AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
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Explore two inspiring destinations in a single journey, starting in New Zealand with Auckland, Queenstown, Mount Cook and Christchurch, followed by Melbourne, Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney in Australia.
A&K Advantages
A&K Advantages
- Explore the countryside outside of Queenstown in four-wheel-drive vehicles and visit a winery for a tasting
- Make a private visit to a working Aussie sheep farm
- Discover Australia's magnificent Great Barrier Reef
- Gain insight into Australia's past from an Aboriginal guide during a walkabout around the Rocks District in Sydney
- Private journey
Days: 18 | From: $17,495
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Auckland, New Zealand
Arrive in Auckland, New Zealand, where you are met and transferred to your hotel.
Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
Days 2-4: Queenstown
Winery Visit and TastingDrive along Waitemata Harbour and visit the Auckland Museum. Fly to Queenstown. The next day, tour Queenstown by four-wheeldrive vehicle. Visit the site of a Lord of the Rings movie location. Stop for a gold panning demonstration. Proceed to Waitiri Creek Winery for lunch and a tasting. Visit a bungy jumping bridge and ride a skyline gondola. On your third day here, enjoy your morning at leisure. Then, take a privately guided tour of Arrowtown and its local museum.
Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa | Meals: B (Day 2); B L (Day 3); B (Day 4)
Day 5: Mount Cook
Rugged Glacial SplendorJourney to the amazing Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. This evening, enjoy a stargazing experience at the Theatre Planetarium.
The Hermitage Hotel | Meals: B
Days 6-7: Christchurch
Spectacular Lakes and MountainsTravel past Lake Pukaki to Lake Tekapo. View the Church of the Good Shepherd and the spectacular Southern Alps. Continue to Christhurch. Check in to your hotel. The next day, tour Christchurch with a local guide who tells how the earthquake affected the city, and punt on the Avon River.
The George | Meals: B
Days 8-9: Melbourne, Australia
Welcome to AustraliaVisit the International Antarctic Center. Fly to Melbourne, where you are met and transferred to your hotel overlooking Melbourne’s skyline. Then, view the Shrine of Remembrance and the Arts Precinct. Continue to Keeyuga Farm for an A&K-exclusive experience, meeting a family “living off the land.” Watch working dogs herd sheep, and see a shearing demonstration. At a secret location, enjoy a lunch featuring local organic farm produce and wines.
Sofitel Melbourne on Collins | Meals: B (Day 8); B L (Day 9)
Day 10: Uluru
An Undeniable PresenceFly via Alice Springs to Uluru (Ayers Rock). This afternoon, tour Uluru with your guide. Enjoy canapés and sparkling wine, watching the sun set over the mystical monolith.
Sails in the Desert | Meals: B
Day 11: Uluru/Cairns/Port Douglas
A Spiritual SojournSee Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Fly to Cairns. Drive to Port Douglas.
Hotel Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort and Spa | Meals: B
Day 12: Great Barrier Reef
Underwater Spectacle Embark on a full-day exploration of the Great Barrier Reef aboard a beautiful sailing vessel. Enjoy a gourmet buffet lunch in the sheltered blue lagoon. Join a guided snorkel tour or ride a glass-bottom boat.
Hotel Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort and Spa | Meals: B L
Day 13: Daintree Rainforest
Botanical Ark VisitTour Daintree National Park. Enjoy lunch at the Treehouse Restaurant at Silky Oaks Lodge, and afternoon tea at the Botanical Ark, a private ethnobotanical garden in the heart of the rainforest.
Hotel Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort and Spa | Meals: B L
Day 14: Sydney
Prelude to DiscoveryFly to Sydney, where you are met and transferred to your hotel, superbly situated near scenic Sydney Harbour and the city’s historic Rocks area.
Four Seasons Hotel Sydney | Meals: B
Days 15-18: Sydney
Walkabout and Opera House TourCruise Sydney Harbour, gliding up close to many of its best attractions. Enjoy a barbeque lunch and the opportunity to kayak along the shore. Later, go walkabout with an Aboriginal guide in The Rocks on a tour designed by an Aboriginal elder. In the morning, visit the bustling Fish Markets in Pyrmont. Then, sink your toes into the sand at famous Bondi Beach and stroll the boutique shops of Paddington. The next day, board a ferry to Taronga Zoo for a guided tour. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the iconic Sydney Opera House, enjoying lunch on its lower concourse. Transfer to the airport late this evening, or overnight in your room for no extra charge to depart the following morning, depending on your flight time.
Four Seasons Hotel Sydney | Meals: B L (Day 15); B (Day 16); B L (Day 17); B (Day 18)
Day 1: Arrive Auckland, New Zealand
Arrive in Auckland, New Zealand, where you are met and transferred to your hotel.
Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
Days 2-4: Queenstown
Winery Visit and TastingDrive along Waitemata Harbour and visit the Auckland Museum. Fly to Queenstown. The next day, tour Queenstown by four-wheeldrive vehicle. Visit the site of a Lord of the Rings movie location. Stop for a gold panning demonstration. Proceed to Waitiri Creek Winery for lunch and a tasting. Visit a bungy jumping bridge and ride a skyline gondola. On your third day here, enjoy your morning at leisure. Then, take a privately guided tour of Arrowtown and its local museum.
Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa | Meals: B (Day 2); B L (Day 3); B (Day 4)
Day 5: Mount Cook
Rugged Glacial SplendorJourney to the amazing Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. This evening, enjoy a stargazing experience at the Theatre Planetarium.
The Hermitage Hotel | Meals: B
Days 6-7: Christchurch
Spectacular Lakes and MountainsTravel past Lake Pukaki to Lake Tekapo. View the Church of the Good Shepherd and the spectacular Southern Alps. Continue to Christhurch. Check in to your hotel. The next day, tour Christchurch with a local guide who tells how the earthquake affected the city, and punt on the Avon River.
The George | Meals: B
Days 8-9: Melbourne, Australia
Welcome to AustraliaVisit the International Antarctic Center. Fly to Melbourne, where you are met and transferred to your hotel overlooking Melbourne’s skyline. Then, view the Shrine of Remembrance and the Arts Precinct. Continue to Keeyuga Farm for an A&K-exclusive experience, meeting a family “living off the land.” Watch working dogs herd sheep, and see a shearing demonstration. At a secret location, enjoy a lunch featuring local organic farm produce and wines.
Sofitel Melbourne on Collins | Meals: B (Day 8); B L (Day 9)
Day 10: Uluru
An Undeniable PresenceFly via Alice Springs to Uluru (Ayers Rock). This afternoon, tour Uluru with your guide. Enjoy canapés and sparkling wine, watching the sun set over the mystical monolith.
Sails in the Desert | Meals: B
Day 11: Uluru/Cairns/Port Douglas
A Spiritual SojournSee Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Fly to Cairns. Drive to Port Douglas.
Hotel Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort and Spa | Meals: B
Day 12: Great Barrier Reef
Underwater Spectacle Embark on a full-day exploration of the Great Barrier Reef aboard a beautiful sailing vessel. Enjoy a gourmet buffet lunch in the sheltered blue lagoon. Join a guided snorkel tour or ride a glass-bottom boat.
Hotel Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort and Spa | Meals: B L
Day 13: Daintree Rainforest
Botanical Ark VisitTour Daintree National Park. Enjoy lunch at the Treehouse Restaurant at Silky Oaks Lodge, and afternoon tea at the Botanical Ark, a private ethnobotanical garden in the heart of the rainforest.
Hotel Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort and Spa | Meals: B L
Day 14: Sydney
Prelude to DiscoveryFly to Sydney, where you are met and transferred to your hotel, superbly situated near scenic Sydney Harbour and the city’s historic Rocks area.
Four Seasons Hotel Sydney | Meals: B
Days 15-18: Sydney
Walkabout and Opera House TourCruise Sydney Harbour, gliding up close to many of its best attractions. Enjoy a barbeque lunch and the opportunity to kayak along the shore. Later, go walkabout with an Aboriginal guide in The Rocks on a tour designed by an Aboriginal elder. In the morning, visit the bustling Fish Markets in Pyrmont. Then, sink your toes into the sand at famous Bondi Beach and stroll the boutique shops of Paddington. The next day, board a ferry to Taronga Zoo for a guided tour. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the iconic Sydney Opera House, enjoying lunch on its lower concourse. Transfer to the airport late this evening, or overnight in your room for no extra charge to depart the following morning, depending on your flight time.
Four Seasons Hotel Sydney | Meals: B L (Day 15); B (Day 16); B L (Day 17); B (Day 18)