Arrive in Wellington on suggested Qantas flights and make your way to the hotel. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including travel insurance (a condition of travel), private hotel transfer, accommodation before or after the tour and a room category upgrade.

At 18:00, join your tour leader Elizabeth Swane and fellow travellers for welcome drinks and dinner at the hotel.

(D)

Begin the day with a walking orientation tour of this vibrant city, nestled around the harbour and surrounded by natural scenery. Explore the Botanic Gardens, featuring 25 hectares of protected native forest, plant collections, colourful flower beds and some of the oldest exotic trees in New Zealand, with stunning views over the city and harbour.

After lunch, explore Gillies Garden, established by landscape designer and plantsman Hugh Gillies. One of New Zealand’s finest private gardens, Gillies Garden is home to a collection of trees, shrubs and perennials chosen for their texture and seasonal colour. Set within a secluded valley, the garden unfolds as a series of beautifully composed spaces connected by meandering paths, streams and ponds.

Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure to relax or further explore Wellington at your own pace. Perhaps visit the acclaimed Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, renowned for curated exhibitions celebrating the country’s art, culture, history and natural heritage.

(BL)

After breakfast, depart Wellington by coach to Kaitoke for a stroll and lunch at Aston Norwood Gardens, a beautifully designed 14-acre garden set against the backdrop of the Tararua Ranges. The landscaped grounds feature sweeping lawns, mature deciduous trees, ornamental lakes and woodland.

Return to Wellington and board the Interislander ferry to Picton on the South Island. Crossing the Cook Strait into the magnificent Marlborough Sounds, this three-hour journey is considered one of the most spectacular sea voyages in the world.

Arrive in Picton in the early evening and transfer to the hotel in Blenheim. The remainder of the evening is at leisure.

(BL)

This morning, explore Huguette Michel’s Hortensia House garden. Informal in design and inspired by Monet’s garden at Giverny, the garden is loosely themed in shades of blue and yellow, echoing the colours of the house.

In the afternoon, visit Welton House in the Awatere Valley, a striking contemporary garden distinguished by bold architectural form and sculptural planting. Discover its dramatic wave hedges, strong formal lines and carefully framed views across the surrounding landscape. Continue to Moritaki Garden, where a Japanese-inspired design creates a contrasting sense of tranquillity through a carefully structured layout, harmonious water features and artfully arranged stonework.

The remainder of the afternoon and evening is at leisure.

(BL)

Today, visit Barewood Garden. Recognised as a ‘Garden of International Significance’, Barewood Garden is designed to complement the 100-year-old homestead and features formal allées of Hawthorn and Malus, plantings of unusual trees and shrubs, and a classic potager with espaliered fruit trees.

After lunch, enjoy a private, guided tour of Paripuma, a 20-year-old garden featuring a unique collection of indigenous and rare plant species that have created a haven for wildlife on what was once a bare sandy paddock.

Upon returning to the hotel, enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure to relax and enjoy the tranquil surrounds.

Tonight, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.

(BLD)

This morning, depart Blenheim and visit Winterhome Garden, where classical French design principles and intersecting axes create a series of formal spaces and unexpected vistas, softened by richly layered plantings of trees, shrubs and perennials.

Then, drive down the dramatic Kaikōura coast before continuing inland to the quaint town of Hanmer Springs, arriving in the late afternoon.

Dinner is at the hotel’s restaurant.

(BD)

Spend the morning exploring the enchanting Loch Leven Garden in the Amuri Basin. Created from a bare paddock over more than three decades, this expansive country garden is structured by extensive hedging, which provides shelter and frames a series of richly planted borders, lawns and intimate garden spaces. Wander beneath mature deciduous trees glowing with autumn colour and discover creative combinations of old-fashioned shrubs and perennials, native plantings, espaliered fruit trees and a productive potager.

Return to the hotel in the afternoon for some time at leisure before dinner at a local restaurant.

(BD)

Depart Hanmer Springs after breakfast and drive to Flaxmere Garden, a ‘Garden of International Significance’. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Southern Alps, this expansive country garden has been developed over several decades in harmony with its natural surroundings. Wander through a succession of distinctive garden areas linked by sweeping lawns, mature trees and five terraced ponds, whose reflections and gentle cascades bring movement and tranquillity to the landscape.

After a light lunch at the garden, continue to Jenny Cooper’s private garden, The Blue House Amberley. Inspired by Mediterranean landscapes, the garden combines gravel, sculptural forms and bold architectural planting, with an expansive collection of succulents and aloes creating a distinctive palette of shapes, textures and foliage. Discover how plants adapted to dry conditions have been used to create a garden that is both visually striking and responsive to its environment.

Tonight, dinner is at the hotel’s restaurant.

(BLD)

Begin the day with a visit to The Giant’s House sculpture mosaic garden, an exuberant and colourful property located in a valley in the picturesque harbour town of Akaroa. Created by artist Josie Martin, the terraced garden is a work of art in its own right, filled with vibrant mosaics, whimsical sculptures and unexpected details. Wander through the imaginative garden spaces, where original artworks are playfully integrated among richly planted terraces.

Afterwards, travel further down the peninsula to Fishermans Bay Garden, a striking coastal garden overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy a private viewing of this remarkable garden, where structured herbaceous borders and native plantings have been carefully composed to complement the rugged surrounding landscape. Enjoy lunch on the estate before returning to the hotel.

The remainder of the afternoon and evening is at leisure.

(BL)

This morning, visit Broadfield Garden, an impressive 3.5-hectare garden devoted to the creative use of New Zealand native plants. Explore a series of carefully composed garden spaces, where formal design principles are expressed through sculpted tōtara hedging, strong structural planting and mature canopy trees.

After morning tea on the estate, return to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure, followed by an early dinner at a local restaurant.

(BD)

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and depart Christchurch, travelling south across the Canterbury Plains to Trott’s Garden in Ashburton. Recognised as a ‘Garden of International Significance’, this expansive estate combines formal design with generous seasonal planting. During a private tour, explore intricate knot gardens, sweeping lawns, woodland areas and impressive avenues of mature deciduous trees.

From here, journey inland as the landscape climbs dramatically into the high country of the Mackenzie Basin, arriving at Lake Tekapo in the afternoon.

Enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure, before dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.

(BD)

Depart Lake Tekapo after breakfast and travel through the stark, high-country landscapes of the Mackenzie Basin to Central Otago’s historic wine sub-region of Bannockburn. Here, enjoy a relaxed lunch amidst the autumn vineyards.

After lunch, continue to Jo Wakelin’s Garden, an internationally acclaimed dry-climate garden set at the foot of the Pisa Range. Created without irrigation, this garden demonstrates how thoughtful plant selection and design can respond to Central Otago’s challenging climate and dramatic seasonal extremes. Explore richly textured plantings of drought-tolerant species, where contrasting foliage, form and colour are carefully composed against the rugged backdrop of the surrounding mountains.

Then, continue through the Kawarau Gorge to Queenstown, arriving in the late afternoon.

(BL)

This morning, transfer to the Queenstown Botanic Gardens for a gentle walk along the lakefront peninsula, admiring the brilliant autumn maples and conifers framed by the waters of Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountains.

Afterwards, travel to Ayrburn, a beautifully restored historic farm near Arrowtown. Set amidst rolling countryside and mature trees, the heritage estate has been thoughtfully revitalised while retaining the character of its original farm buildings. Enjoy lunch in this picturesque setting before continuing to nearby Arrowtown.

Here, walk through the historic gold-rush town, exploring the beautifully preserved 19th-century buildings and tree-lined streets beneath a spectacular canopy of amber and gold.

Return to Queenstown for the remainder of the afternoon and evening at leisure.

(BL)

This morning, travel across the Crown Range to Wānaka, enjoying sweeping views of the surrounding mountains and valleys along the way. Embark on a scenic cruise across the tranquil waters of Lake Wānaka, taking in panoramic views of the Southern Alps and the dramatic mountain landscapes that frame the lake.

Afterwards, return to Queenstown and enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.

In the evening, take a short walk from the hotel to Steamer Wharf and board the historic TSS Earnslaw. Cruise across Lake Wakatipu aboard the century-old steamship, enjoying magnificent views of the surrounding alpine scenery, before arriving at Walter Peak High Country Farm for a special farewell dinner with Elizabeth and fellow travellers.

(BD)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast.

For those returning home today, make your way to Queenstown Airport for suggested flights to Australia. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour, private airport transfers and travel insurance (a condition of travel).

(B)

Note: At time of publication (July 2026), most but not all garden visits were confirmed. Private owners, in particular, are reluctant to commit more than two to three months prior to the visit. Therefore, while we undertake to operate the tour as published, there may be some changes to the itinerary.