Tours of the lower Dunedin Botanic Garden will begin next month in an initiative by the Friends of Dunedin Botanic Garden. Committee member Annette Riley says the tours are a pilot and the Friends hope to extend the tours next year to include the upper garden. Ms Riley says the idea is to extend the experience of the garden for both local and overseas visitors.
''We hope to provide the opportunity to learn more about the wide variety of plants that can be grown in Dunedin, often a matter of surprise to overseas tourists; the special features and trees; and something of the history and personalities who have helped shape the garden,'' she says.
The tours will run for 55 minutes and as they will follow sealed paths will be suitable for wheelchairs and most levels of fitness. The tours begin on Saturday, February 2.
The tours
• Saturdays and Sundays at 2.30pm and at 10.45am on the days when there are cruise ships visiting, until early winter.
• The cost is $7each or $50 for a group by arrangement.
• Bookings at the Dunedin Botanic Garden Information Centre and Dunedin i-Site Visitor Centre.
