Highlights of Australia & New Zealand

Visit Christchurch

Day 1

Melbourne is known for its amazing food, as you’ll discover while meeting your fellow travellers tonight.

Day 2

Get your Melbourne bearings on a city tour, but make sure you’re wearing comfy shoes for when you hit the streets to explore hidden alleys covered in eye-popping murals.

Spot a jazz bar or restaurant you fancy? The afternoon is yours to indulge.

Day 3

There are endless reasons to linger in Melbourne.

But if you feel like exploring further afield, talk to us about a road trip along the Great Ocean Road (it deserves its name) or to Phillip Island. The penguins waddling from the ocean up the sand to their burrows is the cutest thing you’ll ever see.

Day 4

The rusty red landscapes of Uluru beckon as you leave Melbourne for Ayers Rock Resort, your backdrop this afternoon is the world’s largest rock monolith.

Follow your guide to the perfect perch to capture Uluru as the last of the day disappears, glass of bubbles in hand (of course).

Day 5

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. 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.

Day 6

So the other reason to rise in the dark is to witness Bruce Munro’s Field of Light, an installation of 50,000 orbs blanketing the outback.

This is the countryside that First Nations artists immortalise in their paintings – try your hand at creating one during an intro to Western Desert art. Head to your next stop in sunny Cairns.

Day 7

Cruising with crocs, a scenic railway ride into World Heritage listed rainforest, a wander along the Cairns Esplanade? Today the choice is yours.

Day 8

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. Tonight, 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.

Day 9

We hope you have a window seat, because the view of Sydney Harbour as you come in to land is one that postcards were made for.

Join your Travel Director for a Highlight Dinner cruise around Sydney Harbour against the backdrop of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

Day 10

Bring your stamina: today is one of innumerable highlights.

Go behind the scenes at the Sydney Opera House, discovering its architectural and performance secrets. If these sails could talk. One icon to another: The world’s most famous beach beckons this morning, with your chance to pad along the sand at Bondi with Sydney’s beautiful people. From Worked up an appetite? A local Surf Life Saver will take you into the members-only Bondi Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club. Learn about this historic club and gain an understanding of the important work that is done here saving lives on this famous beach. Next, a Be My Guest lunch with views overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Day 11

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? The choice is yours.

Day 12

Now you’ve found your bearings in Sydney, 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. Finally, a Highlight dinner back in the shadow of the Opera House at Portside Restaurant. Because you’ll never tire of glimpsing this beauty.

Day 13

All you have to do today is sit back and enjoy the view as you cross the Tasman to embark on your next adventure.

Day 14

We’ll take you out to Mission Bay and Bastion Point – have your camera poised – and then leave you to your own devices in the afternoon.

Need suggestions? How about a cruise to Waiheke Island for a wine tour?

Day 15

Cute and cuddly, NZ’s national bird, the kiwi, is also endangered.

Go behind the scenes on a working kiwi nursery and hatchery to learn how breeding programs are helping the population thrive .This evening your highlight dinner is a cultural experience of Haka Pōwhiri, haka, song, connection, stories and a delicious seasonal three-course dinner along with Forest kai horotai (summer season canapes) and chef choice aperitif.

Day 16

Ever wondered what it’s like to be a film star? Today you’ll get a taste of celebrity lifestyle when you sit down to breakfast in the village of Hobbiton, the movie set of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies.

Take a guided tour past Hobbit Holes and the Mill, and wave to your fans.

Day 17

Sheer cliffs, thundering waterfalls, glaciers and rainforest – if there’s a destination more inspiring than Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park, we’re yet to find it.

After a cruise here (look out for dolphins and sea lions), we’re sure you’ll agree.

Day 18

Today is all yours.

Love adventure? Ride the Shotover Jet. Oenophile? Arrange a tour to Otago wineries. Regroup for a Highlight Dinner at the historic Postmasters Cottage.

Day 19

Arrowtown and Cromwell are known for their natural drama; just as enticing is the tasty stone fruit.

Take a bite. Arriving at Lake Tekapo, you’re far from anywhere. Which practically guarantees dazzling stargazing in the UNESCO Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.

Day 20

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.

Day 21

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 enjoy a sheep dog demonstration before morning tea in the garden. Continue to local vinyard Waipara Springs Winery where you will enjoy a platter style lunch among the vines.

Day 22

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

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