Guided garden tours will resume daily from the 15th October 2023 to April 2024 in Wānaka area.
After a successful third season, with 50% more guided garden tours, the 2023/24 season is becoming an emerging player in sustainable tourism.
Guests reviews and feedback are helpful to tweak the tours each season; several participants are returning each year on another tour which is the best compliment we can receive.
Gardeners are happy too with little to no impact on them. They receive a monetary contribution from each tour plus the joy of sharing their creation. And most of them have agreed to open their gardens again as part of the new season tours.
So we don’t gild the lily🌺 and continue our schedule and service with minimal price change.
Gardens visited are a different set everyday of the week, always a wide variety of gardening genres, sure to inspire and delight. A welcome bonus is that many of the gardeners often offer goodies from their garden stock, but hush, that’s a surprise!
All tours include:
- transport from a central location in Wānaka in our fuel efficient van;
- refreshments (tea / coffee and muffin/snack) are offered during a sit break in a beautiful garden setting;
- the knowledgeable and passionate guide presents an informative narrative which has proved to be a big point of difference from simply visiting an open garden;
- and garden goodies, but hush, that’s a surprise!
All tours run from 1 to 7 participants.
We offer discounts for groups from 4 participants.
Gift vouchers are available in minutes.
Our tours are carbon net zero (non-certified)
Who books on our tours?
Guided garden tours are a unique way to visit beloved Wānaka, connecting visitors to the place by sharing the story of the area, the local initiatives, and responding to each guests specific interests. By distributing an income to the gardeners of the tours and making gardening and home resilience both fashionable and achievable again, this all contributes to the community and the environment.
In the previous seasons, we had an equal number of locals and visitors to the area.
Locals enjoy seeing beyond the fence. “I am so glad to visit this garden, I have been walking past it for years!” or “I never knew this gem was hidden here!” are regular comments.
Seeing what grows well in the Central Otago climate is very useful information for many locals, specially when they are new to town, but also before buying a specimen tree, planning for an area or deciding on what to plant as a fence. With small groups, the guide is responsive to what you want to see and know. We even found an autumn iris, for a guest who loved irises and oh boy, it smelt nice!
Many locals have joined a tour with their visiting parents or in-laws. Mother/daughter and sisterhood outings have been popular and creating long lasting memories with great photo backgrounds. Gifting a voucher then enjoying the outing together is a double delight 🌹
Tour guests also come from further afield, having found out about our tours through their garden club or garden magazines. Girls groups have been very merry!
Tourists also join the tours looking for something to do in Wanaka or a suitable activity for their level of fitness. They are always impressed by the manaakitanga we and the gardeners of the tours offer by sharing their place and their love for gardens.
When the borders opened, we welcomed international tourists, some of whom travel specifically to include garden visits. “We always visit the gardens in the places we travel to, and we can confirm that your tours are unique! And the best experience!“
“It’s one thing to stroll through botanic or pristine gardens and see what we already know ; it’s quite different to visit a diverse collection of interesting gardens and learn lots of things. We loved it!“
A remarkable social enterprise business
All guided garden tours are carbon net zero (non-certified) which has been an important element for the business from day 1. Florence supports the regenerative journey the local tourism sector has embraced to support biodiversity, conservation and climate action in the Wānaka region. The business has also signed the Tiaki promise, joined the TIA Tourism Sustainability Commitment and includes more maori lore in the tours.
Kaitiakitanga is an important message of the tours and is embedded in the business. While the tours visit beautiful conventional gardens, we also see natural gardens in practice, organic or permaculture style, the occasion to show how to fertilise naturally, manage grass, save water, regenerate land or restore native biodiversity.
When booking, guests can opt to buy a tree for the local community nursery Te Kakano and the company matches every purchase. This alone offsets the carbon emissions of the tours and she also plants lots of trees on her land which is one of the gardens of the tours. “Now guests can revisit our gardens to see their trees growing!“
What is new?
We now offer customised tours for groups of 3 participants or more. This works well for specialised interests, families or more sedate tours for elderly or the less able.
Florence also teaches “Gardening in Harmony with Nature” classes, for 6 consecutive Saturday mornings in spring and autumn (Next series starts 21 October, space available).
Guided garden tours resume daily from the 15 October 2023 to April 2024 in the Wānaka area. With the season schedule newly out, pick your date and contact us to inquire or book.
With spring just around the corner, I am looking forward to sharing more garden and nature love with all.
Florence
Guided Garden Tours 