Christchurch, New Zealand,
hopes to win approval to build an Eden-inspired tourist attraction.
A riverside site has been identified and
themes discussed, but at the time of our interview, Eden Regen was waiting for the New Zealand elections before progressing the project further in order to make sure the government would still support it. Ki Uta Ki Tai is being led by the Maori
community and will reflect Maori culture, explain how the landscape has been shaped by snow, ice and water, and show the relationship between humans and the land. “It will discuss the meaning of living life in a place where the fragility of nature is always on view,” says Smit. “And we’ve been talking to universities to provide a facility which adds value to them.” Although Eden Regen is going to take Smit abroad frequently, he doesn’t want to be away from his beloved Cornwall for too long. The success of overseas attractions relies on Eden. “As we take it around the world, the Eden brand remains dependent on how good the mothership is,” he says. The Lost Gardens of Heligan, also in
Cornwall, were the precursor to Eden and Smit’s first project after leaving the music industry (when he worked with Barry Manilow and the Nolans). He moved to Cornwall in 1987 and was soon involved with Heligan, charming Victorian gardens
AM 4 2014 ©cybertrek 2014
KEY FACTS
• In 2002, Eden featured in the James Bond film Die Another Day
• Since 2005, Eden has hosted an ice rink between October and February
• 4.85 million people took part in the Big Lunch this year, an outreach
programme that fosters community spirit by encouraging people to hold street parties with their neighbours
• Eden is the 2nd-most trusted environmental brand, after the WWF
• In 2007, the project failed in its bid for £50m ($81m, €63m) from the
Big Lottery Fund, losing out to green journey charity Sustrans
• 87 per cent of Brits recognise the Eden domes
• Sited 30 metres below the water table, Eden was extensively damaged by a
that over the years became lost beneath the overgrowth. Smit was part of the restoration team. “Heligan gets stronger all the time and our ambition is to make it the best productive garden in the world.” As Smit starts on an exciting new
Staff clean up after floods hit Eden flash flood in November 2010
• Eden has attracted 16 million visitors since opening in 2001, and brought
£1.2bn into the Cornish economy
• Eden has won the Best UK Leisure Attraction Award three times and, at
the time of going to press, was in the running for a fourth time
journey – or journeys – he reflects on the past 16 years working on Eden as being extraordinary. “There have been a heck of a lot more high points than low points, but the low points have actually made us stronger. I’ve learned a lot from them.” l
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