2. AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND HIGHLIGHTS TOUR.
Description: This tour takes you to the most popular sights in Australia ; Sydney, Blue Mountains, Ayers Rock and Alice Springs, Cairns with the Great Barrier Reef, Auckland, the volcanic Rotorua with its geysers, the Adventure Capital of the southern hemisphere; Queenstown with a cruise on Milford Sound, see Mt., Cook and finish off with a fantastic High Country Explorer from Christchurch including a trip on the TranzAlpine Express.
Highlights: The sights of Sydney including a lunch cruise on Sydney Harbour,
the Harbour Bridge,
The Opera House and much more.
Visit Featherdale wildlife park to see Australian fauna, kangaroos, koalas etc.
Visit the beautiful Blue Mountains and try the steepest rail trip in the world and enjoy a rainforest walk.
Discover the spectacular Ayers Rock and enjoy a Barbeque dinner in the evening.
See The Olgas and travel through the Red Centre to the outback town of Alice Springs.
Visit Tropical North Queensland’s capital,Cairns.
Day cruise to the Great Barrier Reef.
Journey on the Scenic train to the rainforest village of Kuranda, travel by SkyRail over the canopy to Tjapukai Aboriginal Park for cultural entertainment.
See, albeit briefly the lively city of Auckland.
Discover the thermal region of Rotorua with Maori Hangi and Concert.
Join a cruise on spectacular Milford Sound
See Mt Cook
Travel on TranzAlpine train through the Southern Alps and experience outback N.Z.
Trip details
Day 1 Arrive Sydney in the morning. You will be met at the airport and taken for a sightseeing tour of Sydney before a stop at the Sydney Opera House for a guided tour. A short walk from the Opera House to Circular Quay to enjoy spectacular Captain Cook Luncheon Cruise on beautiful Sydney harbour. Whilst you are enjoying the lunch and the cruise your driver will check in your baggage at The Menzies where you will be taken immediately after your cruise.
The afternoon is free.
* A note: flights from the U.S., Europe and Asia normally arrives in Australia around 0700. We have found from experience that most clients prefer to "stay awake" and do the sightseeing/lunch cruise immediately after arrival which gives them free time in the afternoon and perhaps, early to bed. If you prefer to go direct to your hotel, we can arrange this BUT you will have to pay for the previous night as check-in time is 1400.(2 pm).
Day 2 0740 A full days tour to the Blue Mountains which includes a picnic lunch, visit the major attractions including Featherdale Wildlife park to see kangaroos and koalas and return to Sydney by river cruise.
Day 3 Full day at leisure. Explore Sydney on your own. You’ll enjoy it !
Day 4 This morning you transfer to Sydney airport for your flight to Ayers Rock. Meet on arrival and transfer to your accommodation at Desert Garden Hotel.
2.15 pm. This afternoon your guide will escort you on a 2-3 hour walk through the Kata Tjuta domes to the Valley of the Winds lookout. The walking path is rocky, and requires a good level of fitness. After the walk, take in a magnificent 'outback' sunset over Kata Tjuta. Refresh yourself with a glass of sparkling wine and nibbles. Travel to our exclusive BBQ venue to enjoy a traditional Australian barbecue dinner consisting of steak, sausages, kangaroo meat, salads and bread, complemented by Australian sparkling wine. There is time for stargazing too (weather permitting). Tea and coffee provided. Enquire about vegetarian meals at time of booking.
Note: During the hotter months of the year the National Park Rangers may preclude access to the Valley of the Winds lookout. This will be substituted with the Walpa Gorge walk.
Day 5 This morning there you are booked on the Uluru Sunrise and Guided Cultural Base Walk. The tour include a visit to Mutitjulu Waterhole and the Uluru - Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre. This tour includes a longer guided walk at the base of Uluru. Time is available for those keen to take an optional helicopter flight (own expense). The coach departs for Alice Springs this afternoon ats 2.30 pm travelling through the Red Centre arriving The Alice around 6.30 pm. Accommodation: Aurora Resort.
Day 6 This morning we have time for an Aboriginal tour plus desert wildlife. After lunch, transfer to the airport for our flight to Cairns. Arriving around 5:00 pm we transfer to Tradewinds Hotel.
Day 7 The beauty of the Great Barrier Reef is yours to experience when you cruise to our first class multi-level pontoon. First a two hour stop at beautiful Green Island before we continue to the Outer Barrier Reef ( 3 hours). Situated on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, the pontoon features undercover seating and tables to enjoy a delicious buffet lunch, full bar facilities, change rooms with freshwater showers, sundeck, and scuba diving facilities with a semi-submerged platform. You will be able to snorkel and dive amongst some of the most spectacular coral gardens and marine life diversity on the Great Barrier Reef. Or if you choose to stay dry, you can still embrace the natural wonderland below in the underwater observatory and spacious, air-conditioned semi-submersible vessel .
Day 8 Experience the Kuranda Scenic Railway and enjoy commentary en route as it winds through 14 tunnels and over 40 bridges passing the impresive Stoney Creek and Barron Falls. Wander through Kuranda, the village in the rainforest, and explore the local arts and crafts at the markets. Stroll through the amazing and beautiful Butterfly Sanctuary, beholding the electric blue Ulysses and Cairns birdwing butterflies. Visit the award-winning Rainforestation Nature Park: - Relax over a tropical BBQ lunch featuring a hot buffet and a wide selection of salads, cheeses and fruits. - Travel deep into the rainforest on both land and water in an army duck. - Meander through the Tropical Fruit Orchard. - Be captivated by the Pamagirri Aboriginal Dancers as they perform traditional in the rainforest amphitheatre. - Join your Pamagirri Guide on a dreamtime walk - learn how to play a didgeridoo, see an amazing spear throwing demonstration and try your hand at boomerang throwing. - Get up close to the animals in the Koala & Wildlife Park. - Hand feed the kangaroos, and see crocodiles, wombats, snakes, lizards, the cassowary and dingoes. - Cuddle a koala - photo oportunity (optional extra). Glide over the rainforest canopy aboard Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and enjoy a birds eye view of pristine World Heritage Rainforest, with stops at Barron Falls and Red Peak Station.
Day 9 This morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Auckland. on arrival, late afternoon, transfer to your hotel. The Heritage Hotel. Evening free;
Day 10 08:00 am Journey by bus from Auckland to Rotorua, enjoying a full commentary by your experienced bus driver. Along the way take a guided walk through the recently opened Ruakuri Cave. Waitomo's longest underground walking tour takes you through narrow winding corridors, hidden waterfalls and amazing cave formations. Accommodation: The Heritage Hotel.
A Maori Cultural Show and Feast is performed each night at 6.45pm in the hotel's Pohutu Cultural Theatre. Beginning in the hotel lobby with a traditional welcome, you then move through to the purpose-built Pohutu Cultural Theatre to your table where you will find an extensive selection of seafood, pate, smoked eel and raw marinated fish with fresh breads and infused oils to sample prior to the performance commencing. At 7pm your cultural entertainment will begin and you will experience a traditional Maori cultural show of songs and stories along with poi dances and the haka. Following this will be your feast comprising of a mix of steam cooked vegetables and meat items, contemporary food items including seafood, fresh salad selection and roast New Zealand lamb followed by a sumptuous selection of desserts including Kumara cheesecake.
Day 11 This morning we take a tour of the geysers and boiling mudpods At Whakarwarewra Thermal Reserve and a sheep show at the Raiinbow Farm. Early afternoon transfer to the airport for your flight to Queenstown. On arrival transfer to Heritage Hotel.
Day 12 7:20 am Travel by luxury coach on an unforgettable journey from Queenstown into Milford Sound. Located within the World Heritage Fiordland National Park, this region is rich with dense rainforest, lakes and waterfalls cascading from rugged mountain peaks. Journey through the Southern Alps via the Homer Tunnel, a 1.2km tunnel drilled through a solid mountain of rock. Upon arrival at Milford Sound, board your Red Boat vessel for a spectacular cruise where you will see the wonders of Mitre Peak, glacier scarred rock walls that rise 1,200m vertically from the sea, and waterfalls that tumble from hanging valleys and crash into the sound far below. Return by coach to Queenstown. Return around 7:30 pm.
Day 13 Today, a day of leisure. Take the Gondola to the top with Spectacular view of Queenstown and surrounds. In the afternoon a lake cruise on TSS Earnslaw is a delightful Way of enjoying Queenstown.
Day 14 Depart Queenstown and travel through the rugged and beautiful landscape of Otago. Cross the Lindis Pass into the Mackenzie Country to visit Mount Cook Village at the base of New Zealand’s highest mountain Aoraki / Mount Cook. Here there is time to experience an optional scenic helicopter or ski plane flight with a snow landing (weather permitting). Continue your journey with a stop at the Church of the Good Shepherd on the shores of Lake Tekapo, before continuing to your destination of Christchurch. . Accommodation: Heritage Hotel.
Day 15 Now then, to finish it off in a spectacular way, this morning you are Booked on the High Country Tour;
Your unique day of fun and adventure begins after being picked up by coach from your Christchurch city accommodation and transferred to Christchurch Railway Station to board the world-famous The TranzAlpine™ Train, claimed to be one of the best six train journeys in the world. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a two-and-a quarter hour train journey across the fertile Canterbury Plains, through rugged foothills, along stunning river gorges, through tunnels and across viaducts into the picturesque Arthur's Pass National Park. Finish the first leg of your adventure at the Arthur's Pass Village, over 700m above sea level, in the heart of New Zealand's snow-capped Southern Alps -
On arrival at the Arthur's Pass Railway Station, you will be met by one of our friendly driver guides. Time to board your next mode of transport - one of our specialty designed four-wheel drive Tussock Buggies. We continue our journey in air-conditioned comfort, west over the Southern Alps, across Arthur’s Pass. We stop at lookout points in the Otira Gorge, where you may have a chance to meet some Keas, the world’s only alpine parrot. Returning through the Arthur’s Pass National Park, drive under a canopy of native beech forest, passing waterfalls, mountain lakes, and crossing rivers. We arrive at the Flock Hill Lodge for a hearty lunch. Time to relax and enjoy the picturesque high country surroundings. You soon realise why numerous film companies have chosen this stunning location.
After lunch, reboard the tussock buggy as we set off on a 20km safari in to an area inaccessible to the public exploring the vast 35,000 acre Flock Hill sheep station. Frequent stops are made for photos, and to give you the chance to appreciate the spectacular views of river gorges, rugged high country, and the jagged peaks of the Southern Alps. Learn about the colourful local history of this remote, isolated area - and our farming of Flock Hill Station’s 10,000 fine wool Merino sheep. Travel the route used by New Zealand’s early pioneers to gain access to the greenstone (jade) and the gold fields on the West Coast of the South Island. • We then make a breathtaking descent of several hundred metres from the tussock-covered high country, through native beech forest, down Pig Gully, to the edge of the Waimakariri River.
The only way to continue your journey from here is by river. Time to board a large all-weather jetboat. Take a scenic river cruise approximately 15km downstream through the spectacular Waimakariri River Gorge. Experience the thrill of skimming over water - at times only centimetres deep. Arrive at Woodstock Sheep Station for afternoon tea in our secluded riverside lodge.
For the final leg of the journey, you board a coach for a one-hour journey back to Christchurch city. Travel a short distance through Woodstock Sheep Station, then back across the Canterbury Plains to be dropped off at your accommodation.
Day 16 A day to relax in Christchurch before a late afternoon transfer to the airport and your flight to Auckland and the U.S. | 
