20 Days Grand Australia and New Zealand Tour Package
Duration: 20 Days/ 19 Nights
Priced From: $6,148 pp Dbl. Occ. 
Dates: Jan - Dec

Our ultimate 20-day New Zealand and Australia tour includes desert outback, tropical rainforests, coral reefs, glacier-capped mountains, dramatic fjords, and cosmopolitan cities. Bring plenty of film to capture the amazing sights of the Great Barrier Reef, the dramatic waters of Milford Sound, and the setting sun on Uluru (Ayers Rock). From koalas to kangaroos, jet boat rides to formal garden tours, luxurious Hayman Island to five-star elegance in the Outback desert, a bush tucker dinner under the stars to a Maori cultural experience, you get a full sampling of Down Under culture - plus private charter flights throughout New Zealand!

Itinerary

Day 1: Melbourne and the start of your Australia tour days
Australia begins at 1:45 PM at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne. A transfer is included from Melbourne Airport to the Grand Hyatt Melbourne. Welcome to grand Australia tour, where friendly g'days greet you from arrival to departure! Take a sightseeing tour this afternoon that provides a valuable introduction to Melbourne; tonight, board a vintage tram-restaurant for a tour of city landmarks while enjoying a welcome dinner featuring regional cuisine.
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Lodging: Grand Hyatt Melbourne, Australia

Day 2: Melbourne’s Victorian charms
You’ll see a lot of Melbourne on a sightseeing tour of the city, including the High Victorian architecture of Parliament House, the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens and the ANZAC War Memorial – the Shrine of Remembrance. The rest of the day is free to explore as you please. Visit the museums, check out the trendy restaurants, or relax and read a book in the beautiful parks and gardens.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Grand Hyatt Melbourne, Australia

Day 3 All about Alice, a highlight of any Australia tour
Fly to Alice Springs in the heart of the Red Centre, where you'll be treated to an Aboriginal Dreamtime lunch after your arrival. Pick up some interesting information on Central Australian animals and plants at Alice Springs Desert Park, and learn how the Aborigines have managed the land for thousands of years. Attend a barbecue dinner under a starry sky, where you dine on bush tucker (indigenous Australian food) and are entertained by storytelling.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Alice Springs Resort, Alice Springs, Australia

Day 4: Outback adventure at Uluru
Start your day with an optional (additional $215 per person) hot air balloon adventure, where you'll drift peacefully over the red desert landscape to see wildlife stirring at dawn and vast cattle stations; a champagne breakfast awaits upon your arrival back on land. Fly to Uluru (Ayers Rock), a massive monolith sacred to the Aboriginal people. Witness the sunset spectacle when the Rock changes color from pink to deep red, intertwining with the red desert outback surrounding it. Champagne and canapés complete this essential Australia tour experience!
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Sails in the Desert, Ayers Rock, Australia

Day 5: Off to Queensland
Spend a free morning at Uluru where you'll have an opportunity to do some more exploring. Your Australia tour continues with a flight north from the red desert to the tropical rainforests of Queensland. Arrive in Cairns, where your hotel is centrally located, overlooking Marlin Marina; the hotel recently completed a comprehensive multi-million dollar redevelopment.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Shangri-La Hotel, The Marina, Cairns, Australia

Day 6: Luxury, luxury, luxury – it's Hayman Island
Hop a short flight from Cairns to Hamilton Island, where you'll board a catamaran for your three-night stay on luxurious Hayman Island. The multi-award winning resort Hayman lies in a picture-postcard setting... tropical palm-fringed beaches surrounded by the sparkling crystalline waters of the Coral Sea, complete with formal European and manicured Oriental gardens. Indulge in stylishly elegant guest rooms and superb cuisine prepared by acclaimed chefs in the resort's outstanding restaurants. Spend the afternoon as you please, with a variety of activities available such as reef tours, snorkeling, sailing, tennis, a nine-hole putting green, culinary classes and a renowned spa.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Hayman, Hayman Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Day 7: Australia tour continues on the Great Barrier Reef
Spend a full day exploring one of earth's most incredible "living" sites, the Great Barrier Reef, on an eco-cruise accompanied by a marine biologist. Marvel at the colors and beauty of the coral and fish while swimming, snorkeling, or riding on a glass bottom boat or a semi-submersible watercraft that features enormous viewing windows.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Hayman, Hayman Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Day 8: Indulgence and Inspiration at Hayman
It's your day to spend your way on Hayman Island. You can practice your golf strokes. Or play a game of tennis. Or play a round of croquet. Swim in the sea, scuba dive under the sea, or snorkel on the sea. Sunbathe on idyllic tropical shores. Take a lap in the pool – and make sure you allow plenty of time as the Hayman pool is 7 times Olympic size. If you're feeling adventurous, soar over the island by seaplane. Indulge the senses, restore the spirit, and discover nature's best-kept secrets at the extraordinary spa. Sail away on a cocktail cruise under the stars. It's your day, all day, your way.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Hayman, Hayman Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Day 9: Fly to Sydney for the final three nights of your Australia tour
Bid a reluctant farewell to this tropical paradise and return to the mainland to fly to Sydney, one of the most exciting cities in the world. Spend the next three nights at a five-star luxury hotel in the Rocks, city center. Your hotel overlooks Sydney Harbour, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, within walking distance of just about everything from shopping to acclaimed restaurants. Upon arrival, the remainder of the day is yours to explore. A late afternoon cocktail cruise on Sydney Harbour is a fabulous way to unwind and relax, while getting a good look at some of this extraordinary city's landmark sites. The day ends with dinner at a restaurant on the waterfront.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney, Australia

Day 10: Behind the chic white sails, and a trip to the zoo
Today begins with a city sightseeing tour to view many of the city's noted attractions. Visit the Sydney Opera House and go "behind the sails" of one of the world's most beloved architectural masterpieces and performing arts centers. Next up – an opportunity to come face to face with one of the iconic symbols of Australia, the koala, at the acclaimed Koala Park Sanctuary. Set on 10 acres of lush rainforest, eucalyptus groves and gardens, the park was created in the 1920s to ensure the preservation of the endangered koala. Today you'll find beloved Australian wildlife such as red & grey kangaroos, dingoes, wombats, echidnas, emus, wallaby species and a large collection of Australian native birds sharing this protected sanctuary. And best of all, during your visit you'll have an opportunity to cuddle, pat, and / or have your photograph taken with a koala! Upon your return to Sydney, the day is free to do what you want.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney, Australia

Day 11: Sydney your way, all day
There is so much to see in Sydney, and so many ways to do it, that the entire day is free to explore and dine as you please – Sydney's got it all. From museums to shopping, from Aboriginal art to an array of Australian and international dining options, you'll find many ways to spend the day and make it memorable!
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney, Australia

Day 12: Farewell to the Australia tour, hello to New Zealand
Your grand Australia tour comes to an end as you bid a final farewell and board a flight across the Tasman Sea for your grand New Zealand tour! First stop is Auckland, the City of Sails, where your hotel is located in the heart of the city.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: The Langham, Auckland, New Zealand

Day 13: Adventures in Auckland
A visit to Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World gives you a close-up look at what lies beneath the waters off New Zealand's coast. See extensive collections of Maori and Polynesian artifacts, as well as natural history exhibits at the Auckland War Memorial Museum - and witness age-old Maori song and dance at a presentation. The rest of the day is free for you to explore Auckland and dine as you please.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: The Langham, Auckland, New Zealand

Day 14: Sheep and farming and thermal geysers
While touring the heart of the North Island, have lunch at Longlands Farm, which is a combination working farm and country garden. Next up is a visit to the Agrodome, a great way to learn about one of New Zealand's most important industries, sheep farming. See bubbling mud pools and geysers at Whakarewarewa Thermal Village in Rotorua, as well as Maori crafts and village life exhibits.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Duxton Hotel Okawa Bay, Rotorua, New Zealand

Day 15: Exclusive: Private Charter to Mount Cook
As a our exclusive, enjoy the benefits of VIP travel when you fly on private charter flight to the South Island's Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. You have an opportunity to take an optional dramatic helicopter flightseeing excursion, providing the weather cooperates, over the glacier-capped Southern Alps (additional cost of $225 per person). Another private charter flight in the afternoon brings you to beautiful Te Anau, gateway to Fiordland National Park.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Distinction Te Anau Hotel and Villas, Te Anau, New Zealand

Day 16: Cruise Milford Sound, then on to Queenstown
A New Zealand / Australia tour is not complete without visiting Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cruise the lovely waters of Milford Sound, an inlet carved by glaciers with cascading waterfalls along sheer rock walls that rise thousands of feet from the water – a New Zealand / Australia tour must-do activity! Travel to Queenstown, New Zealand's alpine resort playground. It lies along the shores of Lake Wakatipu, beneath the sawtooth peaks of The Remarkables mountain range.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Crowne Plaza, Queenstown, New Zealand

Day 17: Adventure awaits on the rapids
Ever dream of being a daredevil? Even if you're not all that adventurous, today's thrilling high-speed jet boat ride down a river carved through the narrow, rocky gorges and canyons of Shotover River Canyon will be a highlight of New Zealand / Australia tour! Explore the sights of Queenstown on your own for the rest of the day.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Crowne Plaza, Queenstown, New Zealand

Day 18: Cultural charms of Christchurch, including the museum
Another private charter flight brings you to the gracious city of Christchurch, where you'll think you've landed in England due to the appearance of the landscape and the architecture. Tour notable gardens and the historic part of the city, and visit the Canterbury Museum to see exhibits displaying New Zealand's natural and human heritage.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Crowne Plaza, Christchurch, New Zealand

Day 19: Christchurch as you please
Spend the day any way you choose - from diverse museums to the Botanic Gardens, harbor cruises, train journeys, wildlife centers - Christchurch is a great city to explore. Share experiences at the farewell cocktail reception and dinner, where you'll have a chance to reflect on the many adventures throughout this 20-day New Zealand and Australia tour!
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Crowne Plaza, Christchurch, New Zealand

Day 20: So long to the lands down under
New Zealand and Australia tour ends in Christchurch. A transfer is included from Crowne Plaza Christchurch to Christchurch International Airport. Please allow 2 1/2 hours for flight check-in at the airport.
Meals: Breakfast

12/09