Day 1 - After a customary pick up at your door, we head south towards the Central North Island. Along the way we of course include a stop for morning tea (our shout) at one of our favourite cafes. Our next stop is at Lava Glass Taupo – where we will kick the garden theme off by viewing their ‘garden of significance’. The garden is home to over 600 pieces of glass art produced by the adjacent glass blowing studio (which we will also tour). After lunch at the café (your cost), we time our visit to view the Aratiatia Rapids - where every day the control gates are opened allowing man-made Lake Aratiatia on the Waikato River to cascade down a rocky gorge – quite a sight! Then it's time to relax aboard a specially designed boat for a cruise up the river to get a close up view of Huka Falls, one of New Zealand's iconic sights. On arrival in Taupo we check in to our lakefront motel, and enjoy our first dinner together at the adjacent restaurant.

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Day 2 - Today is all about the Garden & Art Walk – a popular local fundraising event which has been operating for many years. Today we will visit a hand-picked selection of the best venues in the festival. The exact order and number of gardens will be dependent on a few factors during the day, but we will aim to visit at least 5 of the best gardens Taupo has to offer. A picnic style lunch is included today, as is music and refreshments at some of the garden venues. This will be a day for the garden lovers to really take in some fabulous venues and enjoy a relaxing look at many hidden gems.

Tonight we venture into town to enjoy a lovely dinner out together, ready for our last day of garden exploring tomorrow.

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Day 3 - Our final day on tour, but one filled with more visits to some of the finest local gardens. Again, we will hand-pick the best stops at the festival, with plenty of time to stop and 'smell the roses’. We depart for home mid afternoon, with plenty of wonderful memories to take home and perhaps inspire you to add to your own garden. And of course we will drop you at your door, with a smile on your face having enjoyed this wonderful short 3 day break to Taupo.

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Please note that we do not include breakfasts on this tour as the motel rooms all have kitchens, so you can bring and prepare your own breakfast if you want, or visit one of the nearby cafes if you prefer.

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​All Hinterland multi-day tours can be taken by clients from any region of New Zealand or Australia. Please contact us for details. Additional charges may apply.