Past Tours & Photos
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New Zealand Oct. 20- Nov.2, 2008
This is the trip of a life time and one that any nature enthusiast would truly enjoy. We are indeed fortunate to have partnered with Barry Sligh, owner of Taunton Gardens and Nursery in New Zealand for this, our featured trip of 2008. Barry will spend the entire time with us not only showing us public gardens and cultural sites, but also taking us to what seems to be a multitude of private gardens. We will be able to view the many diverse cultures of this fascinating country as well as visit “through the front door” with Barry.
Day 1 Auckland Today's activities will include a fantastic kickoff with two gardens and a welcome to New Zealand meal featuring some of New Zealand’s fine fresh food.
Day 2 Auckland Guests will enjoy a drive through rich dairy country with stops at 4 private country gardens. A very hearty lunch is included.
Day 3 NewPlymouth/Wellington We will continue to explore and learn about the Maori people and native plants. We will visit several gardens today with lunch and a particularly interesting garden visit on the Kapiti Coast.
Day 4/5 Wellington We will spend 2 nights in Wellington with time for shopping. Wellington is built on hills and surrounded by sea. It is very compact and great for shopping. We will visit the finest Rose garden in New Zealand, the Te papa Museum, and have a guided tour of the Parliament Buildings. On the itinerary are also some private gardens.
Day 6/7 Wellington/Christchurch by air. In Christchurch we will enjoy NZ culture –a living history of how two cultures have come to terms with each other. We will banquet on traditional Hangi food (cooked on hot rocks in an earthen oven.) The Museum and Arts Centre are not to be missed. We will visit the Botanical Gardens and take a 20 minute scenic drive to Governors Bay to visit Taunton Gardens to enjoy the well known award winning garden and the formal architectural garden of Sir Miles Warren. There will be opportunity for shopping and endless choices for dining on your own.
Day 8 Christchurch/Tekapo Today will feature along with beautiful scenery stops at three private gardens with lunch on the way. Lake Tekapo is an amazing turquoise with Mount Cook NZ’s highest mountain as a backdrop. We will offer the opportunity to take a flight of the glaciers at your own cost.
Day 9 We will travel to Queenstown through Cromwell and enjoy not only amazing gardens but local culture including lunch in an aroma room. We will have a winery tour also.
Day 10 Queenstown/Milford Majestic nature will surround us as we stay in Milford.
Day 11/12 Milford/Dunedin Among other gardens we will visit the Rhododendron dowel and a bird sanctuary. Larnach Castle will be included.
Day 13 Return home! Wow!
Spain Oct. 6-19, 2009
If the “wow factor” is what you are looking for then this trip is for you. Spain is indeed a passionate country and you will feel it on this trip. Whether you are seeing world-class art treasures, or sampling tapas, you will love the climate in Spain– the people and the sun!
We had a great time in Spain. The weather was perfect. We saw rain for a total of 10 minutes as we were loading the bus the first day. The historic sites were amazing, and the gardens were even better. The private meals and visits were most interesting especially the private visit and tapas lunch at the artist house in Granada. We certainly experienced the "wow" factor. check out our pictures.