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An international artist and owner of the Bird Gardens in Whitford, Blake Twigden is a colourful character.. full of stories about his travels to the Galapagos ( also on my list of wishes) and jungles full of exotic birds.
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The gardens are away from the hustle and bustle of Auckland. It's one of those, 'blink and you've missed it' tiny villages. Anyway, tucked away here is a sub-tropical paradise for pheasants, finches, ducks, turtles and fish. The birds are all incredibly tame and come when called!
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Blake's paintings are on display in the entrance and the use of light and colour is incredible. Then, when you step into the aviary, the birds themselves look unreal!
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A boardwalk leads you through the trail of birds and water dragons, pools and deadly plants, bright orange, yellow and multi coloured birds, fluffing themselves around the nectar pots.
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The Bird Gardens have been around for 17 years.however it has only opened to the public two years ago.Part of the tour is a visit to his studio, where he's busy painting sea birds against electric blues and greens on silver leaf !
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