Highlights of Australia and New Zealand - 2017

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. Welcome Reception with wine Hotel Crowne Plaza

Day 2 MELBOURNE SIGHTSEEING

Explore Melbourne on a city sights tour and discover its eclectic little laneways, arcades, café society and street art on your Cultural Insight private walking tour. The rest of your day is free. Perhaps take an Optional Experience to Phillip Island to see the famous Penguin Parade on Summerland Beach.

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 to discover the stunning coastline and the Twelve Apostles.

Day 4 MELBOURNE - ALICE SPRINGS

Today you fly to Alice Springs. Visit School of the Air and hear from a Local Specialist how this school delivers education to children living in remote areas. Next stop is the Royal Flying Doctor Service, where you'll join a Local Specialist to learn about this facility that provides a 'mantle of safety' to the people of the Outback. 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. Be My Guest Dining Hotel Chifley Alice Springs Resort

Day 5 ALICE SPRINGS - ULURU (AYERS ROCK) (2 NIGHTS)

Journey to Ayers Rock Resort. Enjoy nibbles and sparkling wine as Uluru (Ayers Rock) changes colour when the sun dips below the western horizon. Hotel Desert Gardens Authentic Accommodation

Day 6 KATA TJUTA (THE OLGAS)

This morning view the magical Uluru (Ayers Rock) sunrise. Afterwards, gain a Cultural Insight into the traditional owners of the land, the Anangu, as you tour the caves at 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 experience a Kata Tjuta sunset.

Day 7 ULURU (AYERS ROCK) - CAIRNS (3 NIGHTS)

Join your Local Specialist Aboriginal artist 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. In the afternoon you will fly to the tropical city of Cairns. Hotel Hilton

Day 8 GREAT BARRIER REEF

Get ready for an experience of a lifetime when you 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 Dundee's Restaurant overlooking the Cairns waterfront. with wine

Day 9 CAIRNS FREE TIME

Spend your free day relaxing or exploring. Perhaps take an Optional Experience to the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park for an insightful look at indigenous culture. Journey to Hartley's Crocodile Adventures for an opportunity to encounter native Australian animals or travel to the 'village in the rainforest' on the Kuranda Scenic Railway and return to the lowlands over the canopy of the Barron Gorge National Park on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

Day 10 CAIRNS - SYDNEY (3 NIGHTS)

Today you will fly to Sydney. This evening is free for you to do as you wish. Your Travel Director will give you hints and tips on the best places to eat, and after dinner why not take a stroll along the beautiful waterfront. 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 famous Bondi Beach. Then, take to the water on a Captain Cook Cruise Regional Meal, sailing around the glistening harbour while you enjoy a fresh seasonal menu. Regional Meal

Day 12 SYDNEY FREE TIME

Enjoy a free day in exciting Sydney or perhaps take an Optional Experience to the Blue Mountains to see the Three Sisters. Celebrate your last evening in Sydney at dinner with your Travel Director and companions at a local restaurant by the water. with wine

Day 13 SYDNEY - AUCKLAND (2 NIGHTS)

This morning say goodbye to Australia and fly to Auckland, New Zealand. This evening meet your Travel Director for your Regional Meal at 'Eight' at The Langham. Your personal degustation is prepared for you from the freshest, quality ingredients, including mouth-watering seafood and delicious desserts. Regional Meal Hotel The Langham

Day 14 AUCKLAND SIGHTSEEING AND FREE TIME

A morning city sightseeing tour is followed by a cruise on Waitemata Harbour. Later, you'll have free time to relax or explore.

Day 15 AUCKLAND - ROTORUA

Join your Local Specialist for a boat tour through the Waitomo Glow Worm Grotto. Continue to Rotorua where a Local Specialist will accompany you at Te Puia Thermal Reserve. This evening join your travelling companions for a memorable Be My Guest dinner. Experience the heart-pounding 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. Be My Guest Dining Hotel Millennium

Day 16 ROTORUA - CHRISTCHURCH

Explore Rainbow Springs Nature Park with a Local Specialist and discover the native flora and fauna. You may even spot a kiwi! Next stop is the Agrodome Farm Show for a Cultural Insight and taste of farm life. Later, you'll fly to Christchurch. Hotel Novotel

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. with wine Hotel Te Waonui Forest Retreat

Day 18 FRANZ JOSEF - QUEENSTOWN (3 NIGHTS)

Drive over the Haast Pass, past Thunder Creek Falls and a trio of Lakes. Enjoy the tastes of delicious stone fruit at Cromwell then visit the historic gold mining village of Arrowtown before arriving in Queenstown for an orientation tour. This evening join your Travel Director for dinner at The Boatshed. Set in the restored historic New Zealand Railways Shipping Office and relocated to its lakefront setting in 1936, The Boatshed, with its spectacular views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables mountain range, is the perfect venue for your exclusive Regional Meal with wine. Regional Meal Hotel Millennium

Day 19 MILFORD SOUND CRUISE

Drive along the shores of Lake Wakatipu to Te Anau then through the rainforest of Fiordland National Park. Travel through the hand-hewn Homer Tunnel to abundant photo opportunities afforded by the Mirror Lake, Cleddau Valley and the Chasm, en route to Milford Sound to board your cruise. Return to Queenstown this afternoon.

Day 20 QUEENSTOWN FREE TIME

Today you may like to consider taking one of our Optional Experiences. You could ride the Shotover Jet, the most thrilling jet boat ride in the world! Perhaps join a wine tour at Gibbston Valley Winery or play 9 holes of golf on one of Queenstown's spectacular courses. Choose from the immaculately groomed greens of a resort course or a simple fairway with rugged mountain peaks as your backdrop. You could take a 4WD minibus excursion through Skippers Canyon alongside the Shotover River to Skippers Point in Mount Aurum Conservation Area. Or why not enjoy a relaxing spa. You'll be pampered at one of Queenstown's luxurious day spas. Sink into a therapeutic hot pool or treat yourself to a selection of therapies at a local salon. This evening, consider taking the gondola ride to Bob's Peak for dinner at the Stratosphere Restaurant.

Day 21 QUEENSTOWN - CHRISTCHURCH

Visit Lake Tekapo, stopping at the Church of the Good Shepherd. You are welcomed by your hosts Angie and Stan Taylor at Morelea Farm for a Be My Guest lunch in their 600 acre garden. Join your Travel Director this evening in Christchurch for a Farewell . Be My Guest Dining Farewell Hotel Novotel

Day 22 DEPART CHRISTCHURCH

Bid farewell to your new-found friends when your holiday concludes this morning after breakfast. You will be transferred to Christchurch Airport for your onward flight (flights anytime).