Flower fever on

Supreme Tours

Calling all garden lovers for a travel experience that will make your spirit of adventure bloom!

Supreme Tours & Travel has been running since 1994 and o ers door-to-door, fully inclusive, stress-free tours all over the world.

Director Terri Small is budding with excitement to invite people onto their special garden tours that will be running September-November this year. “We feature the Taranaki Garden Festival each year and it’s very popular. We stay at a beautiful hotel, Novotel, right in the centre of New Plymouth,” says Terri.

“Because it’s a Supreme Tour you’re travelling in a group of like-minded people who are always keen to see what’s new in the garden world, and you can take ideas back to your own garden at home.” On the Taranaki tour, Terri says: “We always carry boxes in the luggage compartment that guests can put their plants in to bring home”.

Terri is also thrilled to announce Supreme Tours will be going back across the Tasman after ve years to the Floriade in Canberra.

“ at’s a very big ower festival…there’s hundreds and hundreds of owers, seeds and new innovative planting ideas!” ere’s also interactive fact-o ering activities like ‘the keepers’ talks’. We chanced upon a talk and ying demonstration of a white owl. We’ve heard the Morepork at night but never been up-close and personal with an owl. Inspiring! ere’s playgrounds and quiet spaces away from the children – they’ve thought of everyone, and everything! ere’s even photo squares at fences to line up the perfect photo of an enclosure. Both times I’ve visited recently there have been many hobby photographers snapping away. e sculptures, trees, plants and landscaping take you out of Auckland to far-o exotic locations. ere’s ice cream stands, cafes, restaurants. You can have a birthday party, or get married there! e zoo has certainly come a long way from the days of a chimpanzee tea party. Today it educates people on animals, wildlife conservation and caring for the environment. ere’s an exhibition called ‘100 Years: Celebrating a century of wild life at Auckland Zoo’ where you can see how the Auckland icon has evolved. e animals at Auckland Zoo are on duty 364 days a year. Merle Cave

On the same trip, travellers will also head to Mittagong, New South Wales, for the Tulip Festival. “ ere’s 75,000 mass-planted tulips, which are just awe-inspiring to see!

“ is is just a tiny look at tours that we have!” For contact information to nd out more and what Supreme Tours are on o er, see their advert below.

Auckland Zoo is a 16.35-hectare home to 130 di erent species, more than 2800 animals and the largest diversity of wildlife in Aotearoa. From elephants to rhinos, gira es to red pandas...love the orangutans, porcupines, cheetahs, Bligh and Whito the takahe and their feathered friends the Kapapo. row a carload of kids into the mix and it’s a special kind of hours-long experience.

What I love most is how the zoo is organised by places around the world – there’s the African Safari track, Te Wao Nui (our track), the South East Asia Jungle Track, the South America Rainforest Track, and the Australia Bush track.

Giraffes.