Monday, April 7

Tuesday, April 8

Board your transpacific flight and skip a day as you cross the International Date Line on your way Down Under for the adventure of a lifetime.

Wednesday, April 9

Brisbane, Australia

Discover Brisbane’s highlights, including the sandstone buildings of the GPO and Macarthur house, see the Anzac Memorial and the Shrine of Remembrance in the heart of the city. Enjoy the stunning panoramic views of the city from the Mt. Coot-tha lookout. The evening is at leisure.

Come face-to-face with many of Australia’s native animals at the Australia Zoo, home of The Crocodile Hunter. You’ll see a crocodile demonstration by one of the zookeepers, as well as witness the feeding of the koalas. View the majestic Grasshouse Mountains bordered by pineapple plantations and pine forests as you return along the scenic route.
Breakfast is included.

Friday, April 11

Palm Cove, Australia

This morning we transfer to the Brisbane airport for our flight to Cairns. The capitol of North Queensland, Cairns is one of the most popular tourist spots in Australia. Indulge in the excellent shopping and dining or take in the pristine beauty of the adjacent rainforests, rich in tropical vegetation and wild life. Just a short distance north of Cairns, Palm Cove offers exquisite beaches and coastline with easy access to the tropical gardens.
Breakfast is included.

Saturday, April 12

Palm Cove, Australia

Prepare to set sail to the Michaelmas Cay aboard the Ocean Spirit catamaran and visit this natural and pristine sand cay. This cruise offers a wide range of activities including snorkeling, scuba diving and semi-submersible coral viewing, coral cay scientific tours and nature walks through a bird sanctuary.
Breakfast and lunch are included.

Join the famous Kuranda train for a breathtaking rail journey. From the coastal sugarcane fields, travel high into the Tablelands to the picturesque village of Kuranda. You’ll have free time in Kuranda to stroll through the famous Kuranda Markets. Return to the lowlands by the Sky rail Cableway above the canopy of the rainforest. Visit the award-winning Tjpukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, where the legends of the Dreamtime are brought to life. Learn about this ancient culture through theatres, stage shows and dance demonstrations.
Breakfast is included.

You’ll transfer to Cairns Airport for your flight to Alice Springs. Leaving Tjapukai Aboriginal Culture Park behind, we travel to Alice Springs. Visit the sights of ‘The Alice’ on this comprehensive tour. Stop at the School of the Air where sometimes we are able to listen to children take lessons on air, then see the original site of Alice Springs at the historic Telegraph Station. Visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service and finish off with a panoramic view of the town and surrounding ranges from Anzac Hill lookout.
Breakfast is included.

We travel to a site of significance to Australia’s Aborigines people. We learn about Aboriginal life, language, art & music and enjoy “Dreamtime” storytelling, Aboriginal dance performance and demonstrations of boomerang throwing. Sample bush food and learn about traditional sources for food and medicine. We will also see Deserts Park. It will allow you to discover many of the secrets of the Central Australian deserts. Hundreds of the species of plants and animals are found across the deserts and can be seen and heard at the Desert Park.
Breakfast is included.

Departing early morning by private coach, we travel through desert scenery between Ayers Rock and Alice Springs. Pass through the beautiful ‘outback’ and view majestic Mt. Conner along the way. This afternoon visit the mystical domes of Kata Tjuta. En route, stop at a lookout for a panoramic view of the eastern side of Kata Tjuta . Spend time exploring the Olgas Gorge and the unusual rock formations. The walking trail through the gorge follows the natural creek between two of the tallest domes. Tonight, experience the romance of the desert, the setting of the sun behind the domes of Kata Tjuta and Uluru, the haunting sounds of a didgeridoo, sumptuous outback fare and the star-filled heavens.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Rise early and travel to the Uluru sunrise viewing area. Tour around the base of Uluru and on to the Mutijulu Waterhole, where you can view Aboriginal rock paintings and learn about the flora and fauna. Visit the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, where you can learn about Aboriginal culture and see Aboriginal arts and crafts. Later in the day board a flight for Sydney. Enjoy a unique evening dining experience at “The Summit Restaurant Experience”. This revolving restaurant has uninterrupted views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.
Boxed breakfast and dinner are included.

See Sydney’s famous sights including St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kings Cross and Bondi Beach as you tour the city and its southern beaches. At midday, board a magnificent cruise ship and tour the beautiful Sydney harbor. This afternoon you have a guided tour of the Sydney Opera House, a distinct landmark. This evening enjoy dinner at the Waterfront Restaurant.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Today you'll transfer to the Sydney Airport for your flight to New Zealand. Upon arrival enjoy a brief sightseeing tour of the ‘Garden City’ including an impressive gothic style Cathedral, Christchurch Arts Centre, and lovely gardens at Mona Vale Estate.
Breakfast and dinner are included.
 

Sunday, April 20

Franz Josef, New Zealand

Board the TranzAlpine Express for your train journey through spectacular alpine scenery in the Southern Alps to Greymouth. We conclude our journey at the town of Greymouth and board a coach and travel along the West Coast to Hokitika. We visit a greenstone factory where a local jade-like stone is crafted into jewelry. We continue south through forests and farmland and take in the views of the Alps to the east and on to the village of Franz Josef.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Monday, April 21

Queenstown, New Zealand

Magic scenery presents itself today as you travel over Haast Pass, then along the shores of the lakes Wanaka and Hawea and cross the sheep and cattle farmlands of Central Otago and on to Queenstown. This evening access the aerial gondola to the Skyline Restaurant. Enjoy spectacular views over the lakes and surrounding mountains.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Queenstown offers a host of attractions for the visitor from helicopter flights to trips on jet boats. Explore the city at your leisure today. Enjoy a scenic cruise on the vintage steamship T.S.S. Earnslaw to Walter Peak Station on the western shore of Lake Wakatipu. Watch the original steam engines and listen to the ship’s pianist. At Water Peak, experience rural life; wander through the beautiful gardens and tour the farmyard. Highlights are the sheep shearing and working sheep and dog demonstrations.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Leave Queenstown and depart to Mt. Cook National Park, which boasts New Zealand’s highest peak. Time allows us to take an optional scenic flight (own expense). In the afternoon we travel to Fairlie, stopping en route at the Church of the Good Shepherd. Here we meet our hosts for the evening in their homes on a typical New Zealand farm.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Bid your hosts farewell and transfer to Christchurch Airport for your flight to Rotorua. From the moment you enter Rotorua, you know you are somewhere quite different. Minutes from the city centre, geysers of steaming water roar from the ground and the occasional scent of sulfur wafts through the air - a remarkable wonder of New Zealand. Visit Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve and the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. In the evening, explore Maori rituals, music and food at an authentic Maori Concert and Hangi Dinner.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Friday, April 25
Rotorua, New Zealand
Today, visit the award-winning Rotorua Museum, and discover the essence of Rotorua; its people, culture, and volcanic landscape. Head to Rainbow Springs Nature Park and the Agrodome for a New Zealand Farm Show. See a live kiwi bird, feed giant rainbow trout and experience bathing in a hot thermal spa pool.