Australia and New Zealand Uncovered

Encounter the untamed vitality and the captivating culture of New Zealand and Australia – a perfect blend of wildlife and urban energy that is rooted in tradition but is ever evolving with the Outback air. Delve into the South Pacific heritage and get a close look at New Zealand’s Maori lifestyle and the roots of Australia’s Aboriginal groups.
Hotel Name: Rydges Wellington

Arrive in New Zealand. Feel the ever-present heartbeat of Maori culture on this set of islands. Comprised of natural beauty and striking contrasts, live the Kiwi lifestyle for the next 10 days. Say hello to Wellington, the colorful capital city of New Zealand. Take in the gourmet eats, seaside charm, and scenic coastline as you feel the warm ocean breeze of the “Windy City.” This evening, join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner.
Dinner Included
Hotel Name: The Hotel Nelson

Drive By: Cook Strait
The Cook Strait divides New Zealand’s South and North Islands. It is 14 miles wide and is named after the first European explorer to sail across it. The passageway features breathtaking scenery of rolling green slopes and picturesque mountains.

Jump right into Maori culture with an Impact Moment, as you experience a traditional powhiri, an elaborate welcome ceremony. Marvel at the carved waka, sleek canoes of intricate design, at a Maori culture center. Get exclusive access to an archaeological site not open to the public during a guided exploration of a waterfront pa (Maori for village). Take the chance to taste Maori heritage in a Hangi dish during lunch and discover the roots of the culture at the Te Papa Museum. Explore the city of Wellington during your free afternoon and evening.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included

Visit Area: Nelson
Nelson is the oldest established city on New Zealand’s South Island. It is known to be a lively hub for local artists, featuring numerous galleries, artisan products, trendy food markets and an up-and-coming cuisine scene.

Surrounded by green slopes and rolling mountains, the Cook Strait will offer a picturesque landscape as you cruise over the stunning waters on your way to the South Island. Visit Nelson, the oldest city on the island. Enjoy an evening at leisure to experience this coastal hub, full of local works and a trending foodie scene. This local art hub highlights works from the area, artisan food markets, and sparkling waters.

Breakfast Included
Hotel Name: Beachfront Hotel

Visit Area: Abel Tasman National Park
Abel Tasman is New Zealand’s smallest national park. Here you can find sandy golden beaches, trees towering along the waterline, and maybe even some little blue penguins swimming in the water. Maori tribes lived here for at least 500 years.

Today, venture out to Kaiteriteri, a coastal paradise where you’ll set sail through the graceful natural beauty of Abel Tasman National Park. Coast over the crystal-clear waters and pass reaching trees huddled along the shore. A picnic lunch awaits at the Anchorage, a scenic bay set amongst gentle waves and sandy coasts.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included
Hotel Name: Scenic Franz Josef Glacier Hotel

Visit Area: Punakaiki Pancake Rocks
Best known for its Pancake Rocks and Blowholes, no trip would be complete without a visit to Punakaiki. Both of these natural wonders are an absolute must-see while visiting the West Coast.

See the natural phenomenon of Punakaiki’s Pancake Rocks as you travel further south to Hokitika. Feel the spray of the ocean crashing against these unique limestone formations with a flapjack façade. Tonight, dine at your beachfront hotel, a natural haven of craggy peaks and lively waterspouts.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included

Admittance: Choice on Tour: Franz Josef Glacier Hike or West Coast Wildlife Centre
Today in Franz Josef, you have a choice between two activities. First, you may choose to immerse yourself in nature and view the Franz Josef Glacier with a local guide, traversing an exclusive trail not open to the public. On your journey, gain insight into the flora and fauna around you, providing plenty of opportunities to discover the remarkable landscape that the glacier has left behind. Experience pristine waterfalls, an ancient temperate rainforest, and the dynamic Waiho river. After a brief climb, enjoy views of the glacier’s constantly changing terminal face and enjoy a hot drink. Later, at your leisure, enjoy free entrance to the Franz Josef Hot Pools located a short distance from the hotel. Your other option is to explore the West Coast Wildlife Centre, a unique, indoor attraction dedicated to the conservation of the Rowi Kiwi. This bird is only found in the Okarito Forest and is New Zealand's rarest kiwi bird. Later, at your leisure, enjoy included entrance to the Hot Pools. Franz Josef Glacier - NEO Day 7 Activity Level: 3 Hiking trail is approximately 1.5 miles round trip and mostly flat, with a 200 yard uphill at the end. Hike is done at a leisurely pace and takes approximately 3 hours. Trail is well-groomed, but uneven in some spots. Not suitable for walkers or wheel chairs. Walking boots/socks, trekking poles, waterproof jacket and over-pants, warm hat and gloves, and a small waist-pack will be provided. West Coast Wildlife Centre - NEO Day 7 Activity Level: 2 West Coast Wildlife Centre is a 200-yard walk from the hotel, over flat, paved surface. The attraction is indoors, and is self-guided so guests can visit at their own leisure (take as long or as little time as they like).

Wake up in Hokitika, better known as a “cool little town.” Head to Hokitika Gorge for a taste of New Zealand’s beloved West Coast nature. Return to town for a tour, ending with a walk along the beach and some free time to explore on your own. Make your way to Franz Josef, New Zealand’s glacier country. Discover the area’s rugged allure by combing the creek bed in search of New Zealand jade or perhaps you’ll explore some of the many walking trails or eateries in town.

Breakfast Included
Hotel Name: Heritage

Visit Area: Franz Josef
Franz Josef is a quaint town on New Zealand’s South Island – most known for the glacier it is named after. Franz Josef glacier is 7.5 miles long and was named after the Austrian Empire Franz Josef I.

Choose how to start your day because it’s your choice! View the Franz Josef Glacier with a local guide, traversing an exclusive trail not open to the public -OR- get a glimpse of kiwis at the West Coast Wildlife Centre, where you’ll learn more about conservation and rehabilitation of this national icon. Enjoy free time to relax. Finish your day with dinner at the hotel.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included

Visit Area: New Zealand’s Wild West Coast
Although an abundance of natural beauty is found throughout the entirety of New Zealand, nothing surpasses the mesmerizing splendor found on the country’s “wild” west coast. Where striking cliffs and sandy beaches meet the snowcapped Southern Alps, allow your senses to breathe in the serenity and spectacle around you. From the glaciers of Franz Josef to the Pancake Rocks of Punakaiki, there will be no shortage of incomparable landscapes to capture your eye. The west coast is also home to New Zealand’s famous greenstone, a stunning rock that is incorporated into Maori culture and jewelry.

Journey through the thick rainforest and emerge on the “wild” west coast. With cliffs and beaches on your right and the southern snowcapped Alps on your left, there will be no shortage of riveting landscapes to capture your eye. Pause in Wanaka, a slice of tranquility nestled along a mountain-lined lake. Continue to Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world, and settle into your home for the next three nights.

Breakfast Included

Visit Area: Queenstown
Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island. The city is built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu and has spectacular views of nearby mountains and the Southern Alps. The town was founded in the 1860s and is now known for commerce-based tourism, especially adventure and ski tourism, boasting over 200 adventure tourism activities to take part in.

Enjoy the rugged grandeur of the Hollyford Valley and cross through an ancient red beech forest. Cruise along the waters of the dramatic Milford Sound, taking in the natural splendor around you. With cliffs rising up to nearly 4,000 feet, you’ll see why this is one of the most visited sights on the South Island. Following your cruise, you may choose to return to Queenstown via a short optional flight (weather permitting) for spectacular views of New Zealand’s Southern Alps.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included
Hotel Name: Park Royal Darling Harbour

Visit Area: Milford Sound
Milford Sound is a fjord in the south west of New Zealand’s South Island. The sound runs inland for over 490 feet from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 3,900 feet on either side. Among the peaks are The Elephant at 4,977 feet, said to resemble an elephant's head, and The Lion, at 4,272 feet, in the shape of a crouching lion. Milford Sound is acclaimed as New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination.

Today is yours! Explore the adventure capital whichever way your heart desires. Perhaps you’ll choose an optional tour to cruise Lake Wakatipu surrounded by Queenstown’s stunning landscape aboard an iconic coal-fired steamship. Once on land, enjoy a BBQ lunch lakeside followed by a sheepdog demonstration.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included

Admittance: Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts center in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on Bennelong Port in Sydney Harbour, adjacent to Sydney’s Central Business District and the Royal Botanical Gardens. The facility opened on October 20th, 1973. The opera house comprises several performance venues which together make one of the busiest performing arts centers in the world hosting 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people. More than 7 million people visit the opera house each year.

Wish New Zealand goodbye and enter Australia, home to the expansive Outback and lively waterfront cities. Start your Aussie adventure in Sydney, the country’s largest city.

Breakfast Included

Visit Area: Adelaide

During a city tour get a glimpse at all the main highlights Sydney has to offer. Then, take a step into the past and explore the historic Rocks neighborhood, situated along the edge of Sydney Harbour. Continue along to the port Circular Quay before strolling through the winding paths of the Royal Botanical Gardens. Here, delve into Aboriginal culture by learning about native plants and foraging for traditional foods. Go behind the scenes of the Sydney Opera House on an expert-led guided tour of this legendary venue. As the sun sets, admire the city skyline on a dinner cruise on Sydney Harbour passing under the Harbour Bridge and by the iconic Sydney Opera House.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included
Hotel Name: Peppers Waymouth

Visit Area: Barossa Valley
The Barossa Valley is a valley in South Australia. The valley is known as a major wine producing region and is said to be one of the finest wine producing regions in the world. Located about 37 miles northeast of Adelaide, the valley is formed by the North Pala River. The valley derives its name from the Barossa Range, which was named in 1837. The valley is about 8 miles by 9 miles.

Make the most of your final day in Sydney with a full day at leisure where you can take advantage of your included hop-on, hop-off bus passes! You could take the bus out to Bondi Beach for the surf culture, visit one of the many local museums, or take in the sights at Darling Harbour.

Breakfast Included

Visit Area: Great Barrier Reef
Experience one of the seven wonders of the natural world when you climb aboard a high speed catamaran and set off for the Great Barrier Reef. As the world’s largest living organism, you’ll find over 2,800 individual coral reef systems which are home to amazingly diverse marine life. From your base on Green Island, there are many ways to explore the Reef at your fingertips. A glass bottom boat ride takes you out to sea and allows you to almost feel as if you were swimming with the fish. Their bright colors look remarkable against the turquoise waters, and the boat reveals it all. Jump in the water to snorkel and really experience the Reef in an immersive way! Stroll along the walking trails, relax on the beaches, or just watch the fish and sea turtles swim past from the pier. It’s a truly good day at the Reef, mate.

Set off on a short flight to Adelaide, the cosmopolitan hub of South Australia. Experience the famous food and drink this region is known for at the Adelaide Central Market, one of the one of the largest undercover fresh produce markets in the Southern Hemisphere. Indulge in tastings of Australia’s multicultural cuisine as you stroll the market stalls alongside a local guide. Afterward, explore more of Adelaide on foot with a walking tour passing Rundle Mall and down Peel Street, an iconic laneway known for its restaurants. Later tonight, gather for dinner at the hotel.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included
Hotel Name: Desert Gardens Hotel

Treat your taste buds to a full-day exploration of the Barossa Valley’s fine food and wine. Visit a one of the local farmsteads, famed for its produce and enjoy a private interactive cooking demonstration. Your vintner voyage continues with a tour and tasting at the famous Seppeltsfield Winery, one of the oldest in the Barossa Valley, followed by lunch.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included
Hotel Name: Flynn Crystalbrook Collection Hotel

Your adventure continues with a flight from Adelaide to Uluru (Ayers Rock). Arrive in Uluru and get a taste of the local indigenous flavors as you enjoy a native high tea. Then, travel into Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park to get a close look at the iconic, massive red rock emerging from the earth, sprung up as if beckoned toward the clouds. On a guided tour of Uluru's base, discover the heritage of Australia's Aboriginal people in this spiritual place before gathering for a spectacular sunset view of the iconic rock formation. While having drinks and canapés, watch the colors of Uluru change before your eyes as the sun sets and the Milky Way starts to twinkle over Australia’s greatest natural wonder.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included

Say goodbye to the outback and hello to the tropics, as you fly to Cairns and enjoy an evening at leisure, getting to know this gateway to an underwater paradise.

Breakfast Included

Board a high-speed catamaran and sail to the Low Isles to discover the aquatic realm of the Great Barrier Reef. Spend the day however you please, perhaps choosing from a selection of included activities. Maybe you’ll soak up the sun on a tiny remote island,* located along the outer reef. Or consider snorkeling in the rolling waves or taking a glass-bottom boat uncovering a pod of vibrant sea life. You can also meet with a marine biologist or join an expert on a heritage trail walk along the island.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included

This morning, a short cruise takes you to a stunning wetland environment where Traditional Aboriginal Owners greet you with a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony. Afterwards your indigenous guides will introduce you to native foods and bush medicines, as well as ancient Aboriginal traditions, customs, and artifacts. This afternoon is at your leisure to relax or explore the tropical city of Cairns. Toast to the end of your journey at a farewell dinner, reflecting on your Outback escapade.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included

Your tour of New Zealand and Australia comes to a close today.

Breakfast Included