Spend 19 days touring the two Pacific island nations. Ride aboard vintage Kuranda steam train and Skyrail gondolas and tour Sydney on land and by harbor cruise.
Explore nature with a Great Barrier Reef excursion, and spend two nights in Mt. Cook National Park. Witness sunset at Ayers Rock and enjoy an Aboriginal “Dreamtime” experience where you will meet Walpiri tribespeople and learn about their ancient culture
Head to New Zealand and tour both Christchurch and Auckland. Cruise Milford Sound and visit Te Puia Thermal Reserve and Cultural Centre on the shores of Lake Rotorua. Experience the Maori culture with a traditional hangi dinner and Maori performance.
Days 1 & 2: Depart for Cairns, Australia
Day 3: Arrive in Cairns
- This afternoon – arrive in Cairns
- Transfer to the hotel
- A briefing about the trip and dinner
Meals: Dinner
Day 4: Cairns / Kuranda
- Orientation tour of Cairns
- Board a historic railway
- Explore the mountain village of Kuranda
- Descend via the gondolas of Skyrail
- Return to the hotel
- Rest of the day at leisure
- Lunch and dinner is on your own
Meals: Breakfast
Day 5: Great Barrier Reef
- Day-long excursion to the Great Barrier Reef
- Pull up at Michaelmas Cay
- Swim, snorkel, or view the reef from a semi-submersible vessel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 6: Cairns / Alice Springs
- Early morning flight to remote Alice Springs
- Venture to Simpsons Gap and Standley Chasm for a picnic lunch
- Visit the Alice Springs School of the Air
- Dinner is on your own
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 7: Alice Springs
- Embark on an Aboriginal “dreamtime” tour – meet Walpiri tribespeople and learn about their ancient culture.
- Royal Flying Doctor Service
- Visit the Anzac Hill Monument
- Lunch is on your own
- Enjoy a traditional Outback Bushman’s Dinner around a campfire.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8: Alice Springs / Ayers Rock
- Early afternoon – Ayers Rock hotel
- Lunch is on your own
- Visit Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9: Ayers Rock / Sydney
- Visit the base of Uluru and the interesting museum here
- Lunch is on your own
- Mid-day – fly to Sydney, arriving late afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10: Sydney
- The Rocks historic neighborhood: Darling Harbour, Mrs. Macquarie’s Point, Rose and Watson’s bays, and Bondi Beach
- Board a catamaran for a lunch cruise around Sydney Harbour
- Dinner is on your own
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 11: Sydney
- Tour Featherdale Wildlife Park
- Afternoon is at leisure
- Enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12: Sydney / Christchurch, New Zealand
- Late morning tour of the Sydney Opera House
- Afternoon is free for independent exploration
- Lunch is on your own
- Evening – board a flight to Christchurch, New Zealand
- Dinner is on your own
Meals: Breakfast
Day 13: Christchurch / Mount Cook National Park
- Orientation tour of the Botanic Gardens and Cathedral Square
- Board our motorcoach to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, in the Southern Alps.
- En route, stop in the town of Geraldine for lunch
- See sheep dogs and a sheep shearer in action at a local farm
- Continue on to Mount Cook, arriving late afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14: Mount Cook
- Tour of alpine Mount Cook Village
- Visit to the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Center – 3D planetarium movie about the region.
- Visit the Hillary Gallery
- Lunch on our own
- Afternoon is at leisure to relax amid the breathtaking scenery
- Optional: take a hike, or a scenic flight (weather permitting)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 15: Mount Cook / Queenstown
- Depart for Queenstown
- Stopping en route in historic Arrowtown for lunch on our own
- Visit to Kawarau Bridge Bungy
- Reach Queenstown mid-afternoon
- Dinner at the hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 16: Milford Sound
- Day-long excursion to Milford Sound
- Nature cruise through the fjords
- Lunch on board
- Return to Queenstown
- Optional: scenic flight (weather permitting)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 17: Queenstown
- Today is at leisure
- Lunch is on your own
- Dinner is on your own
Meals: Breakfast
Day 18: Queenstown / Rotorua
- Depart for the Maori center of Rotorua
- Panoramic tour of this city on the shores of Lake Rotorua
- In the evening, visit Te Puia Thermal Reserve and Cultural Centre
- Traditional hangi dinner and Maori performance
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 19: Rotorua
- Visit Rainbow Springs Nature Park
- Tour the National Kiwi Trust
- Lunch is on your own
- Dinner is on your own
Meals: Breakfast
Day 20: Rotorua / Auckland
- En route to Auckland, we stop at Ruakuri Caves
- Reach Auckland late afternoon
- Dinner is on your own
Meals: Breakfast
Day 21: Auckland
- Half-day tour of this city
- Auckland Harbour
- America’s Cup Village
- Visit the War Memorial Museum
- Farewell dinner at the hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 22: Depart for U.S.
- Very early this morning, depart for the airport for the flight to Los Angeles (via Sydney) and our return flights home
Meals: Breakfast
Please note: This trip involves full days of sightseeing and significant amounts of walking on stairs and uneven surfaces. You should be in good physical condition to enjoy the tour to its fullest.
Information on the trip host will be added at a later date.
