Tours & Travel

NEW ZEALAND's SOUTH ISLAND
$4,290 (per person twin share) / $4,945 (single supplement) - exc. flights
15 - 24 April 2012

Homestead Tours have designed this itinerary especially for National Trust members.  It is a rare chance to visit high country estates and historic homesteads, together with wine makers and local artists; to explore this area amid the Southern Lakes and to experience the generous hospitality of our hosts.  We will travel in April when the autumn colours will be at their peak and the roses and late summer flowers still in bloom - a magical time of year to visit the South Island.  From Christchurch to Queenstown unparalleled scenic variety awaits as we travel south to Lake Tekapo, Lake Wanaka, Lake Dunstan, Lake Hawea and Queenstown.  With two or three night stays we have daily visits to private properties, historic homesteads, towns and villages.  This is a tour full of surprises as we experience highlights of New Zealand's spectacular South Island.

Bookings: David Smith, Travelscene on Capri P: 1800 679 066  License No: TA1091
Leader:  Jill Bunning  T: 02 9798 8914

DISCOVER THE HEART OF ITALY
$4,990 (per person twin share) / $5,580 (single supplement) - exc. flights
16 - 28 May 2012

This tour sold out in May 2011, so will be repeated in May 2012. It takes in two spectacular regions in the heart of Italy: Umbria and Le Marche. The itinerary has been planned by Tours Committee member Loma Priddle, who lived in Italy for 12 years, and our Italian hosts will be Ugo and Barbara Mariotti who have conducted National Trust tours of Tuscany over the past 7 years. Unpack only twice as we stay in centrally located hotels first in Spoleto then in Urbino, a medieval town with UNESCO heritage listing once described as “a dream shaped into a city”. Our leisurely daily excursions will include the gardens of Villa Lante, the Ceramics Museum in Deruta, the elegant town of Pesaro on the Adriatic coast - birthplace of the composer Rossini, the fascinating museum in Fabriano to see paper making by hand, and the Castle at Gradara. These regions have a history of good food and wine, and we will see truffle dogs working in Acqualanga, world famous for its truffles; have lunch in a private country home, and enjoy local wines and food specialties. Early bookings highly recommended.

Bookings: David Smith, Travelscene on Capri P: 1800 679 066  License No: TA1091 Leader:  Loma Priddle  T: 02 9412 2875

NEW ENGLAND (USA) IN THE FALL
$5,390 (per person twin share) / $6,850 (single supplement) - exc. flights
7 - 21 October 2012

The sheer beauty of the autumn foliage in Vermont and New Hampshire in the eastern United States will absolutely astound you.  It is nature at its very best.  The tour will start in Boston and although it will have an autumn theme, there will also be an emphasis on the history and architecture around the regions of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.  Visits to Salem and Old Sturbridge Village capture the essence of Colonial America as well as a visit to Plymouth where the pilgrims landed on the Mayflower.  The tour also includes a visit to the Mansions of Newport, famous for its quaintness and the Americas Cup, and a day trip to Martha’s Vineyard. We will pass through beautiful small towns with white church spires and old graveyards.  No visit to New England is complete without a visit to Maine where the autumn colours meet the shore and where you will find some of the best seafood in the world.  Where possible we will stay in hotels for 2 or 3 nights.

Bookings: David Smith, Travelscene on Capri P: 1800 679 066  License No: TA1091 Leader:  Jill Bunning  T: 02 9798 8914