Australia & New Zealand

Garden Travel Guide to Australia and New Zealand

Australian garden style

Australia has a vast land mass (similar to the USA) which means there are many different types of gardens to see, from lush tropical to dry mediterranean, semi-arid to subtropical coastal, and even cool-temperate. Many of its native plants are grown as ornamental plants around the world, including kangaroo paws, callistemon, eucalypts and grevilleas, or edible plants such as the macadamia nut and finger lime.

Australia has a strong gardening tradition both from its British roots and also the many waves of migrants who have brought their own gardening styles, especially from Mediterranean Europe and Asia, creating an eclectic and multicultural mix of old and new influences. Garden shows include the internationally-respected Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, as well as other garden festivals in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Nambour, Darwin and Cairns.

New Zealand garden style

New Zealand is south-east of Australia in the southern Pacific Ocean and has two main islands.The North Island has active volcanoes and thermal areas, forests of giant trees and a vibrant indigenous Māori culture. The South Island has fiords, wet cool-temperate forests, glaciers, snow-covered mountains and arable plains in the east.

New Zealand has a very strong gardening culture which began with the Māori who grew both ornamental and productive plants and developed quite complex and aesthetic architectural and landscape designs. More recent garden styles reflect both a British heritage and also a love of New Zealand’s unique flora, such as flax, coprosma, cordyline and native ferns. New Zealand has many garden festivals in Auckland, Taranaki, Rotorua, Marlborough, Feilding, Akaroa and the Bay of Plenty.

Garden tours to Australia and New Zealand

If you’re coming from the northern hemisphere, you can visit Australian and New Zealand gardens during your winter and enjoy the southern hemisphere’s gardens with plenty of warmth and sunshine. Public gardens are open throughout the summer although many private gardens do not open during December and January.

Garden tours to Australia

A garden tour to Australia tends to concentrate on its natural wonders rather than its gardens, with the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru in Central Australia, the Daintree rainforest of northern Queensland and, of course, seeing its iconic and unusual marsupial mammals like kangaroos and koalas filling most of the itinerary. However there are many wonderful gardens to see! Garden tours to Australia often visit the south-east, including Melbourne, Tasmania and Sydney and will also pack in a good serving of convict history, native wildlife and local culture. Others start with the native plant parks and gardens of Western Australia before heading east to Melbourne and Sydney.

Iconic gardens in Australia include the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, the Australian Garden at Cranbourne, Perth’s Kings Park, Brisbane’s Roma Street Parklands and Botanic Gardens, and the private gardens of Cloudehill, Heronswood, Mayfield, and Hunter Valley Gardens.

If you’re looking for some ‘take-home’ lessons for your own gardens, use the Australian city and district locale guides to find climates and gardening styles that are similar to your own – for example, the climate of Perth and much southern Australian is very similar to west coast USA, Southern Europe and South Africa’s Cape Town. The humid Australian east coast has much in common with the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida.

There are limited international garden tours to Australia, but many great garden tours within Australia that you can book in advance to join once you arrive.

Garden tours to New Zealand

A garden tour to New Zealand usually cover both islands, so you get to see a wide range of climates and gardens. If you come from a temperate climate, such as the UK, you will find much in common with New Zealand’s garden style and plant choices. Iconic gardens to see in New Zealand include Auckland Botanic Gardens, Hamilton Gardens, Ayrlies, Te Kainga Marire, Gwavas Garden, Ohinetahi, Flaxmere, Trott’s Garden and Larnach Castle.

Garden tours usually include many natural wonders as well, such as a cruise on Milford Sound, bird watching, the lakes around Queenstown, volcanoes, and the thermal area of Rotorua, as well as indigenous Māori cultural experiences. You can also find garden cruises around New Zealand as many of the best-known gardens are near the coast. These are typically 8-9 days, although some originate in Australia, adding extra sailing days.

Fun facts about Australia and New Zealand

New Zealand was part of the colony of NSW until 1841.

The Tasman Sea which separates the two countries is referred to as ‘The Ditch’.

Australians and New Zealanders find each other’s accents endlessly amusing.

New Zealand and Australia have a friendly but intense sporting rivalry, particularly in rugby, netball and cricket.

Australia and New Zealand share a significant national holiday, ANZAC Day, which commemorates the Gallipoli landing in Turkey on 25 April 1915 when the two countries fought together in the First World War as the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.