with landscape and water features and thousands of maples, rhododendrons, azaleas, and camellias in formal and semi-formal plantings, and a protected bird community.

Held in two separate titles, Aston Norwood is located at 1747 and 1757 State Highway 2, Kaitoke.

The busy, prominent and highly visible State Highway 2 location offers extensive profile and branding opportunities for the property and its associated business arms.

The land, buildings and multiple business offerings are being sold with vacant possession through Bhakti Mistry and Fraser Press, Bayleys Wellington Commercial via tender closing 4pm Wednesday, 7th December.

The buildings include the turnkey-operational function centre and café incorporating a three-bedroom apartment, along with five self-contained chalets and a four-bedroom home.

The Aston Norwood Nursery focuses on growing plants that are well suited to the harsh climate of the Wellington region and the centre also currently provides a variety of landscaping and garden design services.

Mistry said the Rammells are motivated vendors who, having owned the property for 28 years, have taken it as far as they are willing to, and are now seeking a change of direction.

“With all the fundamental infrastructure and beautifully-established gardens providing a stellar foundation, a forward-thinking owner-occupier could take the property and its various business strands to the next level,” she said.

“We believe an owner-operator will think with their heart as well as their head when viewing this property – and it’s easy to see it as a forever home, work and income opportunity.

“Post-pandemic, returning expats and indeed many New Zealanders are looking to effectively ‘buy’ themselves a future and while highly successful under current ownership, Aston Norwood still has exciting untapped potential waiting to be realised.”

While visitors have been enjoying the cherry blossom spectacular since 2018, on the back of sponsorship from Wellington NZ, the innovative Blossom Valley branded-event debuted in 2021 with attendee numbers doubling year-on-year, and Mistry said this momentum can be leveraged.

“Blossom Valley was one of the most popular events on Wellington’s 2022 spring calendar, receiving strong website traffic and seeing more than 34,000 visitors through the gates in just one month.

“That’s an incredible achievement, reflecting the passion and commitment of the owners and the event could be widened even further to highlight these impressive blossoming cherry trees.

“The popular Blossom Valley After Dark experience could come back even bigger and better again in 2023, and the new owner of the property will recognise the inherent potential and either take on the event themselves as part of Aston Norwood’s wider operations, or engage experienced event managers to oversee an expanded event.

“Additionally, because the gardens as a whole are lovely all year-around, there is scope to add additional seasonal events to the schedule – such as Christmas lights or Easter festivities in the grounds – or as an attraction for the likes of rest-home residents or school groups.”

The substantial European-styled function and café venue is already a destination in itself, but could also be ramped up under fresh ownership, said Mistry.

“As the property is being sold without operational leases in place, there’s real potential there to reinvigorate the offering, and with forward bookings for more than 10 weddings, a new owner could hit the ground running with an established base to springboard off.

“The building has an upstairs family-sized apartment suitable for a resident manager and the self-contained chalets are a great business add-on, enjoying up to 80 percent occupancy through direct booking or via third part booking websites in recent years.”

The function rooms comprise the Remutaka and the Gatsby rooms, each individually catering for specific requirements, and with the Gatsby space seating up to 180 guests, while the fully-licensed café seats 50 people but can additionally open into the Remutaka Room when required.

The property is also set up to cater to corporate groups, offering team-building events based around archery, petanque, and clay shooting.

A comprehensive array of chattels will be included in the sale including furniture, an extensive wine cellar and everything required to service a busy event centre.

Kaitoke is at the northern end of the Hutt Valley, 45 kilometres northeast of Wellington City and six kilometres from the northern end of the Upper Hutt urban area.

The Hutt River has its source to the north of Kaitoke, and Kaitoke Regional Park was the filming location for exterior shots of Rivendell for the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Click here for more information on the listing.