Cruising Down Under - Westbound 2019

20 days
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USTOA

Small Ship Cruise
NEW for 2019! Our new 20-day Australia and New Zealand cruise blends two-night land stays in Sydney, Cairns, Melbourne and Auckland with 9 nights aboard Le Lapérouse, cruising to New Zealand's natural gems... creating cultural connections through Tauck's included shore excursions, signature sightseeing and exclusive cultural experiences.

Overview

Trip type
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

    • 9-night cruise aboard Le Lapérouse; 2-night hotel stays in Melbourne
    • Cairns
    • Sydney
    • Auckland; snorkeling at Great Barrier Reef; rainforest gondola in Cairns; private event at Tjapukai.

What's this trip about?

    NEW for 2019! Our new 20-day Australia and New Zealand cruise blends two-night land stays in Sydney, Cairns, Melbourne and Auckland with 9 nights aboard Le Lapérouse, cruising to New Zealand's natural gems... creating cultural connections through Tauck's included shore excursions, signature sightseeing and exclusive cultural experiences.

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Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeStandard Group - 25 + people
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportN/A
Start CityAuckland
End CityOperator does not provide

Travel Themes

  • 50 Plus
  • Small Ship Cruise

Destinations

Activities

  • Culture

Trip includes

    • Private Tauck Shore Excursions Visits to wineries in New Zealand with tastings and food pairing Visit to Whakarewarewa Maori village in Rotorua A four-wheel-drive "seal safari" in Wellington A food tour in Wellington with behind the scenes visits to eateries Visit to the state-of-the-art Museum of New Zealand in Wellington Kayaking on Queen Charlotte Sound / Cycling Queen Charlotte Trail Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef Treetop gondola ride in a rainforest at Barron Falls Thunder Jetboat ride through a river gorge in Queenstown Visit to Hartley's Wildlife Park and crocodile farm, Cairns Private cruise and dinner on Sydney Harbor Visit to Rainbow Springs Kiwi Encounter Lunch at Larnach Castle in Dunedin Dinner and show at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park Aboard ship alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available throughout the day, including house wines and spirits; premium spirits and wines are available at extra cost Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as noted 46 meals on land and sea (19 breakfasts, 13 lunches & 14 dinners), all gratuities to Tauck Director, local guides & ship staff, applicable fuel surcharges, service charges, porterage and taxes

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Itinerary

Day 1 Welcome to Auckland
Tour begins 6:00 PM at Hilton Auckland. Transfer is included from Auckland Airport to Hilton Auckland, perched at the end of Princes Wharf with sweeping views of Waitemata Harbour and Rangatota Island. Your hotel is in the business district, only a five-minute walk from...
Day 2 Explore Auckland
Drive along the rugged coastline of beaches, inlets, and dramatic cliffs to Bastion Point Lookout, where the Michael Savage Memorial offers stunning views of Hauraki Gulf and the city skyline; the cliffside gardens and mauseoleum are named for Michael Joseph Savage, the ...
Day 3 Pleasures of Waiheke Island / Embark Le Laperouse
Sail by ferry to Waiheke Island, a picturesque haven of vineyards, wineries, and olive groves. New Zealand, with its moderate climate and diverse terroirs, is famous for its distinctive wines, and today you'll learn why at a visit to a winery for a tour and tasting. You...
Day 4 Maori artisans and geysers at Rotorua
Sail to Tauranga, a city on the Bay of Plenty near Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcano. Maunganui (also called Mauao, or The Mount) may be cold, but geothermal activity still rages under the earth in nearby Rotorua, steaming up from cracks, fault-lines, geysers and hot s...
Day 5 White Island... lava bombs and fumeroles
White Island is a live volcano 30 miles off the mainland. Most of it is underwater, so the rim of the crater is near the waterline (visit is weather-dependent). Land on the island by zodiac. Within the crater is a world of hissing and roaring vents, bubbling mud pits, la...
Day 6 Napier and the wineries
Arrive in Napier, a coastal city on Hawke's Bay, North Island, where you have a choice of shore excursions. Napier was leveled by an earthquake in 1931 and completely rebuilt within two years, which accounts for its unparalleled wealth of Art Deco architecture. Take a r...
Day 7 All about Wellington
New Zealand's capital city is also the nation's cultural heart, nestled in a sheltered harbor ringed by mountains at the southern tip of North Island. The compact metropolis is an energetic hive of government and commerce, theatres, museums, galleries, restaurants, and ...
Day 8 Picton and the Marlborough Valley
Picton is a picturesque seaside town of cafes, restaurants, and galleries, where ferry service connects to the islands of Marlborough Sounds. Your choice of shore excursions today includes visits to Omaka Aviation Heritage Center, film director Sir Peter Jackson's person...
Day 9 A marvelous day at sea
Spend a day at sea as Le Laperouse sails from Picton up through the Marlborough Sounds, a network of submerged valleys, steep hills, and quiet bays, and down the western coastline of South Island, a showcase of seaside towns and national parks, swaths of pristine wildern...
Day 10 Treasured sights on a day at sea in Milford Sound
Arrive in Milford Sound, a fjord of breathtaking cliffs, rain forests, black water and alpine mountains at the edge of Fjordland National Park. The Maoris call it Piopiotahi; Rudyard Kipling called it the Eighth Wonder of the World. Explorer James Hingston, who saw it in...
Day 11 Fjords... colors & mist on a day at sea
On a day at sea within Fjordland National Park, discover Doubtful Sound, Fiordland's deepest fjord, which wanders for 24 miles inland; New Zealand's 1950s Governor-General and avid outdoorsman Charles Lyttelton described it as "an awesome place, with its granite precipic...
Day 12 Experience Scottish Dunedin and on to Queenstown
Dock in Dunedin (du-NEE-din) on the Otago Peninsula. The city bears the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, while Otago takes its name from the Maori village, Otakou, which preceded it. Dunedin was settled by Scottish missionaries in 1848 and lat...
Day 13 Jet Boat, Arrowtown, Queenstown & more
Start the day with an adrenalin rush on a Thunder Jet boat ride* along Lake Wakatipu and the Kawarau River, taking hairpin turns and skimming the water at speeds up to 95 mph (spray jackets and life jackets provided). This afternoon you can relax at the hotel, enjoy the ...
Day 14 Fly to Melbourne, Australia
Fly from Queenstown, New Zealand, to Melbourne, Australia; you'll be crossing a time zone and adjusting your clocks when you arrive. Check into your elegant hotel in the heart of the city, and enjoy a taste of Melbourne this evening at one of a selection of local restaur...
Day 15 Discover the heart of Melbourne
Take a walking and driving tour of Melbourne today; experience the city's narrow alleys, with their colorful street art and arcades of the Victorian era; view its major landmarks, including Fitzroy Gardens, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Parliament House, and Olympic Drive. Al...
Day 16 Cairns, crocodiles, Kuranda & more
This morning, fly to Cairns, a city surrounded by rainforests, where your first stop is Hartley's Wildlife Park - an award-winning, innovative ecopark of specially designed habitats that makes you feel like you're in the wild with crocodiles, lizards, cassowaries, and ot...
Day 17 A great day at the Great Barrier Reef
Cruise to the Great Barrier Reef, with a biology presentation en route. The coral reef is one of the world's great natural wonders, considered the largest living thing on the planet; more than 1,400 miles long, it is longer than the Great Wall of China and visible from o...
Day 18 Fly to Sydney and explore the city
Fly to Sydney, where sightseeing aboard a coach includes The Rocks (a historic neighborhood of open-air markets and the city's oldest pubs), the Central Business District, Hyde Park, St. Mary's Cathedral, and the lavish neighborhoods of the eastern suburbs, and the world...
Day 19 Sydney Opera House and more
Walk to the iconic Sydney Opera House for a tour with a local guide. Projecting into Sydney Harbor, the opera house (actually a multiple-venue performing arts center) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an architectural masterpiece of interlocking shells (or sails) surround...
Day 20 Journey Home
Tour ends Sydney, Australia. Fly home anytime; transfers are included from the Shangri-La Hotel Sydney or the InterContinental Sydney to Sydney International Airport. MEALS : B

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Dates & Availability

Price From $14,990
Price per day$750
Last Updated: 2/16/2023

All prices are per person in U.S. dollars.

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Tauck.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

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Other Tauck Reviews

K

Kurlyk40

May 2024

Written on

Great Scenery but Accommodations Lacking for cost

My husband and I booked the Yellowstone tour with Tauck expecting so much more with the accommodations, food, and tour director based on the price point. We were sa...

S

Susan

Jun 2023

Written on

Nine Tours and Done

Sad to see a once good tour company stumble and fall into mediocrity. That’s Tauck post-Covid. My May 2023 tour of Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley was done o...

C

Cougess

Jan 2023

Written on

Skip this cruise - not worth it

My husband and I went on the Treasures of the Mediterranean Isles Trip jn October 2022. This was our third Tauck cruise with Ponnant but our first post covid and the...

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Tauck

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It's easy to see the world's sights. To stand in long lines, push through the crowds, and generally have the same standard-issue vacation as everyone else. But that's not good enough for us, and it's not good enough for you. We believe that travel should be easy. It should be fun. It should be worth your time and the price you paid. It should re-energize and transform. And above all else, it should be beyond the ordinary. Because how you see the world matters.

In 1882, Herman Tauck arrived in New York City from Germany in search of the American dream. His determination and values were passed on to his son, Arthur Tauck, who would realize that dream. With ingenuity and an innovative spirit, Arthur started Tauck Motor Tours, a travel company that would give birth to a new industry. The first tour, through the back roads of New England, was created by this 27-year-old in 1925. It embodied the same successful formula used by Tauck today: do the right thing. Craft a life-enriching travel experience; provide it at a single all-inclusive price; ensure there is great value for money; and rely on recommendations of satisfied customers to build a following and grow the business.

Two elements that did change over the next 90+ years – and three generations of Taucks – were the scope of destinations served and the variety of modes of travel used. Today Tauck delivers life-enriching travel experiences to every corner of the globe, incorporating small cruise ships, premium riverboats, trains, helicopters and more. What started as a New England motor coach tour company has truly evolved into an extraordinary global travel company. The fourth generation of Taucks is now involved in the company. While remarkable in any business, this seamless continuity across generations speaks to shared vision and values.

Throughout its history, the concept of “family” at Tauck has gone far beyond those sharing the surname to include hundreds of valued employees, and hundreds of thousands of loyal guests. The story of Tauck is the story of a unique American family company celebrating a passion for travel – a story that will continue to inspire generations to come.

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What they’re known for
Fun group tours and cruises that are culturally-focused and great for families and seniors on vacation.

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Logistics

Accommodation

Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
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Age Requirements
No age restrictions
Additional Information
Trip ID
tauck-APW2019

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