Day 01: Departure USA to Auckland New Zealand.
Day 03: Auckland
Included: Dinner
Arrival Auckland. Meet & greet your tour guide and coach driver at the airport
Transfer to the hotel and rest of the day at leisure.
Welcome dinner.
With 1.7 million inhabitants, Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city but nevertheless enjoys a very relaxed lifestyle, with 37 000 ha of protected parks, a stunning harbor and numerous beaches. There are 48 volcanoes in the region and it is also the only city in the world to be flanked by 2 separate oceans: the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Out west, the Waitakere’s is a mountain range covered by lush subtropical rainforest where clear streams and waterfalls flow to the black sand of the Tasman Coast. To the east, the Hauraki Gulf is Aucklanders’ preferred playground and has earned the nickname “The City of Sails” due to the numerous pleasure boats taking advantage of the harbor, its many islands and golden beaches
Day 04: Auckland – City Tour
Included: Buffet Breakfast, lunch
You will start the day with a fully commented city tour, including Auckland’s highlights: the City Centre, Auckland Harbor Bridge, Parnell colonial village, the new developments around Wynyard quarters, the Eastern beaches and waterfront, the parc of the Domain and Wintergarden.
Lunch included by the Wintergardens
In the afternoon, visit Auckland Museum for an introduction to Maori culture and New Zealand’s natural history.
Day 05: Auckland – Island Cruise
Included: Buffet Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Enjoy a scenic cruise as you sail across the Waitemata Harbour bound for Waiheke Island. Located just 40 mins from downtown Auckland, the island is a peaceful haven where many artists have taken up residence. It is well known for its Mediterranean climate and the growing wine industry, and well-loved for the gentle walking or cycling tracks through native bush and white sand beaches.
You will be met on arrival by a local driver and start a coach tour around the island. There will be many photo opportunities and you will also stop at some of the vineyards to taste the local wines.
Lunch is included at one of the vineyards, followed by time at leisure in the picturesque village of Oneroa. Return to Auckland in the afternoon.
Your farewell dinner tonight is at the panoramic restaurant Orbit on Sky Tower, while you embrace the 360° view over the city and harbour.
Day 06: Auckland – Melbourne
Included: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner
Today you have a short 3 ½ hour flight from New Zealand to Australia. We will land in the San Francisco of Australia, Melbourne. This sophisticated world city in the south-east corner of mainland Australia inspires a deep passion in those who live there. Ranked as one of the world’s most livable cities, Melbourne is famous for its vibrant energy, restaurants, fashion boutiques, café filled laneways, cool bars, unbeatable galleries, spacious parks and village-like inner suburbs, each with its own special character. Melbourne is less than 200 years old and never sits still. Modern, cutting-edge designs add to the fascinating mix of heritage architecture and ensure the skyline is constantly changing.
Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 07: Melbourne – City Tour
Included: Buffet Breakfast, Lunch
Catch the best of Melbourne’s urban landscape and iconic beaches on this full-day guided tour. Begin with a drive through the city’s downtown area, passing the bustling restaurants and hole-in-the-wall cafes as your guide points out famous landmarks and historic buildings. Next, head to St Kilda to explore the seaside area, before eventually reaching the colorful beach huts at Brighton Beach. The tour ends with a drive over the Westgate Bridge with panoramic views over the city and Williamstown.
Inclusions
- Six-hour guided tour of Melbourne’s inner city
- Exploration of St Kilda and the Brighton Beach huts
Scenic drive over the famous Westgate Bridge
Day 08: Melbourne – Steam Engine Train to Belgrave
Included: Buffet Breakfast, Lunch at Local restaurant or the hotel
Travel 1-hour via the Puffy Billy Steam Engine train from Lakeside to Belgrave. Enjoy the excitement of traveling on a vintage train and arrive at the Moonlit Sanctuary for a tour. Start your tour at the Dandenong Ranges and head to Lakeside to the Puffing Billy’s visitor Centre. Enjoy free time to explore and have lunch before boarding Puffing Billy Steam Engine train to Belgrave. Experience a 1-hour train ride through dense forest and open spaces. Arrive in Belgrave and drive to Moonlit Sanctuary to meet Australia’s unique fauna, koalas, kangaroos, dingoes, and so many more. End your adventure with a scenic drive back to Melbourne to Moonlit Sanctuary to meet Australia’s unique fauna, koalas, kangaroos, dingoes, and so many more
Day 09: Melbourne – Trip to Wine Country
Included: Buffet Breakfast, Lunch
Tour Wine country
The spoils of the Yarra Valley, 30 minutes south-east of Melbourne
Treat yourself to a full-day tour of the Yarra Valley from Melbourne. Taste premium wines and food while visiting a variety of small and large wineries with your expert guide. Enjoy wine tastings, an à la carte lunch at a vineyard, and a cheese tasting with your wine at De Bortoli Winery. Hear about the history of the fertile Yarra Valley and its wineries, which have a well-deserved reputation for great chardonnay, pinot noir, and sparkling wines.
Day 10: Melbourne – Sydney Australia
Included: Buffet Breakfast
Arrive, Sydney
Domestic Airport to City Hotel Transfer
Soak up Sydney’s gorgeous harbor, seductive outdoor lifestyle and great natural beauty. Cruise under the Sydney Harbor Bridge or wave at the Opera House as you ride a ferry across the harbor to Manly. Learn to surf at Bondi Beach or swim in the calm waters of Coogee. Lose yourself in the cobblestone cul-de-sacs of The Rocks or in the markets, boutiques, cafes and pubs of Paddington. As well as a world-famous harbour and more than 70 sparkling beaches, Sydney offers fabulous food, festivals and 24/7 fun.
Day 11: Sydney – Opera House, Sydney
Included: Buffet Breakfast, Lunch
Sydney Opera House Tour – Private Tour
More than 60 years ago, Jorn Utzon designed what is now considered one of the greatest buildings of all time. But for Utzon, the Sydney Opera House story was no fairy tale. The 1 hour tour brings to life the saga behind the making of the world’s most famous house. Your guide will take you on an emotional journey inside this modern masterpiece, putting Jorn Utzon on centre stage and is a tribute to his creative genius. You will be taken inside one of the working venues to experience the magic behind the world’s most extraordinary opera, ballet, symphony and dramatic performances.
Note: The Sydney Opera House Tour includes up to 200 steps. Flat, enclosed rubber soled shoes must be worn. While on a tour, all bags larger than an A4 size will need to be cloaked. A complimentary, secure cloaking facility is available near the tour desk.
After touring Board Sydney Cruises where we will have a Buffet Lunch cruise
Allow yourself to spend a couple of relaxing hours, tucked away in a first-class vessel. Sydney Harbour discovery lunch. We’ve prepared a complete experience with live commentary and lunch served on board.
Discover the secrets of one of the world’s most famous and spectacular natural harbors including icons such as Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, Sydney Botanical Gardens and more. We give you a chance to see the city from a new perspective and marvel at the sights that decorate its coastline. Owing to our educated live commentator, you will get to learn something new about Sydney, its history and about each of the sights that you can see from the deck.
Our Sydney Harbour Discovery Cruise is a once-in-a-lifetime educational experience. It is fun for the whole family, as kids and adults are bound to learn something new. Our vessels are filled with both tourists and locals who wish to get to know their city even better. Aside from the “academic” aspect, this tour is a great way to get far from the city noise, sit back and relax.
After disembarking your cruise, we will proceed with touring the Old Town, ‘The Rocks’ where we learn about the convict settlement. Travel through the CBD and Macquarie Street with sandstone buildings. Pause at Mrs. Macquarie’s point for the best photo of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Follow the shores of the harbour through the affluent Eastern Suburbs. Take a break at Watsons Bay, the entrance of Sydney Harbour – one of the most captivating views in Sydney. Then it’s on to Bondi Beach where guests can enjoy a stroll along the beach front promenade, enjoy a tea or coffee (at own expense) and see bronzed Aussie lifesavers. Returning to the city via Bondi Junction, Centennial Park, Paddington, and Chinatown we pause at Darling Harbour. Then driving directly underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge, we finish the tour back Circular Quay.
Day 12: Sydney- Blue Mountains
Included: Buffet Breakfast, Lunch
Today you have a full day private tour which includes Calmsley Hill admission, morning tea, 2 course Lunch at Echoes Restaurant with 1 glass of beer, wine or soft drink per person, national park fee and bottled water on board.
Explore the Blue Mountains region on a tour from Sydney. Discover Featherdale Wildlife Park, a short guided bushwalk to the waterfalls at Wentworth Falls. Spend the afternoon at Echo Point and Cahill’s Lookout. Tour Start with pickup from your hotel in Sydney. See koalas, kangaroos, dingoes, cassowaries, and other native Australian birds and animals in the morning at Featherdale Wildlife Park.
At Wentworth Falls hike through tea-tree forests, fern gullies, cave overhangs, and past a variety of panoramic views of the Jamison Valley. The falls themselves are a delicate misty flow of water tumbling over three tiers of rocky outcrops. Your guide will be able to organize some alternative routes and shortcuts for those taking it easy.
Stop for at local restaurant lunch, visit Leura Village which offers charming cafes, restaurants, and bakeries. Purchase lunch at one of these and enjoy some time shopping for gifts at the streetside shops. Head on down to the Blue Mountains’ most famous lookout at Echo Point. Enjoy the views at the perfect time of day, with the sun shining down the valley. See the Three Sisters illuminated and a Blue Haze in the background. Exit the Blue Mountains via Cliff Drive with its views over Narrow Neck Plateau and the Magalona Valley. Stretch your legs one more time to discover Cahills Lookout and Boars Head, before heading back to Sydney.
Day 13: Sydney
Included: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner
Free day at your leisure, to do shopping and buy souvenirs.
In the evening meet your group for goodbye dinner.
Day 14: Sydney – USA
Included: Buffet Breakfast
Today we transfer to the airport for your flight home to the United States.
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