Fodor's Expert Review The Giant's House

Named so because it looked like a giant's house to a visiting child, this grand old 1880 villa is full of art in unexpected places, all thanks to the long tenure of its mixed-media artist owner Josie Martin. Up the steep driveway hides a large garden crisscrossed by paths, fantastic larger-than-life mosaics, and colorful, welded sculptures. One of the guest rooms has a boat-shaped bed, another opens to a mosaic rose garden and conservatory. The garden has been endorsed as a New Zealand Garden of National Significance. The garden, cafe, and gallery are open for guided tours (NZ$22.50).