New Zealand Autumn

Meet your Ross Tour Leader Paula at Sydney International Airport for your flight to Queenstown. Check in to your hotel on the waterfront of Lake Wakatipu. Meet up with your Ross tour leader in our hotel for a Welcome Dinner in the hotel restaurant.

A sightseeing tour this morning to discover this bustling city with its pretty waterfront on Lake Wakatipu.

Travel around the shores of Lake Wakatipu to the village of Glenorchy. In its beautiful setting on Lake Wakatipu, Wild Dream Garden is set within a wildlife park. A gentle stroll around the lake this morning to see trees in autumn leaf colour. Glenorchy is set against a background of native beech forest and towering mountains. This is ‘Middle Earth’, prime location for film makers of Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Spend this afternoon in Arrowtown, a picturesque historic village alongside the gold-bearing Arrow River. Established in 1862, during the height of the Otago gold rush, the settlement grew quickly as pioneers constructed cottages, shops, hotels and churches. Time here for lunch (own expense). Travel back to Queenstown with the remainder of the day at leisure.

A gentle walk through Queenstown this morning. From Queenstown Bay Beach we take the Te Araroa Trail into the Botanic Gardens, established in 1866. Follow the trail around the garden peninsula. Option to have a relaxed morning at leisure.

Catch the late morning cruise across Lake Wakatipu. See Queenstown’s superb landscape on board the century-old steam-powered TSS Earnslaw. The vintage steamer will drop us at Walter Peak High Country Farm for lunch at the homestead. Walter Peak is a 25,758ha working high country sheep station on the southern shore of Lake Wakatipu, founded in 1860. It runs Merino and Perendale sheep and beef cattle. Return to your hotel with the evening at leisure.

We are travelling across Central Otago’s Cromwell Basin today to Wanaka. First stop is Stoneridge Estate in its sublime position above Lake Hayes. The panorama from this terrace looks across the gardens, vineyards and the lake to the mountains.

Next stop is the historic gold-mining town of Cromwell that dates to the gold rush days of the 1800’s. In the 1990’s Cromwell underwent a major transformation with the construction of the Clyde Dam power station. When the dam was completed in 1992, the valley behind it was flooded to create what you now see as Lake Dunstan. Some of the historic buildings were saved or rebuilt on higher ground, creating the Cromwell Heritage Precinct. Lunch at Carrick Winery in its picturesque setting in Bannockburn, with vineyards along the Kawarau River.
Meet Jo Wakelin this afternoon in her extraordinary garden at the foot of the Pisa Range in Central Otago.

Jo has been internationally recognised for her ‘drought-loving’ garden that embraces dry climate plants that thrive, rather than survive, in a garden that makes minimal demands on resources.

Travel along Lake Dunstan with a photo stop of Mount Pisa at the southern end of the Pisa Range. This is the highest of Central Otago’s fault block mountains and consists of very distinctive landforms and ecological systems. Remnants of the Criffel diggings, reputed to be the highest gold diggings in Otago, reveal hand dug water races, tailings, and outlines of miner’s dwellings. Follow the Clutha River to Wanaka.

Sitting on the shores of magnificent Lake Wanaka, the resort township of Wanaka is a popular holiday spot. This region of snow-capped peaks, long river valleys and lush native forest, is anchored by its tranquil lake. Check in to your hotel and enjoy dinner at the hotel tonight.

Travel along the west shore of Lake Wanaka to the Glendhu Bay. Home to mountain biking, rock-climbing, and high-country stations, this picturesque bay is nestled amongst Wanaka’s finest mountains including the ski-mecca of Treble Cone and the hiking range of Roy’s Peak. Visit Alpha Burn Station for a guided tour of the gardens, historic woolsheds, and farmland. Family owned and operated, the 4,500-hectare property farms livestock by organic and biological methods. Alpha and Fern Burn are important tributaries of Lake Wānaka where they are restoring native habitat to support the spawning of rainbow trout.

Return to Wanaka in the afternoon, with the remainder of the day at your leisure. Dinner is included this evening.

We are travelling to Dunedin today with a photo stop at Patearoa, perched on the edge the Maniototo Basin, a base for fly-fisherman and bird watchers. Heritage cottages from the gold rush days still line the streets, with historic remnants of gold tailings, miner’s huts, and sluicing.

Jane Falconer will be waiting to show us her country garden called Clachanburn, set in the stark beauty of the Maniototo.

Lawns and borders roll away from the house to two lakes with rugged hills to one side, and the distant mountains beyond. It’s a lush oasis in the dry Central Otago. Take in the tapestry of Autumn coloured leaves and their crunchy sound underfoot as you make your way along the paths. A delicious lunch, homegrown from the garden, is included with our visit.

Continue south this afternoon, passing the historic settlements of Hyde and Middlemarch on the Taieri Plain, to Dunedin. Situated at the head of the magnificent Otago Harbour, Dunedin was founded in 1848 by Scottish settlers and envisaged as the ‘Edinburgh of the South’. An orientation tour of the city will reveal the handsome stone buildings and vibrant university culture of this elegant city. Check into your hotel that was the Chief Post Office (1937), located in the rejuvenated and vibrant Warehouse Precinct in the heart of the city. Dinner is included this evening.

Discover the Otago Peninsula today, that offers close encounters with wildlife including penguins, albatross, seals, and pelagic birds. First stop is historic Larnach Castle for a guided tour of the house and gardens. High on the hills above Otago Harbour, the castle was built in 1871 and houses a unique collection of New Zealand antiques and furniture. Wander through the formal gardens surrounding the castle, with an expansive lawn and symmetrically planted conifers mimicking a country house in Scotland. Beyond the wishing well, a lush rainforest garden is planted with native species including ponga, totara, rimu and cabbage trees. Lunch (own cost) in the Ballroom Café.

Peter and Anna will share their garden with us this afternoon at Hereweka Retreat; a passion that is evident in the composition and diversity of this harmonious garden. They have regenerated the native woodland, including an impressive stand of ancient rimu. There are rhododendrons, flowering cherries, magnolias, and maples as well as a prodigious kitchen garden.

“Sustainable practices, caring for the environment, conservation and planting for birds are central to the way we live,” says Anna. In fact, bringing back the native birds has been one of their major achievements. Listen for the call of the shining cuckoo, bellbird and tui. In the last five years the kereru have returned to this little pocket of the Otago Peninsula.

Last stop today is Dunedin Botanic Gardens. Our tour will be tailored for the season, in particular the dramatic foliage colour. Maple, azaleas, flowering cherries, and rowan are some of the well-known trees which deliver incredible autumn foliage. Ornamental fruit is appearing, a tasty treat for birds. Return to your hotel with the remainder of the day at leisure in Dunedin.

Travel across some of New Zealand’s most populated sheep country to visit Maple Glen Garden. Rob Davison is a true plantsman. He will show us his ambitious 100-acre private garden, nursery, aviary, woodland, and wetland set in the picturesque countryside of Wyndham. This enchanting garden boasts a diverse collection of rare and exotic plant species from around the world. Wander through meticulously curated themed gardens, each a testament to horticultural artistry. There is a large population of native and exotic birds including hand reared parrots and waterfowl.

Travel into Gore for lunch, before our visit to the Gore Public Gardens. Host to the annual Rhododendron Festival, the original plantings have been complemented with exotic trees, shrubs, and rare conifers. The present design is based on the historic layout and incorporates many mature trees such as the gigantic Wellingtonia and horizontal elms planted at that time. Among the exotic trees and shrubs are several rare and unusual specimens including those in the conifer borders. Return to Dunedin with dinner included this evening at the hotel.

Early departure as we travel north across the Otago Hills to Oamaru with its rich history and proud heritage enriched by passionate locals. Morning tea stop here with time to explore the Oamaru Public Gardens that were established in 1878, amongst the oldest in New Zealand, and rated as a Garden of International Significance. The sixteen commercial buildings along Harbour and Tyne Street, make up the heritage listed Victorian Precinct. They are now home to boutiques, cafes, shops, and museums. This urban oasis reflects the passion and vision of former curators with canopies of mature trees, themed plantings and linked pathways.

Continue north to Timaru for a lunch stop and optional visit to Trevor Griffiths Rose Garden. Named for a local nurseryman and author with a passion for growing old roses, the garden is home to more than 1,200 roses, not in flower at this time.

Continue north across the fertile Canterbury Plains with snow-capped Southern Alps in the western distance for much of the journey. Make a stop in Ashburton to visit Alan Trott’s famous garden where he and his family lived for 37 years. Planned from the beginning, the woodland area was developed around a series of gently curving paths. Later the water gardens were added and finally the English inspired water gardens. Travel into Christchurch, check in to your hotel in the city centre for three nights. Dinner is included this evening.

We are heading across the Banks Peninsula to the eastern coastline where Jill Simpson will be waiting to show us her remarkable Fishermans Bay garden. With its rugged dramatic coastal backdrop, this complex garden with its fine balance of native and exotic, perennial and prairie, is part of the wider landscape that changes with the light. It’s sublime! Head back to Akaroa with lunch included on the waterfront.

Meet artist and ceramicist Josie Martin this afternoon in her Giants House with its colourful terraced garden of mosaics, sculptures, and steel structures. It’s frivolous and fun. Return to Christchurch with our farewell dinner included this evening.

A gentle stroll through Christchurch Botanic Gardens this morning, at its peak of autumn colour; River Walk, Beswick’s walk, New Zealand Garden, and Maple Border. Afternoon private transfer to Christchurch International Airport for your homeward flight.