Guided Bus Tour to Gibbs Sculpture Farm
Visit Gibbs Sculpture Farm with an experienced guide and art historian. Tour leaves Selwyn College 9am and returns between 3:30 and 4pm. Regretfully we cannot accept alternative travel arrangements. Reasonable mobility and fitness necessary for this walking tour. Read below dates for more detailed information. 2022 update - to date, no public dates have been available to organise a tour. We will continue to check for new dates.
Interested in attending any future dates of this course?
Register your interest now
Description
Take this rare opportunity to visit this amazing sculpture park, with works by key artists including Andy Goldsworthy, Chris Booth, Jeff Thompson, Marijke de Goey and Richard Serra. There are few better opportunities to engage directly with works of this size and calibre in the Southern Hemisphere.
Course dates
Tour dates will be added as tickets become available from the sculpture park. If no dates are published, please register your interest with the office and we will notify you of any new dates that become available.
About the Gibbs Farm Guided Bus Tour
This day trip by bus to the famous Gibbs Farm sculpture park on the shores of the Kaipara Harbour, will be hosted by one of our art guides. During the bus trip, your guide will introduce you to the exhibits and artists so that you are primed to get the most of your sculpture farm experience. You will spend approximately four hours at the farm where you are able to choose whether to wander around the sculptures at your own pace (assisted by a map and explanation of the exhibits) or follow the guide to view and hear about the sculptures. If time permits, we may make a quick stop in Kaukapakapa to buy an icecream on the way home. We plan to arrive back at Selwyn Community Education between 3:30 - 4pm.
Important: The park's terrain and what to wear/bring
The terrain at the sculpture park includes gravel roads, hills and open pasture so a reasonable level of mobility and basic fitness is required. The distance covered is approximately six kilometres but due to the hilly terrain it can be strenuous work, so bring snacks to keep your energy up. If you are concerned about mobility challenges, please contact the office to discuss your situation. Participants should wear walking shoes or boots (according to the weather). It takes 3-4 hours to cover the whole sculpture farm. The guide will move across the farm at a reasonable pace to visit as many of the accessible exhibits as possible. Participants can follow the guide or make their own way around the farm (or a combination). A map and exhibit guide is provided. The tour will proceed regardless of weather, so dress appropriately for the day (eg raincoats, sunscreen, hats). There are no refreshments available to buy at the farm so bring a sandwich, snacks and a drink with you. The tour bus leaves from Selwyn College, Kohimarama, at 9am and returns to the school by 3:30 - 4pm (traffic dependent). Due to a limited number of seats on the bus and entry tickets to the park, it is essential to register for this tour prior to attending.
On previous tours, coordination of meeting places and times for tour members travelling independently have caused delays for the rest of the group. Therefore we're sorry that we no longer make alternative travel arrangements for individuals - all participants must depart from and return to Selwyn College. If you do not wish to join our guided bus tour, you may wish to make your own arrangements to visit the Gibbs sculpture farm. You can visit their website here. They schedule new open days infrequently, which fill quickly, so it is best to check their website daily.
Testimonials
- "Hi Anne, Just to advise that Lawrence and I really enjoyed our trip to Gibb's farm last Thursday. Rowan was great as a guide and host! And it was great being driven - saved us from the Auckland traffic. Many thanks again, Regards, Gail & Lawrence"
- "Hi, I really enjoyed the trip, it was a fantastic experience and very well organised. We didn’t realise that they would be guides as well. What a bonus! The two guides were excellent, especially Linda. I would really like to go to the sculpture farm again , so please let me know when there is another trip planned! Many thanks, June"
- "Had a great day. Enjoyed the bus trip especially returning a different route. Loved the sculptures. Lots of thanks to Linda for the commentary and insights and enthusiasm and energy. Simply superb. We will go again. Thanks Terry"
- "Hi, So glad we finally got to see this amazing place and on such a great day weather wise. Great commentary on way there, as we toured round and on the way back. In summary 10/10. The only comment i would make is it would have been great to see a few of the things we didn't quite have time to see and my suggestion would be that the bus may be left at least 15 minutes earlier just to maximise the time at the farm. Thanks again. Definitely keen to do it again. Thanks Nigel"
- "Excellent well organised function; the information provided both in print and vocally was terrific. Murray"
- "I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Gibbs Farm. The weather also came to the party. The guide, Linda, was great, and she read to us all the way home. Well done. It was a great day. Do you have another one in November? We may be interested in going again and taking more friends." Andrea
- "Hello I would like to express how much we enjoyed the day at Gibbs Farm. Having such great tour guides was excellent. I learnt a lot and having them share their knowledge was wonderful. Would thoroughly recommend to everyone. Thanks Sonia"
- "Greetings - Just wanted to say a big thank you from our group for a fabulous day at Gibbs Farm. It was a really great Christmas outing. We really enjoyed Glen' s relaxed and informative style. A perfect guide. Have a great Christmas break Best wishes Margaret M"
