It’s a long, hot drive from Whangarei to Hamilton in late summer, and I was well and truly ready for a cup of tea and a light something by the time I got to Hamilton Gardens, in the city’s south.

I was giving a talk in the gardens’ conference centre that evening, with dinner included, and I wanted to sit quietly somewhere for a while and work on my presentation. And drink tea, of course.

My marks out of 10?

CUP 5: Pretty but heavy.

TEA 7.5: Good, but the pot was too small, and I had to order a second to satisfy my thirst.

SETTING 9: Idyllic – just look at the photo. A brilliant place to wind down, cool down and refresh.

Hamilton Gardens, Hungerford Crescent, Hamilton.