Just over the Ewen Bridge and swinging left through the roundabout into central Hutt City is one of the most pleasant entrances to any city in the country.

Having always prided itself on its gardens – and the lush floodplains of the Hutt Valley are ideal – Hutt City can afford to put on a display of floral magnificence almost any time of the year. There are few better examples of pristine and organized flower beds than at the southern end of Queens Drive as you enter the CBD.

Cinerarias, pansies, calendulas, carnations – they all display a riot of colour and are meticulously cared for by local council contractors. Only when the beds are being replaced with seasonal variations does the colour disappear, but only briefly.

The lawns behind the flowers provide the perfect contrast, although summer heat and necessary water restrictions can occasionally brown them off. The lawns lead into Riddiford Gardens, just behind the city council offices.

As a backdrop are two landmark Hutt buildings – the War Memorial Library and the Lower Hutt Little Theatre. Both have been recently renovated to provide residents with up-to-date facilities.

A point of interest outside the library is a marble memorial to local servicemen who died in battle from the beginning of the Second World War in 1939 through to the end of the Vietnam War in 1972.

Take a look at ‘Place Finder’ Hutt City.