During the day casual clothing is typical, although shorts and swimwear are not permitted in formal restaurants. During the evening on dressy nights, it is expected that guests will wear dressier clothes in the main restaurants. There are usually two formal nights. The self-service restaurants are casual.
DECK
PLANS
Great fun and luxury cruising aboard MS Noordam. Named for the Northern compass point, Noordam dazzles with museum quality art and lavish staterooms. Guests of this Vista Class ship will have their pick of onboard activities. Sing along to your favourite hits at Billboard Onboard. Enjoy a Pilates class at the Fitness Centre. Or savour the delights of one of our specialty restaurants. A voyage on the MS Noordam is a unique experience to be savoured and remembered!
Deryn is a fanatical gardener, passionate about communicating her love of gardening and design to others. She has been taking people on specialist garden tours for more than 25 years. She is an award winning garden journalist, writing for Gardening Australia magazine and other gardening publications. She co-presents the multi award-winning ‘All The Dirt’ www.allthedirt.com.au, Australia’s most popular gardening podcast with more than 2 million downloads. Deryn has edited garden books and worked as a garden TV presenter and is a regular presenter on ABC and commercial garden radio and a vivacious and popular speaker at Australian and international festivals and garden clubs. She volunteered for six years with Open Gardens Australia and opened her own beautiful, cottage style garden to the public. She is an Honourary Life Member of the Horticultural Media Association Australia (HMAA) and the Nursery and Garden Industry WA.
VIEW ITINERARY DAY 1 Thursday 20 November, 2025
Auckland, NZ
This afternoon we fly to Auckland, the largest city and commercial centre of New
Zealand. On arrival we are transferred to our hotel.
DAY 2 Friday 21 November, 2025
Auckland
We enjoy a sight-seeing city tour this morning, which takes in the main sights
of Auckland, including the Harbour Bridge, which spans the beautiful Waitemata
Harbour and the quaint and stylish shopping area of Parnell. In the afternoon we
visit Ayrlies Garden and Wetlands, created from 1964 by Beverley and Malcolm
McConnell where gardening is an art form. Covering four and a half hectares, it is
one of New Zealand’s finest and best-known gardens, incorporating three large
ponds, cascading waterfalls, a rose garden, rockery, meadow garden and the
stimulating “Lurid Border”. There’s also an adjoining 14ha wetlands reserve. This
is a superb seasonal garden to which you will want to return.
DAY 3 Saturday 22 November, 2025
Auckland
This morning we will visit Eden Garden. Once an abandoned quarry on the slopes
of Mt Eden, it has been transformed into “the Garden of Eden” A large collection
of natives encourage birdlife, there is also collections of rhododendrons, conifers,
vireyas underplanted with ferns, hostas and clivias. In the afternoon we visit
Highwic homestead and garden. A gothic Revival style homestead build in 1862,
which still retains the original Victorian layout of the garden.
DAY 4 Sunday 23 November, 2025
Embarkation
This afternoon we board Noordam, on this fantastic garden cruise circumnavigat
ing New Zealand.
DAY 5 Monday 24 November, 2025
Rotorua
We dock in Tauranga and travel to Rotorua to visit two gardens today. The 12ha
Tikiteret garden, developed since 1987, incorporates a natural stream, established
trees and bog plants including hostas, iris and primulas. Bridges cross the stream,
which is lined with a collection of Japanese maples and cherry trees, while azaleas
and rhododendrons cover the slopes beyond. We travel on to visit the Garden
Art Gallery an award-winning urban garden divided into rooms by trellis’s, which
allows glimpses into adjoining garden rooms. It is a space to show Jeanette’s
superb wildlife and plant paintings.
DAY 6 Tuesday 25 November, 2025
Napier
Today we dock at Napier, a coastal city on New Zealand’s North Island. It is set
amid the renowned wine-producing region of Hawke’s Bay. Rebuilt after a 1931
earthquake, the city is known for its numerous art deco landmarks and celebrates
its art deco heritage annually with the famous Art Deco Festival. We will enjoy
an Art Deco walking tour to see these attractive buildings, before visiting the Art
Deco Centre. In the afternoon we will visit Gwavas garden, laid out in the 1880’s,
the present owner is the fifth generation to have lived on the property. It is one of
the largest privately owned collections of temperate wood plants in Australasia.
Deryn will make sure that we get the most out of this garden.
DAY 7 Wednesday 26 November, 2025
Picton
Today, after docking in Picton, we visit Welton House, a plant lovers paradise.
The garden has been designed to complement the 120-year-old house. We will
see unique use of topiary hedges, platforms and pergolas. We continue with a
visit to Paripuma, a 20-year-old garden, which has created habitat for wildlife. It
incorporates a perennial award-winning garden created in 2020.
DAY 8 Thursday 27 November, 2025
Christchurch
We visit two gardens rated six star by the NZ Garden Trust today. Ohinetahi garden
has a formal design with some areas laid out in 1865 by botanist Thomas Potts.
A series of perfectly proportioned garden rooms give a strong sense of structure
and protect the garden from the sea breezes. In the afternoon we visit Broadfield
Estate set on 3.5 ha featuring many natives used in original ways, a kauri forest
and beech forest and NZ raised varieties of rhododendron, maples, perennials
lilies and roses.
DAY 9 Friday 28 November, 2025
Timaru
Our journey takes us south to Omaru to visit the Public Gardens this morning.
When the town was surveyed in 1858, 34 acres were set aside along the Oamaru
Creek for the gardens. Today colourful annuals are planted along the creek and an
immaculate rose garden takes centre stage.
DAY 10 Saturday 29 November, 2025
Dunedin
Arriving at Port Chambers this morning, we’ll be met by our private coach to travel into the city of Dunedin. Originally founded by Scottish settlers and known as the Edinburgh of the South, it features beautifully preserved buildings overlooking parklands. We visit New Zealand’s ‘castle’ which overlooks the Otago Peninsular. Built from 1871, by William Larnach, Larnach Castle showcases beautiful Victorian craftsmanship and antiques . The Barker family bought the 14-hectare property in 1967 and restored the house and garden. The seven acres of gardens include an extensive collection of native plants. We visit Wylde Willow, the five-acre private garden of Fran Rawlings this afternoon. The garden was created from a flat paddock more than 35 years ago and is home to countless roses growing in beds, over fences, arbours and trees as Fran, a very active member of Heritage Roses NZ, has long been a collector.
DAY 11 Sunday 30 November, 2025
Fiordland
Nothing can prepare you for the majesty of Milford Sound, star of Fiordlands
National Park. New vistas mesmerise at each turn, towering Mitre Peak, rising 1692
metres above the sound, plunging waterfalls, bottlenose and dusky dolphins, fur
seals and Fiordland crested penguins are among the wonders in this place of
outstanding natural beauty. Sometimes called 'The Sound of Silence', there is a
cloistered serenity within Doubtful Sound that contrasts with Milford Sound. At
40 kilometres long and eight across at its widest point, Dusky Sound is one of the
largest and most complex fiords in Fiordland. Dusky Sound was discovered and
named by Captain Cook in 1773 who originally called it Dusky Bay because of its
sombre aspect.
DAY 12 Monday 1 December, 2025
At Sea
The morning will be free to explore the ship. In the afternoon we will have Garden
Trivial Pursuit, dividing the group into teams to compete in answering garden
questions. There will be prizes for the winners.
DAY 13 Tuesday 2 December 2025
At Sea
We have a free day at sea today to enjoy the many facilities and activities aboard
the ship. In the afternoon, Deryn will give a talk on her career in horticulture and
the media and answer any questions you might have.
DAY 14 Wednesday 3 December, 2025
Hobart
We will first visit Hannah Moloney’s garden. Hannah is a popular presenter on ABC
TV’s Gardening Australia, regular contributor to ABC Gardening Australia magazine
and author of two books. She is also director of Goodlife Permaculture, a business
that teaches sustainability, landscape design and community building. Set on a
very steep block, Hannah’s garden is a living demonstration of the principles of
sustainability. We continue with a visit to Crawleighwood Garden. This wonderful
two-hectare garden is nestled in the picturesque hills at Nicholls Rivulet near Cygnet
in the beautiful Huon Valley. The garden features lush rhododendron woodland
and rainforest with myrtles, rare and unusual plants, a wide variety of deciduous
trees including maples, meandering paths and a Gondwanan arboretum.
DAY 15 Thursday 4 December, 2025
At Sea
We have a free day at sea today to enjoy the many facilities and activities aboard
the ship.
DAY 16 Friday 5 December, 2025
Melbourne
This morning, we arrive in Melbourne and travel to the Dandenong Ranges to visit
two exceptional gardens. We first visit Cloudehill where a maze of stone walls and
jewel like garden rooms are set within woodlands of historic cool climate trees. In
the afternoon, we travel to the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden. In 2013, Phillip
Johnson and Wes Fleming’s Trailfinders ‘Australian Garden’ exhibit became the
first ever Australian entry to win Best Garden at the Royal Horticultural Society’s
Chelsea Flower Show. This ‘Australian Garden’ has been re-created on over 7,000
square meters of previously unused space for locals and visitors to enjoy in the
Dandenong Ranges.
DAY 17 Saturday 6 December, 2025
At Sea
Our last day and time to buy last minute items or undertake last minute activities.
In the afternoon Deryn will host a trivia quiz. This evening we will enjoy farewell
drinks to say goodbye to Deryn and group members.
DAY 18 Sunday 7 December, 2025
Sydney
Early risers will get gorgeous views as we sail through Sydney Heads and cruise
Sydney Harbour before docking in Sydney. Group members disembark and our
wonderful garden cruise is finished.
| Cabin | Cabin Category | Deck | Twin Fare | Single Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | Inside | 4,5,6,7 | $8,190 | $9,690 |
| K | Inside | 1,4,5,6,10 | $8,290 | $9,790 |
| F | Outside | 1,6 | $8,550 | $10,550 |
| E | Outside | 1 | $8,590 | $10,590 |
| DD | Outside | 1 | $8,690 | $10,690 |
| VF | Balcony | 8 | $9,290 | $12,290 |
| VD | Balcony | 6,7 | $9,690 | $13,090 |
| VC | Balcony | 4,5,6,8 | $9,750 | $13,150 |
| VB | Balcony | 4,5,6,7,10 | $9,790 | $13,290 |
| VA | Balcony | 4,5,6,8 | $9,890 | $13,390 |
| SY | Suite | 5,8 | $10,990 | $15,590 |
| Included port & handling charges | $1,290 | $1,682 | ||
| Included ship gratuities | $340 | $340 | ||
| Air taxes as at 1 Sept 2024 to be added to fare | $150 | $150 | ||
Touring can involve a considerable amount of walking and stair climbing in the places visited and it is important that all tour participants have a level of physical fitness that a them to take part in this tour without the need of assistance from others.
Tour Operator: Travelrite International Pty Ltd, (ABN 64 500 817 078) is the tour operator.
Tour Costs: A deposit of $1000 per passenger should be sent with a completed Travelrite International booking form for each main tour. As soon as the booking is confirmed, a confirmation advice will be emailed to the client. Final payments are due to be paid to Travelrite International 92 days prior to the commencement of the tour. A 1.5% administration fee will be added to payments by credit card.
Cancellation Charges: Number of days before the tour commences. Cancellations outside 92 days of departure will result in the loss of the deposit. Cancellations 92 days or less before departure will result in the loss of all monies paid.
Refunds:
The tour is based on arrangements which do not allow for any
refunds in respect to sightseeing, accommodation, meals or other services
not utilised after the tour has commenced.
Travel Documents:
All passengers will require a valid passport and a
Zimbabwe visa on arrival if travelling on the extension. If not an Australian
passport holder, please check with Travelrite International for visa
requirements.
Travel Insurance:
Adequate travel insurance is highly recommended to
cover tour members for the consequences of unforeseen events during the
cruise and for cancellation fees which could result from events such as illness,
accident, death etc.
Baggage:
Passengers qualify for a 23kg free baggage allowance on flights
to join or return from the tour. Baggage is at owners’ risk throughout the
cruise.
Minimum Tour Numbers:
The tour arrangements have been made on
the basis of a minimum number of passengers travelling. In the event that
less than the required number of passengers have confirmed their booking
92 days from the date of departure, Travelrite International reserves the right
to cancel the tour, giving a full refund of monies paid, or offer arrangements
to proceed with the tour at a modified fare.
Tour Participation:
Children under 5 years of age are ineligible on coach & cruise tours. Children under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Passengers with disabilities are welcome on Travelrite & Cruise Offers tours provided they are accompanied by a companion capable of providing all necessary assistance, and do not require special assistance from Travelrite & Cruise Offers personnel. Travelrite and Cruise Offers reserves the right to refuse to carry anyone if it is felt the individual cannot cope with the requirements of coach & cruise tour travel and who may require services and facilities that Travelrite & Cruise Offers cannot guarantee will be available. You agree to not hold the Travelrite & Cruise Offers responsible for any decision made by any of them or any service provider to refuse to carry you, provide any facilities or accommodation to you or to provide any service to you.
Responsibilities:
Travelrite International Pty Ltd (ATAS No. A10538) is the
tour organiser. You engage Travelrite International to book this tour on your
behalf and you acknowledge that Travelrite International acts as your agent
for the purpose of making contracts between you and the various providers
of accommodation, transportation and other services that comprise the tour.
Travelrite may without reference to you provide or make available to you, or
may as your agent engage any third party to provide or make available to
you, any good or service which Travelrite reasonably believes is necessary
for your benefit to maintain the tour itinerary, repatriate you or otherwise
accommodate, transport or sustain you in circumstances in which the tour
itinerary fails wholly or partly for any reason. You appoint Travelrite your
attorney for this purpose. You agree to pay Travelrite any cost thereof and you
indemnify Travelrite in respect of any cost it incurs in this regard. Travelrite
advises you to obtain travel insurance generally including in respect of
the risk that any such good or service may become required. Further, no
responsibilities are accepted for any damage or delay due to sickness,
pilferage, labour disputes, machinery breakdown, quarantine, government
restraints, weather, terrorism or other causes beyond their control. No
responsibility is accepted for any additional expense, omission, delays,
re-routing or acts of any government authority. Baggage is at owners’ risk
throughout the tour. The right is reserved to withdraw any tour arrangement
and/or make such changes to the tour arrangements as may be found
desirable or necessary for the convenience of the parties and the proper
carrying out of the tour. The passage contract in use by the carriers concerned,
when issued, shall constitute the sole contract between the transportation
companies or firms and the purchasers of these tours. The contract shall be
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Victoria and any legal
action must be undertaken in the State of Victoria.
Delays and Unforeseen Events:
You engage Travelrite to book this tour
on your behalf and you acknowledge that Travelrite acts as your agent for
the purpose of making contracts between you and the various providers of
accommodation, transportation and other services that comprise the tour.
Travelrite may without reference to you provide or make available to you, or
may as your agent engage any third party to provide or make available to you, any good or service which Travelrite reasonably believes is necessary
for your benefit to maintain the tour itinerary, repatriate you or otherwise
accommodate, transport or sustain you in circumstances in which the tour
itinerary fails wholly or partly for any reason. You appoint Travelrite your
attorney for this purpose. You agree to pay Travelrite any cost thereof and you
indemnify Travelrite in respect of any cost it incurs in this regard. Travelrite
advises you to obtain travel insurance generally including in respect of the
risk that any such good or service may become required.
How to Book: Bookings can be made by sending full names and addresses of intending tour members with a non re-fundable deposit of $1000 for the tour to:
Travelrite International Pty Ltd
423 Whitehorse Road Balwyn, Victoria 3103
Further information or a booking form can be obtained by telephoning Travelrite International on the following numbers:
Toll Free: 1800 630 343
Telephone (03) 8803 6868
Email sales@travelrite.com.au
https://www.travelrite.com.au/
About Travelrite International: Travelrite International Pty Ltd is a well-established travel company which has been marketing throughout Australia for over 40 years and operating in Victoria for more than 42 years. It is a member of ATAS (No. A10538) and has a credited IATA office in Balwyn. As such it directly represents the major airlines of the world and all major domestic and international hotel, tour and transport operators. Travelrite International Pty Ltd is a full member of the Australian Travel Industry Association – ATIA.
“The whole tour was wonderful and the group was a good mix of personality. The gardens visited were interesting and varied.”
“Very enjoyable. Good mix of people in the group.”
