Two free guides provide details of 43 places to eat in the English counties bordering Wales.

• With sections on restaurants; ethnic restaurants serving food from the Indian subcontinent; brasseries; pubs, and tea shops, “A Taste of Staffordshire” can be obtained by calling 08705 004444 or visiting the website www.tasteofstaffordshire.com.

• “Flavours of Herefordshire” features leading entries in the county’s annual awards scheme for restaurants, pubs, tearooms, bed-and-...

ATS Tours is offering discounted “Magical New Zealand” packages of 10 to 15 days, beginning at $1,299 per person out of L.A.

For example, on the 11-day/8-night independent vacation “New Zealand Movie Magic,” from $2,849 (including savings of $235), “Lord of the Rings” fans can explore the locations that provided backdrops for the Academy Award-winning films.

Included are airfare from Los Angeles to Christchurch and return from Queenstown, eight days’ Hertz compact automatic...

Hampton Court Palace, the former home of King Henry VIII, has a new permanent gardens exhibition. Situated off the East Front Gardens, it shows how the palace gardens evolved from the early 16th century up to the present day.

On Saturdays and Sundays through Sept. 26, 2004, costumed interpreters dressed as courtiers in the days when William III and Mary II were in residence will lead 30-minute tours of the East and South Front gardens.

Contact Hampton Court Palace, East...