Meet the farmers, wander their beautiful gardens and enjoy the charm of quaint gold rush towns on this small group garden tour of the Otago region. Art Deco elements, Ranfurly, Fleur’s famous café at Moeraki, Oamaru’s Riverstone Castle and lunches with the locals are special highlights.
$3,890 per person, share twin
$600 single supplement
16 – 22 Nov, 2022
Some great news… while we wait for international borders to re-open, there is no better time to see a bit of our own backyard and help our local communities get back to business.
We’re excited to let you know that we have partnered with MoaTours, one of New Zealand’s leading and most trusted local tour operators since 1971. MoaTours offers a range of small group tours all over New Zealand that we think you’ll love — from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island.
A a family run business just like Tours Direct, MoaTours has great connections and unbeatable local knowledge of New Zealand’s best kept secrets. They also share common values so we know you will be well looked after and have a great experience.
Peonies are blooming and our southern gardeners’ hospitality flows as we lunch with Annabel Russell and Jane Falconer in their gardens. I think spring is the best time to travel the wide open spaces of the Maniototo. Brunch at Fleur’s at Moeraki and the Fete are both memorable.
All travellers joining this tour must be fully vaccinated. Your 'My Vaccine Pass' must be brought on the tour as proof of full Covid 19 vaccination.
It is important that the date of your final dose is at least 14 days before the tour departure date.
All travellers joining this cruise must be fully vaccinated. Your 'My Vaccine Pass' must be brought on the cruise as proof of full Covid 19 vaccination.
It is important that the date of your final dose is at least 14 days before the cruise departure date.
To safeguard your deposit and tour payment in the event of you having to cancel your reservation or curtail your tour, we highly recommend you take out travel insurance.
call us on 0800 868 748 if you like a travel insurance quote
The bike trails in the Hawke’s Bay are easy to ride and generally flat and smooth. Introductory Level.
If you have never ridden an E-Bike before we can help you learn, usually in 15 minutes. These trails are great to build confidence and increase your riding skills.
Needless to say the fitter you are the more you will enjoy the rides. Most days, 2 – 3 hours on an E-Bike (with frequent breaks).
All clients and support crew are required to be fully vaccinated.
Extensive Terms and Conditions are outlined in the free Information Pack
To safeguard your deposit and tour payment in the event of you having to cancel your reservation or curtail your tour, we highly recommend you take out travel insurance.
call us on 0800 868 748 if you like a travel insurance quote
The bike trails in the Hawke’s Bay are easy to ride and generally flat and smooth. Introductory Level.
If you have never ridden an E-Bike before we can help you learn, usually in 15 minutes. These trails are great to build confidence and increase your riding skills.
Needless to say the fitter you are the more you will enjoy the rides. Most days, 2 – 3 hours on an E-Bike (with frequent breaks).
All clients and support crew are required to be fully vaccinated.
Extensive Terms and Conditions are outlined in the free Information Pack
Tab 1
Tab 2
Tab 3
Tab 3
Tab 3
Tab 3
Tab 3
Tab 3
Tab 3
We fly into Queenstown and drive to Annabel and Bruce Russell’s home for a relaxed lunch in the Gibbston Valley where the first commercial vineyard was planted in the 1980s.
Later in the day we check into Hotel Novotel Queenstown Lakeside for two nights and dine in this evening. This afternoon is an ideal time to wander the Botanic Gardens adjacent to the hotel and the local shops.
We visit Stoneridge Estate garden near Lake Hayes and Penny and David Wallace’s garden. In Arrowtown we stroll the main street and visit the historic Chinese goldminers' settlement along the riverbank. We lunch at Provisions in Arrowtown.
In the afternoon we wander in Mike Henry’s Chantecler, an eight hectare garden where themed gardens from France, Italy, England, Japan and New Zealand are featured as well as mass plantings of bulbs, rhododendrons, lavenders, azaleas, camellias and peonies. We dine in our hotel this evening.
We bid farewell to Queenstown and call into Clyde, once claimed to be the most populous town in New Zealand during the height of gold fever and then on to the historic settlement of Ophir for lunch at Pitches Store.
Out in the big skies of the Maniototo Plain we visit Rayleen McNally’s garden at Poolburn, a treasure trove surrounding an original stone homestead. We meet Bob L de Berry at his Cambrian Common Forest and call in for refreshments at the Vulcan Hotel, St Bathans, visit Naseby then continue to Ranfurly and Hawkdun Lodge.
Today we explore the Maniototo visiting farmhouse gardens. We visit the Art Deco Gallery in Ranfurly then call into Karen and Alastair McLeod's hillside garden just outside Ranfurly. At John and Susie Elliott's Lammermoor Station distillery we enjoy a garden tour and a gin and whisky tasting.
We lunch with Jane Falconer and stroll through the beautiful garden she has created at Clachanburn Station at Patearoa. Returning to Ranfurly, we dine in at Hawkdun Lodge.
Leaving Ranfurly we drive to the coast and stop for brunch at the famous seafood restaurant, Fleur’s Place in Moeraki, a favourite of British television chef Rick SteIn.
In the early afternoon we take a guided tour of Dot's famous creation, Riverstone Castle, just north of Oamaru. We stay two nights at Mariner Suites on the waterfront and dine at the Star & Garter Restaurant in the Victorian Precinct.
This morning we drive out of town to the Historic Places Trust Totara Estate for a step back in time. Totara is where lamb was first frozen and shipped to Britain in 1882. Hear the stories while you sit on hay bales as the billy tea brews to accompany your morning tea of scones, jam and cream.
We call into Sally and Phil Cleland's beautiful Rocklands House and Garden and lunch at The Fort Enfield. On the way back to Oamaru we visit Jen Rendell's painstakingly restored Brookfield House and Garden. We dine out at Cucina Restaurant.
We visit Oamaru's botanic gardens and Rockvale Gardens with its colourful plantings and pond. Sculptures of Oamaru stone from the nearby quarry are a special feature.
Heading north we call into Geraldine to check out the artisan shops and lunch with Boo and Hamish Woodhouse in their Canterbury garden. We continue up the Plains to Christchurch Airport for our return flight.
