Arrive in Auckland 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 18:30, join your tour leader Elizabeth Swane and fellow travellers for a welcome briefing and dinner at the hotel

(D)

Today, visit a selection of verdant and creative private gardens located in Auckland’s north. Travel to the Takatu Peninsula and explore Omaio garden, listed by the New Zealand Gardens Trust as a ‘Garden of International Significance’. The property is laid out in curving, flowing shapes which reflect the waves and coastal formations beyond, sculpted out of native bush and other carefully selected plants.

In the afternoon, visit Mincher Garden, a large cottage garden built around a Georgian-style home, also listed as a ‘Garden of International Significance’. This rural garden, set amongst the remnants of an old orchard, displays native walkways, spring plantings of cherries, rhododendrons, camellias, acers and Victorian-inspired glasshouses.

(BLD)

This morning, transfer to Ayrlies Garden, situated in the gently rolling country of east Auckland. This is one of New Zealand’s best-known gardens, characterised by sweeping lawns and informal plantings beside ponds and waterways.

Continue to the Auckland Botanic Gardens. Explore this young botanic garden that has been created from gently contoured farmland. The mild temperate climate allows the gardens to display a wide variety of plants.

Tonight, the evening is at leisure.

(B)

In the morning, depart Auckland and travel to Hamilton Gardens. Often mistakenly referred to as a ‘botanic garden’, Hamilton Gardens display a collection of themed garden ‘rooms’, exploring different civilisations and recreating historically significant garden styles from around the world.

Arrive in New Plymouth in the late afternoon and enjoy dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.

(BD)

Today, explore several picturesque gardens in New Plymouth and the Taranaki region. New Plymouth is home to some of New Zealand’s most stunning private and public gardens, including relaxed, cottage-style gardens and highly structured formal creations, which are ordinarily only open for the annual Taranaki Garden Festival.

Explore Waiongana garden, a native garden sanctuary. Set across four hectares, this garden features a rich variety of spaces and is renowned for its herbaceous peonies.

After lunch, visit Tupare, a distinctive landscaped garden established around a majestic house in the Arts and Crafts Architectural style.

Continue to Te Kainga Marire, a serene native garden sanctuary displaying New Zealand native grasses, climbers, herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees.

Tonight, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.

(BD)

This morning, depart New Plymouth and visit Puketarata, a large country garden with stunning mountain views that displays a skilled blending of many native and exotic plants, generous herbaceous plantings, parterre, orchard, berry house and vegetable garden.

Continue to Wellington, arriving in the late afternoon, and enjoy dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.

(BD)

Begin with a walking orientation tour of the vibrant city of Wellington, nestled around the harbour and surrounded by natural scenery.

Then, continue to the serene haven of Gillies Garden, located in the heart of Silverstream. This thoughtfully designed retreat expands around a heritage Chapman Taylor Arts and Crafts style cottage and is divided into multiple garden rooms.

Return to Wellington in the mid-afternoon and enjoy the remainder of the afternoon and evening at leisure.

(B)

Depart Wellington and enjoy the scenic crossing on the Interislander ferry to Picton on the South Island. Cross the Cook Strait before entering the magnificent Marlborough Sounds. The three-hour journey between Wellington and Picton is considered one of the most spectacular sea voyages in the world.

After a picnic lunch, continue to Welton House Garden to admire its unique and extensive topiary hedges, which mirror the Richmond Ranges, and numerous rare plants.

Arrive in Blenheim in the late afternoon and enjoy dinner at the hotel restaurant.

(BLD)

This morning, explore 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 featuring espaliered fruit.

After lunch at leisure, visit Huguette Michel’s Hortensia House. The Monet-inspired Garden is informal in design and is loosely themed on blue and yellow, capturing an essence of serenity and reflecting the colours of the house.

(B)

Begin the day with a private, guided tour of Paripuma Garden, 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 return to the hotel, enjoy an afternoon at leisure to relax or explore Blenheim at own pace.

In the evening, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.

(BD)

After check out of the hotel, visit Winterhome Garden, featuring classical French lines with intersecting cross axes creating unexpected views within the plantings of trees, shrubs and perennials.

Enjoy some time for lunch at leisure in Kaikōura before continuing to Christchurch, arriving in the late afternoon.

Tonight, dinner is at the hotel’s restaurant.

(BD)

Begin the day with a visit of the Giant’s House sculpture mosaic garden, a unique exuberant and colourful property located in a valley in Akaroa. The garden surrounds the large historic house with original artworks, and terraced gardens with sculptures and mosaics.

After lunch, discover Ōhinetahi Gardens, a well-structured and carefully-designed garden also home to sculpture and woodland trails, box-edged rose garden and a nineteenth-century homestead.

(BL)

Start the day with a visit to Flaxmere Garden, a ‘Garden of International Significance’. Situated near the Southern Alps, this beautifully-landscaped garden is framed by breathtaking mountain vistas and embraces water features in the form of five terraced ponds.

After a light lunch, continue to Jenny Cooper’s private garden, The Blue House Amberley, with its Mediterranean inspired gravel gardens, featuring stunning succulents and aloes.

This evening is at leisure.

(BL)

Enjoy a morning at leisure to relax or explore Christchurch at your own pace.

In the afternoon, visit Broadfields New Zealand Landscape Gardens, a designed landscape garden featuring native species used formally and informally, a Kauri forest, shrubs, climbers and ferns.

In the evening, celebrate the conclusion of the tour with Elizabeth and fellow travellers with a special farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

(BD)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast.

Make your way to Christchurch Airport for suggested Qantas 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 (April 2025), 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.