Highlights of Australia and New Zealand

Settle into your hotel on the banks of the Yarra River and meet your Travel Director at the South Wharf riverside for dinner at a popular restaurant in the area. It's a great opportunity to get to know everyone in a unique setting.

Join your Travel Director for a city sights tour that includes a private walk through Melbourne's famous hidden laneways. You'll discover the city's eclectic little lanes, arcades, cafe society and fascinating street art. There's time afterwards to explore on your own. Or, consider an optional experience to Phillip Island to see the nightly ritual of the Penguin Parade. Or simply relax and watch the world go by.

If you're still getting your bearings in Melbourne, take your time to wander, exploring its boutiques, galleries, and eclectic suburbs. Or, perhaps exploring the city on foot with a History and Donuts Walking Tour is more your thing. However, if you're ready to explore beyond the city limits, consider embarking on a journey along the Great Ocean Road. This legendary stretch of coastline truly lives up to its reputation as one of the most breathtaking touring routes globally. As you wind your way along this scenic route, be prepared to encounter breathtaking views at every turn, making it an unforgettable journey that truly showcases the natural beauty of Australia.

The rusty red landscapes of Uluru beckon as you leave Melbourne for Ayers Rock Resort, experiencing the rugged desert landscapes while learning about the geological history of Australia. In the heart of Australia, Uluru has been home to the Anangu for millennia. You will discover their connection to the land when you arrive in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park at sunset to watch the shifting colours transform the desert. Follow your guide to the perfect perch to capture Uluru as the last of the day disappears, glass of bubbles in hand (of course). Not ready to go home yet? Discuss with your Travel Director the option to elevate your evening with the exclusive Uluru Barbecue Dinner (own expense).

The only reason to get out of bed before dawn? For a magical Uluru sunrise. It’s a spiritual place, with stories of the Anangu, caretakers of this remote arid landscape revealed while you tour the base, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. This is the countryside that First Nations artists immortalize in their paintings – try your hand at creating one during an intro to Western Desert Art, another MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. The red desert follows you to Kata Tjuta, where nature humbles as you walk through the towering domes of this ancient rock formation. Cheers to the end of another amazing day with sunset drinks at Kata Tjuta.

On your last day in Uluru you have the opportunity to glimpse the kaleidoscopic Field of Light art installation of artist Bruce Munro. 50,000 glowing spindles of light blanketing the desert. Clamber to the top of a sand dune to marvel in the morning unfolding over this very special part of the world (own expense). Later, head to your next stop in tropical Cairns.

Cruising with crocs, a scenic railway ride into World Heritage listed rainforest, a wander along the Cairns Esplanade? Take a historic rail journey winding across bridges and through tunnels to Kuranda village, nestled in a tropical rainforest to explore its colourful and interesting arts and crafts. Return to the lowlands on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway over and through the some of the oldest rainforest in the world. You can also choose to pair your trip to Kuranda with a visit to Hartley’s Crocodile for a wetlands cruise through the ecologically significant Melaleuca wetlands, the home of the saltwater crocodile. Today the choice is yours. Celebrate the end of an incredible day at dinner on Cairns’ waterfront at Salt House for regional seafood plucked straight from the ocean, highlighting fresh, local ingredients, and prepared on their custom-built Argentinian wood fired grill.

The world’s largest living organism, the Great Barrier Reef, never fails to dazzle. Set out on a catamaran to explore a kaleidoscope of colour: over 1,500 species of fish, 215 different birds, 3,000 molluscs, six of the world’s seven marine turtle species, and 30 species of dolphins and whales are residents. Strap on a snorkel or visit an underwater observatory and semi-submersible craft to take in the menagerie without getting your hair wet. A tropical buffet lunch is served onboard before you return to Cairns.

Touch down in Australia’s largest city, and spend time at leisure in the buzzing metropolis of Sydney. You decide how best to enjoy this bustling city of delights.

Bring your stamina: today is one of innumerable highlights. Go on a tour of the Sydney Opera House, discovering its architectural and performance secrets. Then see the city from the water on a Sydney Harbour Highlight Lunch Cruise, enjoying a menu focusing on local food and wine. One icon to another: The world’s most famous beach beckons this afternoon, with your chance to pad along the sand at Bondi with Sydney’s beautiful people.

The hardest decision you have to make today: explore more of Sydney, or head to the Blue Mountains, 11,400 square kilometres of World Heritage listed wilderness, a place where sandstone escarpments appear to cleave off the edge of the Earth and waterfall-cooled valleys of rainforest slip dreamily from the pages of a fairytale. Or why not linger around the harbour – perhaps it’s time to glimpse it from above on a Sydney BridgeClimb. This bird’s-eye view certainly puts things in perspective. Back at ground level, you’re in the heart of the Rocks, the city’s original colonial settlement and a place of cobbled alleys and private galleries. Your Tour Director can assist you with purchasing these additional experiences or point you in the right direction to explore on your own.

This morning you have some free time, so you may choose to sleep in or take an early morning walk around Circular Quay to enjoy last views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Late morning, stroll through the Royal Botanic Garden to the Art Gallery of NSW for a guided tour and lunch. The art gallery houses some spectacular First Nations art as well as contemporary and classic pieces. Your guided tour will be focused on First Nations and Australian art. Afterwards, enjoy a Be My Guest lunch infused with native Australian flavours. Talk about ending on a high.

All you have to do today is sit back and enjoy the view as you cross the Tasman to embark on your next adventure. Join your travelling companions for at The Grill, celebrating Aotearoa's culinary treasures. Expect the finest quality grassfed steaks, from 100% New Zealand owned and operated suppliers, and sustainable line-caught fish.

After a relaxed start, set your sights firmly on New Zealand's national game: rugby. The interactive All Blacks Experience explores an introduction to the game as a part of New Zealand culture. Afterwards get the lay of the land on a city sightseeing tour including views of Mission Bay, Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial to New Zealand's first Labour Prime Minister. Admire the sunken pool and landscaped gardens as you’re treated to sweeping views of Waitemata Harbour and the North Shore.

Get ready for a much-anticipated trip to the charming village of Hobbiton. Upon arrival, set off on a guided tour through the 12-acre set. You'll have plenty of time for photo opportunities on the interactive hobbit hole and the Mill. After a stop for lunch (own expense) continue to Rotorua. This evening, embark upon the Te Pō experience at Te Puia. Learn about Māori history and culture on this guided experience, which includes a dinner of hangi-inspired cuisine and a cultural performance in a finely carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua. It ends on a high at the Pohutu Geyser, where, armed with a hot chocolate, you'll view one of New Zealand's geothermal wonderlands.

Your destination this morning in Rotorua is the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa, where you’ll join a Local Specialist for a tour. Learn about the work being done to save this rare native bird, get up close and see kiwi eggs being incubated, the hatching process, and even newly hatched kiwi chicks at this national leader in kiwi husbandry. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience is not only fun but will give you fascinating insights into New Zealand’s national bird. The feel-good vibes will follow you all the way to Queenstown, the self-proclaimed adventure capital of New Zealand. It makes perfect sense – there are ski fields, white-water river and bridges strapped with bungy cords wherever you turn. And then there’s the dining scene; Queenstown is home to some of the country’s most awarded restaurants. Whether you’re in the mood for bulging burgers or lakeside tapas, ask us for recommendations on this leg of your Queenstown New Zealand tour.

Bring your stamina and sense of adventure – things get a little wild today. Nature rules as you skirt Queenstown’s gleaming Lake Wakatipu, and traverse the Devil’s Staircase to Te Anau, the alpine gateway to World Heritage listed Fiordland National Park. Once you’ve paused to admire the drama at Mirror Lakes, Knobs Flat, Hollyford Valley lookout and Cleddau Valley, you’ll begin to understand why Rudyard Kipling called this the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. You haven’t even seen Bowen Falls or Milford Sound/Piopiotahi yet… The best Milford Sound/Piopiotahi cruise sees you in the company of an eagle-eyed guide, who not only knows the immense geological history of the region, but can also point out sun-baking fur seals and playful dolphins.

Take today’s Queenstown New Zealand tour at your own pace. Like things fast and furious? Feel the wind in your hair on a high-octane jet boat ride, perhaps. Prefer to be able to talk (and drink wine) while you cruise? Glide across Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a guided farm tour, including morning or afternoon tea,  in a dreamy alpine setting. Wherever you wander, be sure to save space for tonight’s dinner at Postmasters Cafe, a historic Arrowtown cottage replete with picket fence and Instagrammable gardens.

Today your New Zealand tour takes you to lovely Lake Tekapo travelling to Cromwell on the banks of Lake Dunstan. Visit the Jones Family fruit stall to taste of some of the town's juicy stone fruit including apricots, nectarines, peaches, and plums. Is it Michael Schumacher’s Benetton F1 car or the $4.2-million Aston Martin Vulcan that draws crowds to the Highlands Motorsport Museum? During your visit to this extraordinary space you’ll have the chance to become familiar with some of the rarest cars in NZ motorsports history. And you don’t have to be a rev head to appreciate the machines on display – they’re genuinely impressive from every angle. Small wonder many have starred in movies and TV shows over the years. Call in at the quaint, lakeside Church of the Good Shepherd welcomed by its friendly bronze sheepdog statue. As evening falls, you’re treated to a guided stargazing experience in the world-renowned UNESCO Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. See the famous Southern Cross, Magellanic Cloud, and Milky Way and getter a better look at these sparkling wonders with a powerful optical telescope.

Arrive into the beautiful English city of Christchurch for a guided visit. The city is not only rebuilding itself after the devastating 2010/11 earthquakes, but is changing the way architects think about design. Case in point the mind-bending Transitional Cathedral, made largely of cardboard, and Turanga, the gold-clad central library.

Travel north through rolling countryside to Hurunui Hills, for a Be My Guest experience with the Bamford Family. Enjoy warm kiwi hospitality from Scotty and the team, who have been farming at Hurunui since 1884 with six generations focused on producing premium Merino sheep, wool and Angus Cattle. You will hear from Maria in the woolshed and view a sheep dog demonstration. Continue to local vineyard Waipara Springs Winery, where it's time to enjoy wine tasting and a platter-style lunch among the vines. A big day leads to a big evening, joining your Travel Director for a celebratory dinner featuring produce from the Canterbury region.

How did three weeks disappear like that? Re-live all the memorable moments on your way home.