Rose Garden Tour of Australia & New Zealand – Escorted by Michael Marriott & Paul Zimmerman

Arrive in Adelaide and be transferred to your hotel. If time permits, you might like to visit Veale and Rymill parks. Both are a delight to walk around, offering plenty of shade and a relaxing atmosphere. They each have large and quite formal rose gardens, with Vymill having over 50 varieties in rectangular beds, while Rymill is rather less formal, with around 3000 roses.

This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner to meet your fellow travellers. Stay Three Nights: Adelaide, Sebel Playford Hotel or similar (D)

Enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour at the Adelaide International Rose Garden. The garden contains over 2,500 roses, with areas dedicated to its Australian-bred roses, heritage roses, single roses and pillar roses. Adjoining the rose garden is the National Rose Trial Garden, created to discover which roses are best suited to the Australian climate. After lunch we visit the garden of Urrbrae House, one of South Australia's most significant heritage houses. The rose garden here comprises over 200 varieties, tracing the history and development of roses from each decade of the twentieth century.

This evening, enjoy a special lecture by Kelvin Trimper, Past President of The World Federation of Rose Societies. (B/L/D)

Today we travel to AL RU Farm, a privately owned and beautifully maintained garden created from bare paddocks. It covers 10 acres and there is always something to see whatever the season. When we are there, the many roses will be in full flower alongside a wide range of carefully selected perennials.

We then travel up to the Adelaide Hills to have lunch at historic Auchendarroch House and walk round the wonderfully restored garden, featuring a wide range of very interesting plants, as well as many roses and especially good collections of David Austin and Delbard-bred varieties. Next, we visit the immaculately kept, private garden Woodside, owned by Merv (past president of the South Australian Rose Society and brother to Kelvin) and Wendy Trimper. (B/L/D)

We have an early departure this morning, as we make our way to Mt Gambier. Along the way we visit Camawald, whose garden is set on a 145-hectare grazing property. Camawald is a superb, highly acclaimed 10-acre garden that includes over 1000 roses. Here we find roses representing each of the various categories from the original species to heritage varieties, hybrid musks and ramblers, through to the modern Hybrid Teas and Floribundas.

After lunch here, we visit Wagner's Rose Nursery. Set in beautiful countryside, it is one of the largest and longest-running rose nurseries in Australia, growing over 800 varieties. Here we will enjoy a talk and demonstration by its owner Brian Wagner.

Tonight, we stay in the town of Mt Gambier, near the Victorian border. Stay: Stay: Mt Gambier, The Barn Accommodation or similar (B/L/D)

Depart early to visit Treloar Roses, Australia's largest rose production nursery. Go behind the scenes in the production farm area and walk around the beautifully maintained two-acre display garden, containing over 200 varieties. We continue along the National-Heritage-listed Great Ocean Road, stopping at the Port Campbell National Park to view the Twelve Apostles before arriving at Lorne, a beautiful seaside town at the end of the Great Ocean Road. Stay: Stay: Lorne, Mantra Hotel or similar (B/D)

This morning, visit the magnificent Victorian State Rose Garden in Werribee, the first garden outside of Europe to receive the International Garden of Excellence award by the World Federation of Rose Societies. With over 5000 roses, and covering 12 acres, it is the largest rose garden on the tour. The design is in the shape of the Tudor Rose (planted with Hybrid Teas and Floribundas), the federation leaf (planted with Australian bred roses) and a bud (planted with David Austin's English Roses). Around the outside are many climbers and ramblers, as well as heritage roses.

We then travel onto the Alister Clark Memorial Rose Garden, the country's only complete collection of the surviving roses of the great Australian rose breeder, Alister Clark. His aim was to breed roses that flowered all year round. He used the wild rose R. gigantea as a parent, which gave his varieties a very lovely and distinctive appearance. Being relatively tender, they are not often seen outside Australia. Arrive in Melbourne and enjoy a special dinner and lecture tonight by a well-known rosarian. Stay Five Nights: Melbourne, Marriott Hotel or similar (B/L/D)

Depart Melbourne for the Mornington Botanical Rose Garden, which feature over 4000 roses, planted in 86 beds, surrounded by a border of native Australian trees and shrubs. They contain a fascinating range of roses from modern day Hybrid Teas and Floribundas through to rarely grown, but very lovely, tea roses, as well as a number of ‘found roses' (roses that have been found on old farms or in gardens, cemeteries or nurseries, but which cannot be identified.

These roses are then given ‘study names', which says something about them and where they were found). We then return to Melbourne to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria for a tour. The gardens extend over nearly 100 acres and house a collection of more than 8,500 species of plants from around the world, including rainforest flora, cacti and succulents, Californian species, cycads, plants from southern China and, of course, roses. There is also a collection of rare and threatened species from south-eastern Australia. (B/D)

Today we travel to Gippsland to the Morwell Centenary Rose Garden, which showcases over 3,500 roses in more than 100 manicured beds. It features over 400 carefully selected varieties from the whole range of roses, from the oldest to the newest. Climbers and ramblers are particularly well represented and are trained over a wide range of different structures. We then enjoy lunch and a tour at the spectacular Broughton Hall garden, an eclectic garden with most of the roses mixed in with the other plants. There are stunning views over the landscape towards the Tarago Reservoir. (B/L/D)

(9-Day Australian guests depart the tour after breakfast with a private transfer to the airport.) Today, take time to enjoy the sights of Melbourne on your own. Perhaps join a tram tour around the city to take in the sights. (B)

Enjoy another day to relax or explore the many laneways of Melbourne, renowned for its fine food, wine and coffee. (B)

Today, fly from Melbourne to Auckland and be transferred to the hotel on arrival. (9-Day New Zealand guests arrive in Auckland today and will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel by private car). Enjoy some free time to relax and settle into the hotel before a Welcome Dinner this evening. Stay Two Nights: Auckland, Crowne Plaza Hotel or similar (B/D)

Today visit Nancy Steen Garden. Developed by the New Zealand Heritage Roses group and the Auckland City Council, the garden was created to showcase the unusual roses collected over the course of Nancy Steen's life. In addition to over 200 varieties of roses, the garden is home to a number of shrubs and perennials designed to complement the roses.

Next we continue on to Auckland Botanic Gardens, which is home to more than 10,000 plants from around the world, displayed in 23 different gardens, including a perennial garden, a native plant garden and, of course, the rose garden. The rose garden is chemical free and roses undergo a three-year trial before being planted in the garden. The roses are displayed in a variety of garden designs and include modern and heritage roses, accompanied by flowering perennials and annuals.

Afterwards we will take a sightseeing tour of Auckland to see the highlights of this harbour city.

Tonight, we will enjoy a lecture by a renowned rosarian. (B/D)

Today we depart Auckland for Hamilton. Here we visit the Hamilton Gardens, awarded the ‘International Garden of the Year' in 2014. Go behind the scenes as we explore their various themed gardens.  Roses will again be the star in the Rogers Rose Garden. Themed areas include a Species Rose collection, the Malmaison roses of Empress Josephine, roses of Guillot, the Peace rose and its descendants, as well as past and present winners of the New Zealand Rose of the Year Trials.

This afternoon, visit the private garden of Villa Walton. Many families, over its over 100-year history, have tended to the gardens here, which bloom each season with perennials, bulbs and shrubs. See an example of a Kauri tree, said to be over a hundred year's old, as well as Copper Beech, Rimu, Totara and magnificent magnolia trees, which the native Tui birds love to visit. Stay Two Nights: Hamilton, Novotel Hotel or similar (B/D)

Visit Amore Roses which grow and sell an exclusive range of international rose breeds. Here we will visit the test gardens and meet the owner.

This afternoon we will visit Te Awamatu Rose Garden, with over 2500 rose bushes and more than 50 varieties. (B/D)

Depart Hamilton and travel to Rotorua. Visit the Te Puia Thermal area to see the geothermal activity of the area. Marvel at the dramatic geysers, bubbling mud and beautiful native bush.

This afternoon enjoy a fascinating lecture by your hosts Michael and Paul.

Tonight enjoy a traditional Maori hangi dinner. Stay: Stay: Rotorua, Sudima Hotel or similar (B/D)

This morning we board the Northern Explorer Train from to Otorohanga to Palmerston North.  Journey through Tongariro National Park, with its three spectacular volcanic mountains – Tongariro, Ngāuruhoe and Ruapehu see ancient lava flows and dense beech forests with stunning views of the landscape. Check in to your Palmerston North hotel, our home for the next three nights. Stay Three Nights: Palmerston North, My Millenium Hotel or similar (B/D)

This morning we will visit rose breeder, Ford Roses enjoy a tour and talk by John Ford.  This afternoon we will have the privilege to enjoy the annual rose trials at Dugal MacKenzie Rose Gardens. See the new varieties and meet the breeders at this special event. (B/D)

Travel to Whanganui to visit Matthews Nurseries. A multi generation nursery breeding roses to suit the New Zealand climate.

This afternoon visit Greenhaugh Gardens, a garden of International significance. The two-hectare semi-formal gardens have been developed over the past forty years, the background of established trees a legacy of previous occupants. Old roses, perennials, self-seeding annuals, and bulbs are restrained by box hedging in this pretty garden. (B/D)

This morning we will fly back to Auckland where our tour ends upon arrival at the airport. (B)