Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong

All garden lovers have heard of the Cherry Blossom season in Japan. All of my expectations were exceeded by a wonderful season of colour in all cities visited. The Japanese people celebrate the season with great enthusiasm that we loved. Our large group of 36 were ably lead by our tour guide Lesley – a very interesting character. We visited Tokyo, Kanasawa, Kyoto, Okayama and Hiroshima. The food was a great experience, the gardens perfect and the cherry blossoms abundant. After flying out of Osaka we headed to Taiwan to be joined our local guide, George, a quietly spoken but knowledgeable tour operator and a real gentleman. We circumnavigated the beautiful island of Taiwan with highlights including a visit to huge Orchid growing precinct and the wonderful Taroko National Park.  3 nights in Hong Kong completed this spring tour for a very friendly and lively tour group.

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New Zealand

Stonestreets coaches helped to organise this 2 week tour to the South Island of New Zealand to see some of the very best gardens you could see anywhere. Leisuretime tours in New Zealand were contracted to operate the tour and provided the best service and inclusions. We started in Christchurch and completed a lap of the south island with visits to memorable gardens like Ohinitahi, Maple Glen, Lanarch Castle, Dunedin Botanical gardens and Trotts garden. Equally memorable were numerous boat rides to see whales, dolphins, albatross, seals and seal lions. Jet boating, Milford Sound, Rail journey in Arthurs Pass and of course wine tasting all added to a great our enjoyed by our group of 22.