15 Days South Pacific Sampler Luxury Tour Package

Duration: 15 Days / 14 Nights
Priced From: $3,849 pp. dbl. Occ.
Dates: Feb - Dec, Jan - Mar

Explore fascinating Australia and New Zealand during this captivating vacation. Your trip begins in Cairns with an excursion to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Board a catamaran and cruise to Green Island, where you can snorkel, take a glass-bottom boat tour, or walk through the cool rainforest. Enjoy dinner at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park. On to Melbourne, Australia’s second largest city, to see Fitzroy Gardens and a local Wildlife Park with koalas and kangaroos. See the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island. Next, fly to Sydney for a tour of the Opera House and Botanical Gardens. You have two days of leisure in Sydney to explore the city or take optional tours. Then, travel to Christchurch, New Zealand’s famed “Garden City.” Enjoy a sightseeing tour and spectacular views on the way to Queenstown. Travel into Fiordland National Park to Milford Sound. Cruise on the fiord with sheer rock walls raising thousands of feet from the water’s great depths. A full day of leisure in Queenstown is the perfect conclusion to your vacation. Explore, shop, or enjoy optional tours and activities. Arrive home with plenty to tell your friends and family about this South Pacific trip featuring an unforgettable vacation to Australia and New Zealand!
 

Day 3 Arrival in Cairns, Australia
G’day and welcome to Australia! Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef , one of the seven natural wonders of the world. This evening, your Tour Director hosts a special welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)

Day 4 Cairns. Great Barrier Reef Cruise
Board a fast catamaran for a CRUISE to Green Island, one of the many tropical islands on Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef. Here you can choose to snorkel, take a GLASS-BOTTOM BOAT TOUR, or walk through the island’s cool rainforest. This afternoon, your Tour Director can assist you with a variety of optional activities, including crocodile spotting. Tonight, dinner will be held at TJAPUKAI ABORIGINAL CULTURAL PARK—an interactive and entertaining portrayal of the culture, dance, and folklore of this indigenous tribe. (B,D)

Day 5 Cairns–Melbourne
Today, fly to Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city. Cosmopolitan yet relaxed, Melbourne is renowned for its shopping and streetside cafés. (B)

Day 6 Melbourne
Today’s tour includes landmarks such as Parliament House and the Shrine of Remembrance, a tribute to Australia’s war heroes. Visit beautiful FITZROY GARDENS and then drive past the lush Royal Botanical Gardens. You’ll soon discover the differing architectural influences of this city as you see the Victorian Arts Centre and other buildings of significance. Also stop at one of the country’s leading OPAL COMPANIES to discover how the beautiful gems are mined. For a unique dining experience, join an optional outing on board a historic tramcar restaurant as it winds its way through the streets of Melbourne. Later this afternoon, visit a local WILDLIFE PARK to see koalas and kangaroos. Then, continue on to Phillip Island to see the world-famous PENGUIN PARADE from an exclusive viewing platform. (B,D)

Day 7 Melbourne–Sydney
Fly to Sydney, one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Your sightseeing this afternoon includes a visit to the SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE , a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to see its amazing interior and theaters. Then, a great photo stop at Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair in the city’s BOTANICAL GARDENS, offering sweeping views of the harbor, Opera House, and Harbour Bridge. Feel like a local while touring the world-famous Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club and enjoy a lifesaving demonstration! Today’s highlight is a special dinner at a waterfront restaurant with fantastic views of Sydney. (B,D)

Day 8 Sydney
A full day at leisure for your own discoveries. Perhaps join one of our optional excursions to the Blue Mountains for a wilderness experience or to Hunter Valley, one of Australia’s leading wine-growing regions. You can even climb to the top of Sydney’s Harbour Bridge! (B)

Day 9 Sydney
Another day at leisure for your own discoveries. The choice is yours and your Tour Director will have suggestions to help you make the most of this exciting city. Tonight, enjoy a sumptuous sunset DINNER CRUISE on one of Sydney’s most prestigious cruise ships. (B,D)

Day 10 Sydney–Christchurch, New Zealand
Haere Mai—welcome to New Zealand! The remainder of the day is at leisure in this internationally famed “Garden City.” (B)

Day 11 Christchurch
Enjoy sightseeing with a drive up the winding Summit Road for views of Lyttelton Harbour, then past Christchurch’s old stone buildings, the charming Avon River, and acres of green parks. (B)

Day 12 Christchurch–Queenstown
Today, enjoy fantastic views as you journey through the snowcapped peaks, waterfalls, and rugged mountain scenery of New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Stop at a SHEEP FARM in Omarama to learn more about one of the country’s major industries—sheep! Later, arrive in Queenstown, nicknamed the “Adventure Capital of the World.” (B)

Day 13 Queenstown. Cruise on Milford Sound
More beautiful scenery today as you travel into FIORDLAND NATIONAL PARK through the Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound. Boasting some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world, this region of New Zealand has the elite status of belonging to UNESCO
The World Heritage List includes over 800 properties with cultural and/or natural heritage of global significance’s World Heritage Parks. CRUISE on the fiord with sheer rock walls rising thousands of feet from the water’s great depths. (B,L)

Day 14 Queenstown
A full day at leisure for your own discovery. Consider an optional visit to a local vineyard and sample some of the prize vintages or maybe a thrilling jetboat ride on the Kawarau and Shotover Rivers. Your Tour Director will have suggestions to help you plan your day to explore, shop, and enjoy optional activities. This evening, your Tour Director hosts a farewell dinner at Walter Peak, including a CRUISE aboard a vintage steamship on stunning Lake Wakatipu. (B,D)

Day 15
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (B)