Botanical Tours

Our botanical tours offer you the chance to visit some of New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia's most spectacular habitats.

Our guides will take you to areas that are normally difficult to get to, where the mountains are magnificent, but you will also enjoy exploring beech forests, coastline and beautiful lakes. There is even the opportunity to take to the ocean to see sperm whales and albatrosses.

The indigenous flora in each country is rich and unique, having evolved in isolation for millions of years. No fewer than 80% of New Zealand’s native plants and trees are endemic.  The degree of endemism is equally high in Western Australia and new Caledonia. Although few have showy flowers, the variety of foliage colour, texture and shape is remarkable in New Zealand. In Western Australia and New Caledonia the floral spectacles are renowned.

Aotearoa New Zealand Highlights can include:

• 93% of New Zealand’s alpine plants are found nowhere else in the world
• Primeval rain forest dominated by ancient podocarps and tree ferns at Pureora
• Blackbirch, Mt Hutt scree plants
• Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and its spectacular Hooker Valley
• Gertrude Cirque, which has arguably one of the finest accessible communities of alpine plants in the southern hemisphere.

Western Australian Highlights can include:

• the greatest diversity of flowering plants found anywhere in the world.
• over 4000 species in South West Western Australia.
• Spectacular Protea family including Banksia, Grevillea, Hakea and Dryandra.
• Vast and fascinating heathlands or kwongan.
• Desert flora including the famed wreath-flowers, Leschenaultia formosa

New Caledonia Highlights can include:

• The unique and ancient Amborella
• 79% of plant-life is endemic to these islands.
• Primeval rain forest dominated by ancient podocarps and giant Araucaria and Agathis.
• The richest and most distinctive conifer flora in the world.
• An incredible ultrabasic and ultramafic flora covering over 30% of the Le Grand Terre

Our guides are botanists and naturalists who are passionate about Oceania flora and have a lifetime of experience and knowledge about its ecology. We can provide transport throughout, all necessary permits and charters, accommodation and meals as requested, species lists and a detailed background ecology booklet relating to areas visited and species viewed.

We run botanical tours in Tasmania, Western Australia and New Caledonia.