Day 1: Arrive Melbourne (3 Nights)
Welcome to Melbourne! On arrival you will be transferred to your hotel (flights to arrive prior to 12pm). This evening join your Travel Director for a Welcome Reception and dinner on board the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant. (WR, DW)
Hotel: Crowne Plaza
Day 2: Melbourne Sightseeing
This morning, explore Melbourne on a city sights tour and discover its eclectic laneways, arcades, café society and street art on your Cultural Insight private walking tour. (BB)
Day 3: Melbourne Free Time
Today is free for you to explore the delights of Melbourne. You may like to take an Optional Experience along the Great Ocean Road. (BB)
Day 4: Melbourne - Alice Springs
Today you’ll fly to Alice Springs. Visit the School of the Air and Royal Flying Doctor Service and hear from Local Specialists about the operation of both facilities. This evening enjoy a Be My Guest dinner at Earth Sanctuary World Nature Centre and afterwards hear from the Falzon brothers, Tom and Danny, about the sustainable lifestyle they have established. (BB, BG)
Hotel: Mercure Alice Springs Resort
Day 5: Alice Springs - Uluru (Ayers Rock) (2 Nights)
Travel to Ayers Rock Resort. Enjoy sparkling wine as Uluru changes colour when the sun dips below the western horizon. (BB)
Hotel: Desert Gardens - Authentic Accommodation
Day 6: Kata Tjuta (the Olgas)
View the magical Uluru sunrise. Afterwards, gain a Cultural Insight into the traditional owners of the land, the Anangu, as you tour the base of Uluru discovering ancient rock art. Travel through the desert plains to Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). Take a walk at Walpa Gorge and later toast a Kata Tjuta sunset with sparkling wine. (BB)
Day 7: Uluru (Ayers Rock) - Cairns (3 Nights)
Join a Local Specialist for a fun introduction to Western Desert Art. Your Anangu artist will explain the meanings of their totems, before assisting you to complete your own painting to take home as a memento of your experience. This afternoon you’ll fly from Ayers Rock to Cairns. (BB)
Hotel: Hilton
Day 8: Cairns Free Time
Spend your free day relaxing or exploring. Perhaps take an Optional Experience to the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park or Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures. (BB)
Day 9: Great Barrier Reef
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. Enjoy a tropical buffet lunch before you return to Cairns. This evening you’ll dine at a restaurant on the Cairns waterfront. (BB, L, DW)
Day 10: Cairns - Sydney (3 Nights)
Today you will fly to Sydney. This evening is free for you to do as you wish. (BB)
Hotel: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
Day 11: Sydney Sightseeing
Join a Local Specialist for a guided tour of Sydney Opera House before putting your feet in the sand on Bondi Beach. Then take to the water on a Captain Cook Lunch Cruise Regional Meal, cruising around the glistening harbour while you enjoy a fresh seasonal menu. (BB, RM)
Day 12: Sydney At Leisure
Enjoy a free day in Sydney and then celebrate your last evening in Sydney at dinner with your Travel Director at a waterfront restaurant. (BB, DW)
Day 13: Sydney - Auckland (2 Nights)
Say goodbye to Australia and fly to Auckland, New Zealand. This evening meet your Travel Director for dinner at your hotel. (BB, DW)
Hotel: Stamford Plaza
Day 14: Auckland Sightseeing and Free Time
A morning city sightseeing tour and cruise on Waitemata Harbour is followed by free time. (BB)
Day 15: Auckland - Rotorua
Today you’re invited to a Be My Guest lunch at the home of Lance and Bridgette O’Sullivan, New Zealand horse racing royalty. Enjoy a sumptuous country-style lunch at the Red Barn on their beautiful Waikato farm (from April 1, 2018). This evening enjoy a Maori Hangi Regional Meal at the Tamaki Family Marae. Experience the heartpounding wero (challenge) from a Maori warrior during a Powhiri, a ceremonial welcome, at the Tamaki Family Marae. Journey into the village and gain a Cultural Insight into life in New Zealand before European settlement. Feast on succulent meats and vegetables cooked in a hangi, the traditional Maori method of cooking in the earth. (BB, BG, RM)
Hotel: Millennium
Day 16: Rotorua - Christchurch
Explore Rainbow Springs Nature Park with a Local Specialist and discover the native flora and fauna. Continue to Te Puia Thermal Reserve, where you’ll be accompanied by a Local Specialist on a guided tour through the geothermal valley. Later, you’ll fly to Christchurch. (BB)
Hotel: Novotel (Distinction from April 1, 2018)
Day 17: Christchurch - Franz Josef
Journey through the Southern Alps on the TranzAlpine train. Depart for Hokitika, home of the native greenstone (jade), for a factory visit and demonstration by a Local Specialist. Continue to Franz Josef Glacier. (BB, DW)
Hotel: Te Waonui Forest Retreat
Day 18: Franz Josef - Queenstown (3 Nights)
Enjoy the tastes of delicious stone fruit at Cromwell and then visit the historic gold mining village of Arrowtown before arriving in Queenstown. This evening join your Travel Director for dinner at The Boatshed. With its spectacular views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables, it is the perfect venue for your exclusive Regional Meal with wine. (BB, RM)
Hotel: Millennium
Day 19: Milford Sound Cruise
Journey over the Devil’s Staircase and along the shore of Lake Wakatipu to Te Anau. Travel through the rainforest of Fiordland National Park, sighting glaciers and mountain ranges. Drive through the hand-hewn Homer Tunnel to numerous photo opportunities before reaching Milford Sound. Cruise the magnificent fiord with Mitre Peak and Bowen Falls high above you. (BB, L)
Day 20: Queenstown Free Time
Today is all yours to enjoy. Perhaps consider an Optional Experience jet boat ride or a wine tour. (BB)
Day 21: Queenstown - Christchurch
Visit the Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo before you join hosts Angie and Stan Taylor at Morelea Farm for a Be My Guest lunch in their 600 acre garden. Celebrate your trip this evening at a Farewell Dinner. (BB, BG, FD)
Hotel: Novotel (Distinction from April 1, 2018)
Day 22: Depart Christchurch
Your holiday concludes this morning after breakfast. You will be transferred to Christchurch Airport for your onward flight (flights anytime). (BB)
Welcome Reception FB Full Breakfast BB Buffet Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner RM Regional Meal FD Farewell Dinner BG Be My Guest Dining DW Dinner with Wine.
