1
Welcome to Melbourne!
On arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel. This evening join your Travel Director for a welcome reception and dinner - it's a great opportunity to get to know everyone in a unique setting.
Included Meals: Welcome Reception - Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Melbourne - 2 Nights
2
Melbourne's Famous Hidden Laneways Tour
Join your Travel Director for a city sights tour that includes a private walk through Melbourne's famous hidden laneways. You'll discover the city's eclectic little lanes, arcades, café society and fascinating street art. There's time afterwards to explore the city on your own, enjoy an optional experience or simply relax and watch the world go by.
Included Meals: Breakfast
3
Fly to Cairns & Crocodile Adventure
This morning you will be transferred to Melbourne Airport for your flight to Cairns, Queensland. On arrival join a private wildlife journey at Hartley's Crocodile Adventures. Enjoy a boat cruise and encounter koalas, wallabies, birds, crocodiles and more! This evening is free for your to choose from the numerous restaurants that Cairns has to offer.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Cairns - 3 Nights
4
Great Barrier Reef Cruise & Snorkel
Get ready for an experience of a lifetime - board a high speed catamaran and cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef. You can snorkel and view this natural living wonder up close (equipment provided) or stay dry and explore the stunning reef from the comfort of a semi-submersible craft, just one metre underwater. Enjoy a tropical buffet lunch before you return to Cairns.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
5
Cairns at Leisure
Today is a free day to do as you choose.
A great option is the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to Kuranda, be amazed as you travel over and through World Heritage rainforest, explore quaint Kuranda village and later board the Kuranda Scenic Rail for this historic rail journey.
If you’d prefer to spend the day relaxing by your hotel pool or sitting back at a local café you can do that too!
In the evening rejoin your travelling companions for a unique dining experience at Tjapukai Cultural Park. Hear dreamtime stories, witness a high impact dance performance and enjoy dinner with your local host to the sounds of the didgeridoo.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner
6
Cairns to Sydney in time for a Dinner Cruise
This morning you'll fly to Sydney!
On arrival there's time to relax at your hotel or explore this exciting city before boarding a Magistic Dinner Cruise. Enjoy a contemporary two course a la carte meal and the mesmerising views of Sydney at night. You'll pass magnificent waterfront homes, beaches and parklands and all the main harbour attractions including the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with wine
Accommodation: Sydney - 3 Nights
7
Highlights of Sydney
Discover the highlights of beautiful Sydney with a driving city tour.
If there was ever a place that slipped from the pages of a fairy-tale, Wendy’s Secret Garden at Lavender Bay is it. Overlooking Sydney Harbour, this pocket of floral paradise is explained by a local volunteer – did you know this was once unused wasteland? Your visit provides a contribution to the ongoing maintenance of the enchanting garden.
Explore Sydney’s inner west and enjoy a lunch with the locals at the pub. Then drive through Newtown to Batch Brewery where you will take part in a masterclass and learn how they combine creatively inspired limited release batches with sustainable practices.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
8
Sydney Free Time
Today is free for you to do as you choose. Why not take a day trip to the spectacular Blue Mountains for fresh mountain air and stunning scenery. You’ll visit the charming village of Leura, see the famous Three Sisters rock formation and visit a Wildlife Park to get up close and personal to some of Australia’s cuddly native animals.
If you’ve always wanted to climb Sydney Harbour Bridge, today could be your chance on a thrilling ‘Bridgeclimb’. Dinner tonight is beside Sydney Harbour. Because can you ever get enough?
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
9
Fly to Queenstown
This morning say farewell to Sydney and fly to Queenstown. Get your bearings on an orientation tour. This evening, join your Travel Director for dinner at The Boatshed, set in the historic New Zealand Railways Shipping Office built in 1936. Restored and relocated to its lakefront setting, The Boatshed, with its spectacular views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables mountain range, is the perfect setting for your Highlight Dinner.
**(airfare is not included and must be booked in addition to this itinerary - please contact us to confirm the most up to date details).
Meals: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner
Accommodation: Queenstown - 3 nights
10
Get the feel for real country life...
Get the feel for real country life at a Be My Guest experience with your host, Southern Girl Laura, who was born and raised on a sheep farm in the deep south of New Zealand. Try your hand at sheep mustering, whip cracking as well as the chance to feed and pet the farm animals. Laura is sure you’ll leave feeling more like a local than a visitor.
Meals: Breakfast
11
Queenstown at Leisure
Explore Queenstown your way! Go wild with a jet boat ride or white water rafting. For the less adventurous there is a wine and garden tour, play a round of golf, or just enjoy wandering through the town and botanic gardens.
This evening join your Travel Director for dinner at The Boatshed, set in the historic Railway Shipping Office built-in 1936. Restored and relocated to its lakefront setting, The Boatshed with its spectacular views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables, is the perfect venue for your Highlights dinner this evening.
Meals: Breakfast
12
Fly to Auckland
Today we depart the adventure capital of New Zealand Queenstown and head north to the City of Sails, Auckland. This evening, why not dine at one of the many eateries on Federal Street, a hotspot for food lovers right on your doorstep. With an impressive accolade of awards between them, there is something to suit every taste at Federal Street.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Auckland - 1 night
13
Travel to Rotorua via Waitomo Caves
Today we journey south through the King Country region which was at the centre of the New Zealand Wars in the 1860’s. Join our 'Local Specialist' in a starry wonderland - a cavernous galaxy of twinkling bright green and blue glow-worms that light up the Ruakuri Caves, Waitomo. This evening, we join our hosts at the Mitai Maori Village for an authentic introduction to Maori culture, experience a delicious Hangi feast and cultural performance.
Meals: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner
Accommodation: Rotorua - 2 nights
14
Rotorua
Visit Rainbow Springs Nature Park for a guided tour of the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa, the national leader in kiwi husbandry. Learn about the work being done to save New Zealand’s national bird, see kiwi eggs being incubated, the hatching process and newly hatched kiwi chicks. Continue to the Living Maori Village Whakarewarewa and gain in-depth insights into the lives of the Māori people and the special bond they share with this ancient land. See New Zealand's biggest geyser, bubbling mud pools and thermal springs. Later we'll join our Travel Director and new-found friends for a Farewell Dinner at Terrace Kitchen on the Lakefront.
Meals: Breakfast, Farwell Dinner
15
Bon Voyage
Haere rā and Bon Voyage!
We are sure you will enjoy this tour and our promise is to make your travels through Australia and New Zealand as hassle-free and hospitable as possible - ensuring that today you leave with a memory card full of photos, and huge smiles on your faces when recalling your time Downunder! Have a great homeward journey, farewell and hope to see you again soon.
Meals: Breakfast
Tour Inclusions
Itinerary Variations – the provider strives to improve trip itineraries. If improvements can be made, or if circumstances beyond their control make changes necessary, the provider reserves the right to vary itineraries and to make substitutions.
Included Highlights
Insider Knowledge
Ever wondered how the Sydney Opera House was crafted, and which performers have taken to the stage? Go behind the scenes with a local expert.
Local Connection
Farm life is a thing for many New Zealand locals. Meet Laura, who will teach you about life on the land on her South Island estate.
Cultural Immersion
Kiwis celebrate their heritage at every chance possible, as you’ll discover at Te Puia, where your dinner comes with an eye-opening performance revealing New Zealand’s Maori heritage.
Sustainable Footprints
Operation Nest Egg may sound like it’s from a Bond movie, but it’s actually a way that the National Kiwi Hatchery is helping boost the population of kiwi birds in the wild. Your visit helps.
Wildlife & Nature
Cairns is a place two World Heritage Sites meet: The Wet Tropics of Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef. Bring your sense of adventure to explore both.
Inclusions
- Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide
- Local Specialists (Guides)
- Centrally located premium hotels
Dining
- 14 Full Breakfasts
- 1 Lunch
- 4 Dinners with Wine
- 2 Highlight Dinners
- 1 Farewell Dinner
- 1 Be My Guest Lunch
** Required Internal Flights: are to be purchased in order to fulfil the itinerary and are NOT included in the land content price - please contact us to confirm these details and any other itinerary updates
- Day 1 – Flights to arrive prior to 12 noon into Melbourne Airport
- Day 15 – Flights to depart anytime from Auckland Airport
Required Internal Flights listed below are to be purchased in order to fulfil the itinerary and are not included in the land content price
- Day 3 – Melbourne to Cairns: Details TBA
- Day 6 – Cairns to Sydney: Details TBA
- Day 9 – Sydney to Queenstown: Details TBA
- Day 12 – Queenstown to Rotorua: Details TBA
Fitness Requirements
- Low level of fitness required
What Emma says about this tour: What I love about group travel is these itineraries have been honed to provide the most experience for the allotted time available. You have 15 days to explore New Zealand and Australia and rest assured - your expert guides have thought of everything. The sensational Sydney Opera House, a glowworm Grotto - the vast Great Barrier Reef and a New Zealand high country sheep farm will shape the sights and sounds and newfound friends making the memories to last a lifetime.
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