The Taranaki Garden Festival is in its 34rd year and now provides gardens plus plus plus.
We have selected for the season, variety and a bit of fun. Our coach company is local, so there will be no “hunt the garden” scenario and for those who love gardens and rhododendrons this tour is a must.
We cannot resist an overnight at the wonderful Chateau Tongariro – it never disappoints.
Depart Auckland on Air New Zealand, arriving early afternoon for a five night stay. Afternoon at leisure before a welcome dinner at the hotel
Today we are 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
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
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.
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”
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 Whangamomama for lunch at the historical hotel.
This afternoon continue along the Forgotten Highway to Chateau Tongariro for an overnight stay.
After breakfast, head north, stopping for a break along the way back to Auckland.
• One way flight on Air New Zealand Auckland to New Plymouth
• Five nights New Plymouth
• One night Chateau Tongariro
• Daily breakfast
• Lunch at the Nice Hotel
• The Botanical Experience
• Meals as indicated
• Entrance to gardens as indicated (guided when necessary)
• Coach transfer throughout
• Return coach Tongairo to Auckland
• Pukekohe Travel Escort subject to 15 persons travelling
Cost Per Person * Auckland - Auckland | Twin Share | Single |
---|---|---|
$2,625 | $3,115 |
*This is a cash or cheque price. Credit cards will incur a 2% fee
*Itinerary and costs subject to change, airline and fuel charges and currency fluctuations prior to final payment
• Items of a personal nature
• Optional cancellation insurance
• A non-refundable deposit of $250 per person will secure a place on this tour
• Final payment by 17 September 2021
• Final payment – non-refundable
• Deposit – non-refundable
• All cancellation charges are on a per-person basis.
• After 17 September 2021 – no refund
• If this tour is cancelled due to Covid 19 government travel restrictions, and a refund is available,Pukekohe Travel reserves the right in addition to any supplier imposed amendment and cancellation fees, to charge a service and administrative fee of $100 per person
We strongly advise all participants take out suitable travel insurance to cover cancellation costs.
Please ask for a quote.
To ensure the tour is enjoyable for the whole group, a moderate to good level of fitness is required.
Note:
Pukekohe Travel reserves the right to correct errors and omissions on our website without recourse.
* Itinerary subject to change