About our Tours

All the gardens of Beautiful Gardens of Wānaka tours are in the Upper Clutha area and not usually open to the public. They are private properties with keen gardeners, and while these gardens are outstanding in their design and plant selection, they are living gardens, not botanical gardens. Several gardens of the tours have featured in gardeners magazines.

We offer guided tours of differing lengths, visiting one, two, three or four gardens. Each garden has a different style, from classic to natural, recent or established, urban gardens or lifestyle properties – all featuring extensive ornamental borders, native or exotic trees, seasonal flowers and vegetable plots.
We invite you to choose the gardens you want to include in your visit. Or we suggest recommended itineraries with a variety of gardens sure to create a mind-opening unique experience.

The knowledgeable guide tells the gardeners’ story, explains garden management and invites guests to discover, smell, photograph and ask questions. We see lots of flowers and garden ideas in a few hours!

There are many photos of the gardens and their beautiful plants on Beautiful Gardens of Wānaka Social Media:

• https://www.instagram.com/beautifulgardenswanaka
• https://www.facebook.com/BeautifulGardensWanaka

What’s included in the tours?

• Transportation in our eco-friendly van from a pickup point in Wānaka and between all gardens visited
• An informative narrative in each garden by a passionate guide to relay the stories told by the gardeners and share plant and gardening knowledge
• Question & Answer opportunities
• Relaxing breaktime for waste-free refreshments in a garden setting: tea/coffee + muffin or similar
• Friendly group size from 1 to 7. Please note our 1 and 2 garden tours run with a minimum of 2 participants. (Coach tours of larger numbers accommodated by arrangement)
• All our tours visit private properties and we sometimes meet the gardener too!
• Suitable for low/average fitness level. Disability access by arrangement (please enquire to ascertain suitability)
• Children: Our garden tours are not a child-friendly activity, it is too slow and too long for most of them! However, they are welcome and usually enjoy it (for a while). Please ensure they stay with the group at all times. If children wander off, please call them back. We are on private property and we need to respect the owners’ request to stay on the pre-arranged pathway. It is a Health and Safety issue as areas of the property may be dangerous.
  We do offer environmental education children friendly outings for small groups of children (max 12) with nature immersion.
• Inclement weather clothing is available if required
• Dogs are not allowed in the gardens of the tours. Disability Assist dogs with ID will be permitted by pre-arrangement.

Cancellation policy and Terms & Conditions

What gardens are we visiting?

In the season 2025-26, we have 8 different gardens in our books. Click here for descriptions and photos.

Pricing and group discounts

Progressive discounts apply when multiple persons are booked at the time of booking as follows.

Our tours accept 7 participants maximum, as agreed with the gardeners.

When your group is larger than 7 persons, we can arrange two groups in the same gardens on the same day, with garden-related activity suggestions for the other group. A discount of 15% for larger groups (off the price for 1 person) applies to all tour options.

Garden clubs, social clubs or retirement village groups are welcome and we can customise each tour to their needs.

Contact us to discuss.

How to make a booking?

• Choose your tour as you wish (or we can help you)
• By phone 021 0279 2481 or contact form
• By email beautifulgardenswanaka@gmail.com
• At the Wānaka iSite
• Reservations recommended 12 hours prior to tour date to ensure space availability

If booking by email or phone with us, you will receive confirmation to pay by internet banking:

• Bank account number: supplied at time of booking
• Please add your name and the day of the tour as reference.
• It is possible to pay by cash on the day. We do not have Eftpos but there are plenty of ATM (cash machines) in Wānaka town.

Click here for legal information and our cancellation policy.

Where do we meet?

We pick you up in our light blue van in front of the Wānaka i-Site or at the Rugby Fields at the bottom of McDougall Street. If you have a car, it is preferable to park at the rugby fields, as most carparks in town are for a limited time.

We can pick up from your accommodation in the Wānaka area for a $10 fee per booking.

We offer FREE pick up from Edgewater, Oakridge, Wyndham, the Pines and other main Wānaka resorts.

Pick up options are arranged at the time of booking and we will confirm departure time.

What do I bring?

Comfortable shoes and clothing suitable for the weather, you can leave your belongings in the locked van when we are out in a garden.

Bring water and your camera as there are beautiful photo opportunities during the tours.

We keep extra jumpers, jackets, umbrellas and hats in the van to make sure you are comfortable during the whole experience.

What to expect in a tour?

We meet at the prearranged pickup location, sit in the van and introduce ourselves. The guide drives through Wanaka streets or Hawea roads for 5 to 15 minutes to the first garden of the tour.

We hop off the vehicle to stroll through the garden hearing the stories of the gardeners, looking at plants, trees and flowers.

We then sit back in the van to go to the second garden, and enjoy it again. Depending how many gardens you booked, we can visit another surprising garden and even a last charming garden.

We stop for a break and refreshments in one of the gardens of the tour.

We drive back to the pick up place.

What is the fitness level of the activity?

Low fitness level is suitable: we walk slowly (because we stop all the time to admire and talk about plants!), most gardens are about a 40 minute duration.

Gardens may have some uneven terrain, some steps, one stile, but we can go around or offer help to get past.

Wheelchair access is possible and disability assist dogs with ID will be permitted by pre-arrangement.

Please contact us to discuss.

What about the weather?

Our tours run rain or shine, which, being in Wānaka, is most often “shine”. It can be cold sometimes in the mornings so dress warmly. We provide umbrellas if it rains and keep extra jackets in the van to lend to guests as required. Our van is locked during garden visits if you wish to leave clothing and valuables securely inside the van.

What will I learn?

We talk about plants, garden design and the cultivation practice of the gardens we visit, with lots of tips and ideas, specially in relevance to our local climate. This is an ever evolving education for gardeners, visitors and tour guides alike!

At the start of the tour, we ask guests if they expect any information from the tour and we will focus on relevant features in the gardens we visit. Examples:

• I want to choose the best tree for my small garden.
• What can I grow to get colours in the shade?
• I am looking for scented shrubs for my hedge.
• Will this grow in my climate or will it take over
• How do these gardens control bugs and invading wildlife

With each group, we adapt the focus and balance between botanical and common naming or just simply enjoying what we see! You get to share what you know too and sometimes it’s more than we do! We also talk about finding information about plants and gardening.

Gift Cards

Treat your Loved ones to a guided garden tour gift card for birthdays, Mother’s Day or Christmas. An excellent idea for a staff prezzie or a beautiful “Thank you”.

Everyone who loves gardens, nature, flowers, or just looking beyond the fence will love it. That’s everyone right?!

Sure to delight, our gift cards are great for family and visitors. Many choose to join the tour too, making the day a memorable experience together.

Gift cards can be ordered by phone 02102792481 or email to beautifulgardenswanaka@gmail.com and paid by bank transfer to Beautiful Gardens of Wanaka bank account (supplied on application). Please add your name and the name of the recipient in references.

You will receive a confirmation email along with a beautiful gift card to print or forward to the recipient of the gift.

To redeem, call 02102792481 to arrange a day/time.

Gift cards can be used anytime during the current season. They are not refundable. However, they are transferrable: they are not nominative and can be used by another person.

How sustainable is this tourism operation?

We are proud to move beyond sustainability. We are regenerative, contributing more to the environment and community than we benefit from.

• We give back to the gardeners of the tours
• The company is carbon neutral
• As part of our regenerative action, we offer you the opportunity to buy one tree for $10. We will then match that to provide a $20 donation to the local community nursery Te Kākano for native planting in the Wānaka area.
• We are pioneering the Carbon Zero by 2030 initiative by Lake Wānaka Tourism and donate to the Love Wānaka initiative.
• We are advocating for regenerative land guardianship
• Read more about our ethics and practice on Our Story page and we are developing further community enhancing initiatives, follow our blog (sign up below) to keep informed.

How to contact us?

• By phone: +64 021 0279 2481
• By email: beautifulgardenswanaka@gmail.com
• On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeautifulGardensWanaka
• On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautifulgardenswanaka/