A gardening expert and foodie epicure have joined forces to create specialty tours which will showcase Wānaka’s best seasonal food and its finest gardens.

Beautiful Gardens Wanaka owner Florence Micoud and Forage & Feast Food Adventures creator Naomi Lindsay each run tours, Florence’s focusing on local gardens and Naomi’s on Wānaka food growers and local cuisine.

“Telling the stories of our local community is something we are both passionate about and the new tours enable guests to experience the best of both our normal tours in one day,” Naomi said.

Naomi said she and Florence decided to team up after taking part in a regenerative tourism course together.

Guests on the food and garden tour will enjoy a three-course lunch made with freshly-picked local ingredients. 

“We soon realised our values aligned as two passionate locals looking to celebrate all things natural in Wānaka, from food to flowers, with a focus on regenerative practices of growing and tourism,” she said.

During the joint tours, guests will visit two Wānaka food producer gardens in the morning and two flower gardens in the afternoon. 

They will also be treated to a three-course lunch made from local produce, including veggies picked that morning by the group.

There will be one tour held in December, another in February and a third in late-April, with the dates selected to showcase food and plants from the different seasons.

Beautiful Gardens of Wānaka director Florence Micoud said the dates of the joint tours had been selected to best display the different food and plants in spring, summer and autumn.

Florence said Wānaka had a unique growing climate: During the tours guests will hear from local experts on what grows here, when and how, she said.

“We’ll also enjoy strolling through local gardens, picking produce and smelling stunning in-season flowers, trees and shrubs,” she said. 

Learn more here.

PHOTOS: Supplied