[ Image: Taranaki Beauty ]

Taranaki Rhododendron Festival Tour …

The Rhododendron and Garden Festival will be held in Taranaki in the first week of November and this year coincides with the dates of the equally famous Taranaki Fringe Garden Festival.

These annual events showcase stunning public and private gardens of the Taranaki region and coincides with the traditional rhododendron flowering time.

The area is a blaze of amazing colours and it’s not just the magnificent rhododendrons, however they in particular thrive here due to the region’s
unique combination of fertile volcanic soil, regular rainfall, and temperate climate, all of which are ideal for these plants.

The Pukeiti garden, with its vast collection and rainforest setting, is a prime example of how well rhododendrons grow here.
It’s New Zealand’s largest spring celebration and offers a chance to explore diverse gardens, from park-like estates to urban forests.

The festival also features optional workshops, events and other local events and highlights.

Our tour is based in New Plymouth, and we visit a selection of gardens in easy access from this picturesque city.

Here’s just some of the places included on this 5 day adventure…

Tour commences and concludes in Auckland. The order of attractions may vary subject to local requirements.

Includes

  • Coach transportation
  • Services of tour escort
  • Hotel accommodation
  • Meals as per itinerary: B = Breakfast, D = Dinner
  • Transfer to attractions and return to accommodation

Excludes

  • Optional and discretionary items
  • Gratuities (Koha) for driver and guides
  • Entry fees unless specified as prepaid in final itinerary 
Register for this tour

DAY 01:
We depart Auckland this morning. First stop is the amazing Botanic Gardens on the banks of the Waikato River. There’s time to explore and for a light lunch here, before we continue on to New Plymouth. As we get closer you will see the conical shape of Taranaki Maunga (mountain) providing a dramatic backdrop to our destination. On arrival we check in to our accommodation and have time to relax before included dinner together.  D

DAY 02:
After our included breakfast its time to start exploring the amazing gardens of the region. Highlights include Pukieti, Pukekura Park and three of the top selection of private gardens. Return to accommodation and included dinner. B,D

DAY 03:
Today after breakfast we explore further afield and travel to Hawera to experience three gardens in this area. Return to accommodation and included dinner. B,D

DAY 04:
After a leisurely breakfast there’s to opportunity to explore New Plymouth, famous for its arts, galleries and crafts and down at the waterfront you’ll find Puke Ariki, an innovative museum, library, heritage centre, and information site that contains a wealth of fascinating local history and artifacts. The extraordinary reflective stainless steel Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre, in the cultural heart of New Plymouth’s West End Precinct, is New Zealand’s first and only museum of contemporary art. It is also the nation’s first institution dedicated to a single artist, the pioneering filmmaker and kinetic sculptor, Len Lye. B,D

DAY 05:
Regrettably today it’s time to say goodbye to New Plymouth and Taranaki. After breakfast at our accommodation we reboard our coach and head back home to Auckland. Comfort and refreshment stops enroute.

THIS ITINERARY IS THE PROPERTY OF THE TOUR COMPANY AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

Available dates: October / November
Pricing: Email info@travlink.net or within NZ call 0800 99 77 88 for more about this unique tour