Rhododendron Gardens Tour

We depart Auckland and travel south in a coach through the lush farmlands of the Waikato to visit the renowned Hamilton Gardens. We drive to Te Kuiti and through the limestone country of the scenic Awakino Gorge to the Tasman coast. We have afternoon tea at the Tikorangi, a garden of national significance. This family garden goes back four generations and today Abbie and Mark Jury continue to develop the garden. We reach New Plymouth in the late afternoon. Your hotel is right on the seafront just across fromLen Lye’s Wind Wand kinetic sculpture and the waterfront boardwalk. We dine in at the hotel restaurant this evening.

Meals & Drinks : Lunch, Dinner

We have morning tea with Valda Poletti of renowned Te Kainga Marire, a native garden of National Significance and lunch at the Pukeiti Rhododendron Park cafe. Five-seat buggies are booked for you to view Pukeiti’s enchanted landscape – one of the world’s greatest collections of rhododendrons planted in lush rainforest adjacent to Egmont National Park. We visit Tupare Garden and Pukekura Park. This evening we dine in the hotel restaurant.

Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We drive to Stratford and Merleswood Garden to meet Erica Jago for a Devonshire morning tea and a stroll in her 1.5 acres of rhododendron gardens, a Garden of Regional Significance. We explore and lunch at unique Tawhiti museum in Hawera before driving on to Whanganui, an attractive town of parklands on the banks of the Whanganui River. We tour the city landmarks and heritage buildings before checking into our hotel. We dine in at the hotel this evening.

Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We drive over to Kimbolton in the Manawatu region arriving at Cross Hills garden in time for morning tea. This garden is renowned for its collection of over 2000 rhododendrons and azaleas. We stop for lunch at Taihape then head into the dramatic landscape of the Desert Road and around the slopes of Mount Ruapehu. We arrive at The Chateau Tongariro in time to refresh before dining in this classic, landmark hotel.

Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a leisurely breakfast at The Chateau we’re bound for Taumarunui for morning tea. Driving through backcountry roads in this rugged farming landscape we reach Tapuwae Garden high in the hills at 1,650 feet and right in the heart of the King Country. We stop here to stroll in the Tombelson’s 8-acres of rhododendrons, camellias, ponds and peacocks and have a picnic lunch in the woolshed. Then drive north through the Waikato to reach Auckland in the late afternoon.

Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch