TA roses for the Royals

2 April 2014A touch of Te Awamutu will feature in the upcoming Royal visit.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Cambridge on Saturday, April 12 before heading to the Avantidrome to meet some of New Zealand's recent Olympic medallists.

In Cambridge, the couple will lay roses at the war memorial near the Town Hall; roses which will have been freshly picked that morning from the Te Awamutu rose gardens.

The rose gardens were established in 1969 and were officially opened by the Queen's representative, Governor-General Sir Arthur Porritt. With more than 2,500 rose bushes and more than 50 different varieties of roses, the gardens attract thousands of visitors to the town each year.

Waipa District Council specifically asked the Department of Internal Affairs for permission to supply the roses from Te Awamutu and the officials in charge of the Royal visit readily agreed.

Te Awamutu has long been the rose town of New Zealand and that was quickly recognised. The best roses in the country are grown here so really it was a no-brainer, Mayor Jim Mylchreest said.

The Duke and Duchess will require just one long-stemmed rose each to lay at the memorial but council parks staff intend supplying a few extras on the day.

For up-to-date information on the royal visit to Cambridge, click here.

ends

Media enquiries only: Jeanette Tyrrell (on behalf of Council) 027 5077 599