Big plans for The Giant's House on Banks Peninsula

Well-known Akaroa tourist attraction, The Giant's House, has received a 5-star rating from the New Zealand Gardens Trust.

Visitor numbers have decreased at the Garden of International Significance, but owner Josie Martin is still pressing ahead with expansion plans and enjoying the chance to be creative.

The whimsical home and garden was named by a small girl looking up at it from the valley below, who said it was so big it must be the house of a giant.

Martin is a sculptor, painter and horticulturalist, who lives in a house made from totara and kauri in the 1880s.

Over the last 24 years, Martin has added French flair to it, installed original artworks, and created giant concrete mosaic sculptures in her terraced garden.

It wasn't until she dug up some old broken China in her garden that she got the idea to do mosaics, adding in broken tiles and mirrors to complete her works of art.

Martin is well travelled, having completed 30 art residencies in different countries which has helped to inspire her creations.

The eclectic artist is always on the lookout for something different, to keep her garden evolving.

Despite the drop in tourists, she's pushing ahead with plans to make The Giants House even bigger. The aim is to extend the garden space on a neighbouring property bought last year, along with building an indoor cafe.

- By Geoff Sloan
- Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air