Taranaki Garden Festival

Friday 28 October

Depart Auckland on Air New Zealand, arriving early afternoon for a five night
stay. This afternoon we a have ‘Behind the Scenes at Juno Gin’. You will give
you a welcome cocktail, a behind-thescenes look at how gin is made, the key
botanicals, and glorious tastings of a range of their gins. Welcome dinner at
the hotel.

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

Goodin Country Garden Set amidst old coastal lahars, large volcanic rocks lend drama to this country garden

The Van der Poel Garden & sculptures Return to the hotel for an included dinner

Sunday 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, a 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

Monday 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.

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 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 is a formal masterpiece.

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

Wednesday 02 November

After breakfast, head to June and Colin Lees garden – Carinhill
A garden framed by a canopy of deciduous trees. Rhododendrons, peonies, viburnums flower in abundance.
This afternoon we fly home after a wonderful five day stay in Taranaki.