Taranaki Garden Festival

Thursday 28 October

Depart Auckland on Air New Zealand, arriving early afternoon for a five night stay. Afternoon at leisure before a welcome dinner at the hotel

Friday 29 October

Today we have planned the day around New Plymouth:

Pukeiti Gardens The Pinnacle of rhododendron collections.  Collected over seven decades with a backdrop of lush native forest, this is a sight to be seen.

Lumen Stuido & Gallery 3 artists; Teresa Goodin (paper collages), Janeen Page (ceramics), Alice Cowdrey (fibre/textiles)

Goodin Country Garden 

The Van der Poel Garden & sculptures

Return to the hotel for an included dinner

Saturday 30 October

Today we head out on the Northern Garden Trail . 

Winlea Acre The garden is entirely flat, curved beds planted with hellebores, a leucadendron, and hydrangeas border the immaculate and vast lawn.

Magnolia Grove A must see for rare and unusual plants and trees. 

Waiongana Gardens A mostly flat garden with varied spaces, aa sunken garden, rose garden, Redwoods and a developing produce area.  

Tupare Gardens Tūpare is an Arts and Crafts-inspired property established in 1932 by the Matthews family. 

Return to the hotel for dinner

Sunday 31 October

Three Elms There are many rooms to discover while enjoying abundant bird life in the Chinese Elm trees and mature palms.

Nikau Grove Hundreds of nikau palms set the South Pacific theme. Native plantings and lush exotics create splashes of colour.

Hirst Cottage This minimalist garden adopts linear principles and is themed “green and white with a touch of red”.

Nice Garden (lunch included)

Lush palms and tropical foliage surrounds the deck.  An outside fire is also there in case of a cooler day.

Pukekura Park Taranaki’s premier botanical garden. Bush walks, rhododendrons and azaleas merge into more formal gardens.  

Te Henui Cemetery An inner city treasure.  Along with the beautiful garden, hear history behind the gravestones.

Monday 01 November

Boxwood Gardens This is a garden that will tick all the boxes

Openlands Nearly 60 years ago, Openlands consisted of a homestead and two trees. 

Tairoa Lodge (lunch included)

History and beauty combine to create the ever-graceful Tairoa Lodge. Surrounded by sweeping lawns, towering kauri and pohutukawa.

King Edward Park This garden has rose beds of both heritage and modern varieties, historic aged trees and a century old model boating pond. 

Gravetye Gravetye is a formal masterpiece. 

Dinner included at the hotel followed by an evening at a lighted garden.  

Sequioa Steps – an inner city hideaway is planned for outdoor living.  Structures and the garden lights up at night.  This a “weather permitting visit”

Tuesday 02 November

After breakfast, head to June and Colin Lees garden – Carinhill – on the way to the Forgotten Highway.

A garden framed by a canopy of deciduous trees.  Rhododendrons, peonies, viburnums flower in abundance.

Travel onto Whangamomona for lunch at the historical hotel.

This afternoon continue along the Forgotten Highway to Chateau Tongariro for an overnight stay.

Wednesday 03 November

After breakfast, head north, stopping for a break along the way back to Auckland.