What are Garden Lights?

No garden design is complete without proper lighting. Choosing the right type of garden lights in New Zealand will add aesthetic value, increase the convenience of use, and complement the garden's features and surroundings. 

There are many different kinds of LED garden lights for various patio areas—each spot can benefit from specific light fittings. Some lighting types have practical uses, while others help create ambience or highlight a particular garden feature. Combining different types of outdoor lights delivers maximum impact, and mix-and-match of different styles is highly recommended.

Advantages of Garden Lights in New Zealand

• Creating a great ambience for outdoor entertaining and relaxing
• Brightening dark corners for convenience and safety 
• Defining garden and path boundaries while adding a visual dimension
• Highlighting features and architectural elements

Types of Garden Lights in New Zealand

Garden Spike Lights

Spike lights got the name from their design. These fixtures are mounted on top of a short spike that gets pushed into the ground at the desired location. They can be mains, battery or solar-powered, and come in a range of styles, designs and qualities. Solar or battery powered spike lights offer flexibility in location, due to their electricity network's independence. Garden spike lights are best for use around garden paths, flowerbeds and lawns.

Garden Bollard Lights

Bollard lights resemble miniature street lights. Some bollards produce 360 degrees of light, ideal for use in large, open spaces. Other models in New Zealand beam in a single direction, illuminating the features directly in front. Garden bollard lights are suitable for driveways, wide garden paths and lawns.

Garden Spotlights

Spotlights can be installed as wall lights, on trees as downlights, or placed at ground level pointing upwards. They can emit both wide and narrow beams of light. Garden spotlights are typically battery-powered, although some solar-powered versions are also available. Outdoor spotlights are useful for illuminating paths, driveways and yards from above; or greenery and walls from the ground.

So-called in-ground lights are spotlights embedded in the ground, with the surface sitting above it. Fixtures with IP68 rated fittings can be fully submerged inside water features in New Zealand.

Garden Wall Lights 

These specialised outdoor wall lights are more elaborated versions of spotlights, designed to provide light to an outdoor area and present a visual feature. 

Outdoor Flood Lights

LED floodlights emit an ample beam of crisp light. In the garden, they can be used similarly as spotlights at ground level. 

Deck Lighting

In New Zealand, deck lighting fittings are shorter versions of in-ground lights fit for installing into the wood rather than the ground. Under certain conditions, they can be double as in-ground lights.

String Lights and Solar Lanterns

Solar lanterns, with or without lamp posts, and various string lights are mainly decorative fixtures. They can be used around bushes and tree branches, or along walls and gazebos. 

Garden Lights Powering

Mains-Powered Lights

Installation of mains-powered outdoor fixtures requires some time and investment and must be conducted by a professional in New Zealand. Mains-powered lights are a long-term/permanent solution that can't be easily swapped or moved to a new location. 

Battery-Powered Garden Lights

The benefits of the battery-powered over mains-powered landscape lighting is the time, cost and ease of installation. However, they require relatively frequent battery replacement. 

Solar Garden Lights

Solar-powered lighting comes with the added benefit of independence. Solar garden lights are detached from the grid and feature no batteries to change. They are cost-effective, effortless to install and use, and environmentally friendly. Solar power, combined with sensor lights, makes the most convenient solution available in New Zealand for garden lighting. The only possible downside of solar lights is that they need consistent sun exposure as a condition to provide sufficient lighting. 

Things to Consider Before Buying Garden Lights in New Zealand

Light colour and brightness will define the mood and atmosphere of the garden. Light colour temperature can range from warm white to daylight or cool white and measures in Kelvins. Brightness will be indicated in lumens. 

The minimum warranty for quality outdoor garden lights should be one year or longer.

IP rating for garden lights should be a minimum of IP44 in New Zealand, which means weatherproof. Fixtures that will be submerged in water, such as fountain lights, require the maximum rating of IP68. In-ground lights need IP67, while the fence lights require IP65.

If you need help to find the most suitable outdoor garden lights for your property, ArchiPro provides a connection to various professionals in New Zealand, ready to assist with all requirements and questions. Simply click "Contact supplier" on the product's page, or visit the supplier's website directly from the product's page.