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Percy Scenic Reserve (Percy's Reserve) is a public botanic garden in New Zealand with a collection of sub-alpine, offshore island and coastal New Zealand native plants. It is located in Lower Hutt's suburb of Korokoro.

Overview
Percy Scenic Reserve is a public botanic garden in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Entry is free, and is open daily between sunrise and sunset. Located only 2.8 km from the Lower Hutt city centre, at 107 Western Hutt Road, it has many gardens, a mill pond, a network of short tracks, a replica waterwheel, a wētā cave, an extensive collection of New Zealand native plants, and public restrooms.

Wheelchair-friendly paths run from the lower carpark to the information displays, the picnic areas, the waterwheel and up along the front of the duck pond. A step-free path runs around the duck pond.

Percy Scenic Reserve is owned by the Department of Conservation and managed by the Hutt City Council.

To get to Percy Scenic Reserve, you can either drive from the city and park at the lower public car park at the Dowse Drive entrance, or take the No 150 bus from Queensgate shopping centre. Public parking is also available off Stanhope Grove.

History
The Hutt Valley was originally covered with podocarp broadleaf forest. Percy Scenic Reserve was predominantly covered in lowland forest of Tawa/Kohekohe. When the region was colonized by Europeans, trees were removed for timber, and to create farmland.

The Percy Family
On the 23rd of February 1842, Joseph Hewlett Percy and his wife Esther Percy and their children arrived in Wellington from Dorset on the vessel Clifton.

In 1851 the commission to resolve European land titles deriving from pre-annexation land purchase granted Joseph Hewlett Percy 18.75 acre, and Joseph Henry Percy 6.25 acre at the current site. The Percy mill was erected on the Percy land holding. In 1855 Joseph Hewlett Percy is granted permission to lease land along Korokoro stream for a flour mill Clifton ..

The original lease deed shows that Percy Scenic reserve used to extend into what is currently the motorway, the railway and dwellings, and was previously wetland.


 * Joseph Hewlett Percy (born 1 Mar 1797 Dorset, England; died 20 Oct 1864 Petone, Lower Hutt, New Zealand; aged 67)


 * Joseph Henry Percy (born 26 Nov 1821 Dorset, England; died 14 Mar 1886 Lower Hutt, New Zealand; aged 64) Joseph Jr. He is buried at Christ Church Cemetery in Taita.

Three of Joseph Jr.'s sons stayed on the property and continue to develop the amenity gardens, orchards and a market garden.
 * William Alfred Percy (1854–1935)
 * Walter John Percy (1860–1934)
 * Arthur Welch Percy (1865–1939)

Following the death of Arthur Percy in 1937, other property was acquired by the Crown in 1939.

The Percy Mill
Joseph Hewlett Percy and his son Joseph Henry Percy (Joseph Jr.) ran a flour mill at Percy Scenic Reserve from the early 1850s. It is suspected that the mill was no longer in operation by 1872.

The mill was eventually raised by fire on the 22nd of October 1945.



Percy Gardens
During Joseph Jr.'s time on the property, the gardens were developed and used by members of the public for occasional walks and community events. The property was occupied continuously by members of the Percy family until 1939. The property became the aesthetic and experimental backdrop in the lives of William, Walter and Arthur Percy who lived in the mill until the late 1930s.

“Ratanui”
Between 1882 and 1907 Sir James Hector and his family owned land immediately southwest of Percy Scenic Reserve. Hector’s land was known as “Ratanui”. James Hector was a scientist and a senior public servant. Hector received many awards and honours and a number of native species, memorials, landmarks and geographical features are named after him.

Percy Scenic Reserve
Following the death of Arthur Percy in 1939, the remaining property was acquired by the Crown in 1939 and Keith Beddie was appointed as caretaker of the Percy Block. The site was gazetted as Scenic Reserve 20th March 1941.

Members of the New Zealand Plant Preservation Society Incorporated gave significant assistance to the reserve. Since its official opening in 1949 by the Deputy Prime Minister Walter Nash, the site was operated as a scenic reserve by the Petone Borough Council. The operation was inherited by the Hutt City Council following local government amalgamation in 1989. The Wellington Botanical Society have a close association with Percy Scenic Reserve.

In 2013 the Department of Conservation, with assistance from the Hutt City Council, acquired the some of the land previously owned by Sir James Hector from the New Zealand Transport Agency.

Native Botanic Gardens
Percy Scenic Reserve is classified as a scenic reserve under the NZ reserves act 1977 for the preservation of it's gardens and it's native bush.

The Percy Scenic Reserve collections contain about ~500 species, hybrids and cultivars. The plants are arranged collections, including an alpine garden, a fernery, hebe and flax cultivars, a large rock garden, grass and sedge species, and a coastal garden. The plants have been grown from cuttings or seeds relocated from their original habitats. The collection is used for conservation, education and research.

Park Attractions
The information panels provide information about the collections of New Zealand's flora, and provides further information on Percy Scenic Reserve as well. The rock garden is open for tours and contains displays, information and seating for visiting groups.

Conservation
A constant theme in the reserve biography has been its role as both and in-situ and ex-situ field for indigenous plant propagation, experimentation and preservation. The first dedicated threatened plants garden was completed in 1996. Up until this time pants had been informally woven into the fabric of the lower reserve in small numbers. To coincide with this new planting regime and to address theft and vandalism concerns it was considered prudent to institute an insurance planting policy where at least on spare plant of each species as planted either in the nursery, reserve or around council’s gardens. A number of threatened species were propagated at Percy Scenic Reserve in sufficient numbers to plant into suburban street gardens, particularly around Petone. Success stories include propagation of Euphorbia glauca and Muehlenbeckia astonii.

Forest trails and walking tracks
There are walks and trails within the forest and gardens to suit a range of ages and abilities.

Good walking footwear and appropriate clothing for the weather conditions is recommended. Walking tracks can be slippery after wet weather. The walking times provided are a guide only.


 * Dowse Track
 * Jasmine Link
 * Puriri Link
 * Rata Track
 * Rimu Track
 * Stanhope Track
 * Tawa Track
 * Waterfall Track

Fauna
Native birds seen (and/or heard) at Percy Scenic Reserve include kereru, tui, and New Zealand fantail (piwakawaka). There are also yellowhammer and mallards

Cave wētā and common skinks are also present.

Overview
Percy Scenic Reserve is a public botanic garden in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Entry is free, and is open daily between sunrise and sunset. Located only 2.8 km from the Lower Hutt city centre, at 107 Western Hutt Road, it has many gardens, a mill pond, a network of short tracks, a replica waterwheel, a wētā cave, an extensive collection of New Zealand native plants, and public restrooms.

Wheelchair-friendly paths run from the lower carpark to the information displays, the picnic areas, the waterwheel and up along the front of the duck pond. A step-free path runs around the duck pond.

Percy Scenic Reserve is owned by the Department of Conservation and managed by the Hutt City Council.

To get to Percy Scenic Reserve, you can either drive from the city and park at the lower public car park at the Dowse Drive entrance, or take the No 150 bus from Queensgate shopping centre. Public parking is also available off Stanhope Grove.

History
The Hutt Valley was originally covered with podocarp broadleaf forest. Percy Scenic Reserve was predominantly covered in lowland forest of Tawa/Kohekohe. When the region was colonized by Europeans, trees were removed for timber, and to create farmland.

The Percy Family
On the 23rd of February 1842, Joseph Hewlett Percy and his wife Esther Percy and their children arrived in Wellington from Dorset on the vessel Clifton.

In 1851 the commission to resolve European land titles deriving from pre-annexation land purchase granted Joseph Hewlett Percy 18.75 acre, and Joseph Henry Percy 6.25 acre at the current site. The Percy mill was erected on the Percy land holding. In 1855 Joseph Hewlett Percy is granted permission to lease land along Korokoro stream for a flour mill Clifton.

The original lease deed shows that Percy Scenic reserve used to extend into what is currently the motorway, the railway and dwellings, and was previously wetland.


 * Joseph Hewlett Percy (born 1 Mar 1797 Dorset, England; died 20 Oct 1864 Petone, Lower Hutt, New Zealand; aged 67)


 * Joseph Henry Percy (born 26 Nov 1821 Dorset, England; died 14 Mar 1886 Lower Hutt, New Zealand; aged 64) Joseph Jr. He is buried at Christ Church Cemetery in Taita.

Three of Joseph Jr.'s sons stayed on the property and continue to develop the amenity gardens, orchards and a market garden.
 * William Alfred Percy (1854–1935)
 * Walter John Percy (1860–1934)
 * Arthur Welch Percy (1865–1939)

Following the death of Arthur Percy in 1937, other property was acquired by the Crown in 1939.

The Percy Mill
Joseph Hewlett Percy and his son Joseph Henry Percy (Joseph Jr.) ran a flour mill at Percy Scenic Reserve from the early 1850s. It is suspected that the mill was no longer in operation by 1872.

The mill was eventually raised by fire on the 22nd of October 1945.



Percy Gardens
During Joseph Jr.'s time on the property, the gardens were developed and used by members of the public for occasional walks and community events. The property was occupied continuously by members of the Percy family until 1939.

“Ratanui”
Between 1882 and 1907 Sir James Hector and his family owned land immediately southwest of Percy Scenic Reserve. Hector’s land was known as “Ratanui”. James Hector was a scientist and a senior public servant. Hector received many awards and honours and a number of native species, memorials, landmarks and geographical features are named after him.

Percy Scenic Reserve
Following the death of Arthur Percy, the acquired by the Crown in 1939 and Keith Beddie was appointed as caretaker of the Percy Block. The site was gazetted as Scenic Reserve 20th March 1941. The reserve was officially opened in 1949 by the Deputy Prime Minister Walter Nash.

Native Botanic Gardens
Percy Scenic Reserve is classified as a scenic reserve under the NZ reserves act 1977 for the preservation of it's gardens and it's native bush.

The Percy Scenic Reserve collections contain about ~500 species, hybrids and cultivars. The plants are arranged collections including; The alpine collection, the Druce collection, and the offshore islands collection. Many of the plants have been grown from cuttings or seeds relocated from their original habitats. The collection is used for conservation, education and research.

Park Attractions
The information panels provide information about the collections of New Zealand's flora, and provides further information on Percy Scenic Reserve as well. The rock garden is open for tours and contains displays, information and seating for visiting groups.

Forest trails and walking tracks
There are walks and trails within the forest and gardens to suit a range of ages and abilities.

Good walking footwear and appropriate clothing for the weather conditions is recommended. Walking tracks can be slippery after wet weather.

Fauna
Native birds seen (and/or heard) at Percy Scenic Reserve include kereru, tui, and New Zealand fantail (piwakawaka). There are also yellowhammer and mallards

Cave wētā and common skinks are also present.