Tour Details - Highlights of OZ and NZ

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Melbourne

On arrival at Melbourne Airport you will be transferred to your hotel. This evening enjoy a welcome drink with your Tour Director and travelling companions.
Hotel: Crowne Plaza, Melbourne, 3 Nights.

Day 2: City Sights

Enjoy a morning tour of Melbourne including the Botanic Gardens, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Parliament House. B

Day 3: Melbourne 'Free Time'

Enjoy a day at leisure in cosmopolitan Melbourne. You may like to join an optional tour to the wineries in the Yarra Valley or tour along the famous Great Ocean Road to see the stone monoliths of the Twelves Apostles. B

Day 4: Melbourne - Alice Springs

You will be transferred to Melbourne Airport for your early morning flight to Alice Springs. Visit the School of the Air, which provides an educational service for children living in remote areas. You are invited to join the Heaslip family for afternoon tea at Bond Springs Station, nestled in the MacDonnell Ranges, west of Alice Springs. You’ll hear about their life working on their 1,500 square kilometre cattle grazing property.
Hotel: Chifley Alice Springs Resort, Alice Springs. B AT D

Day 5: Uluru (Ayers Rock)

Visit the Telegraph Station and the Royal Flying Doctor Service to see how medical aid reaches those who live in the outback. Depart for Ayers Rock Resort. Enjoy a complimentary glass of wine while watching sunset at Uluru (Ayers Rock).
Hotel: Desert Gardens Hotel, Ayers Rock Resort, 2 nights. B

Day 6: Kata Tjuta (the Olgas)

Rise early to view Uluru at sunrise. There is the opportunity to climb to the summit. Tour the caves at the base and hear stories of the Dreamtime. This afternoon travel through the desert plains to Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). Enjoy sunset here with a glass of complimentary sparkling wine. B

Day 7: Uluru (Ayers Rock) - Cairns

You will be transferred to Ayers Rock Airport for your flight to Cairns. The remainder of the day is at leisure in this tropical city. Take a stroll along the Esplanade or visit the Pier Marketplace.
Hotel: Hilton Hotel, Cairns, 3 nights. B

Day 8: Great Barrier Reef

Cruise on a high-speed catamaran to the Great Barrier Reef. View the coral and fish from a semi-submersible craft and snorkel along the reef. Enjoy a reef education presentation on this living wonder and a delicious buffet lunch. B L

Day 9: Cairns 'Free Time'

Enjoy a full day at leisure in Cairns. You may like to join an optional tour to Kuranda. Board the train for an historic journey through the scenic countryside behind Cairns. Return by the Skyrail Cableway that takes you above the canopy of the tropical rainforest of the Barron Gorge National Park. B

Day 10: Cairns - Sydney

Spend time at the Cairns Wildlife Dome where you’ll encounter unique Australian animals. You will be transferred to Cairns Airport for your flight to Sydney.
Hotel: Four Points by Sheraton, Darling Harbour, Sydney, 3 nights. B

Day 11: City Sights - Cruise

Tour Sydney and see the Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Gardens and Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair. Visit famous Bondi Beach then return to the city for a Sydney Harbour luncheon cruise. Later, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about Australia's national gemstone - the opal. B L

Day 12: Sydney 'Free Time'

Explore the harbour city of Sydney further today. We’ll gather together for a Sydney farewell dinner with your Tour Director and new-found friends. B HD

Day 13: Sydney - Auckland

You will be transferred to Sydney Airport for your flight to Auckland. On arrival in Auckland you will be transferred to your hotel, with a guaranteed early check-in. The afternoon is free for you to explore Auckland. You could visit the Sky Tower for amazing views of the city, Viaduct Harbour and the surrounding volcanic hills. Perhaps visit the Auckland Museum or go shopping in stylish Parnell. This evening enjoy a Welcome Drink and dinner with your Travel Director and fellow travelling companions.
Hotel: Stamford Plaza, Auckland, 2 nights D

Day 14: Auckland sightseeing

Start the day with a sightseeing tour of the city. You’ll see Bastion Point, the War Memorial, Viaduct Harbour, the Auckland Harbour Bridge and more. Later, board your cruise on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour. Sit back and relax – the time is yours – it’s the best way to see Auckland, the City of Sails! B

Day 15: Auckland - Rotorua

Trace the Waikato River to the Waitomo Caves. Tour the amazing Glow Worm Grotto by boat with a Local Guide and walk through the limestone caves. From here your journey continues to Rotorua, where you’ll visit Te Puia (New Zealand’s Maori culture and geothermal experience). A Local Maori Guide will escort you through the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve with its mud pools and geysers. This evening enjoy a Maori Hangi Highlight Dinner accompanied by local wine and followed by a concert, to experience traditional Maori culture.
Hotel: Millennium Hotel, Rotorua B HD

Day 16: Rotorua - Christchurch

Your morning sightseeing tour includes a visit to Rainbow Springs Nature Park, where with a Local Guide you will discover native bush, ferns and trees that grow around the crystal clear mineral water springs. You may even spot a kiwi, New Zealand’s national icon! Then you’ll visit the Agrodome Sheep Show, the multi-award-winning stage show where you’ll gain an informative and exciting insight into agriculture in New Zealand. You’ll see the art of sheep shearing, sheepdog demonstrations, cow milking, bottle-feeding of lambs and an exciting sheep auction. In the afternoon you’ll fly to Christchurch (flights to depart after 12pm).
Hotel: Terrace Downs Resort, Darfield. B D

Day 17: TranzAlpine - Franz Josef

Board the famous TranzAlpine train and travel over the Southern Alps to Arthur’s Pass. Continue to Greymouth, then follow the coastal road to Franz Josef Glacier, where you may take an optional scenic flight (weather permitting).
Hotel: Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier, franz Josef Glacier B D

Day 18: Queenstown

See the Haast Pass, Thunder Creek Falls, Lake Wanaka, Cromwell and Kawarau Gorge. Visit historic Arrowtown then continue to Queenstown.
Hotel: Millennium Hotel, Queenstown, 3 nights. B

Day 19: Milford Sound

Super highlight day! Discover the stunning scenery of Fiordland. We drive through the Homer Tunnel and stop briefly at the Chasm en route to Milford Sound. Enjoy a cruise with lunch on the waters of this natural wonder, with Mitre Peak and Bowen Falls high above you. B L

Day 20: Queenstown 'Free Time'

Enjoy a full day at leisure in Queenstown. B

Day 21: Christchurch

Travel past Mount Cook National Park. Stop at Lake Tekapo and visit the Church of the Good Shepherd. You are invited to lunch at Morelea Farm, a typical working sheep farm, to discover an authentic taste of country life. This afternoon continue to Christchurch.
Hotel: Terrace Downs Resort, Darfield. B L D

Day 22: Depart Christchurch

You will be transferred to Christchurch Airport for your onward flight. B