Shirley Sparks, a well-known Te Puna potter and conservationist, was born in South Africa. She was a kindergarten teacher before her marriage to David. In 1954, they with their baby daughter came to live in Te Puna. Always interested in painting, this was put aside with the more immediate needs of a growing family of four and assisting on David's dairy farm at Munro Road.

When the family left home, she became a member of the Bethlehem Potters Group and a visit to a sculptural park in the Netherlands inspired to create this on a smaller scale in her own garden. David decided to subdivide and change to kiwifruit and gave her the opportunity to make a 1 hectare garden on he south facing sloping land below the house. Hard work and perseverance over the next years and her garden opened to visitors by appointment.

But on Shirley's doorstep was the abandoned 32 hectare quarry which she could see the potential as a place of beauty. She had to overcame many obstacles to formulate her plan and seek approval from Council before a start could be made to transform a scarred rocky weed covered area where possums and feral goats roamed into a garden. Her enthusiasm snowballed as others came to join her in her vision to create what is now community asset. The difficulty of being dry and arid was counterbalanced by terraces left by bulldozers and incredible views of countryside, sea and mountains.

Today with good road access, toilets and garden paths and the enthusiasm of community groups such as Rotary, Guides, Orchid society and the voluntary labour of many others, plantings have transformed this area into a garden of peace and tranquillity - a project made possible by Shirley's dream and the ability to inspire others.