Treasures Of The South Pacific
Tags:
Cruise; Australia; New Zealand; Family Vacation; Queenstown; Sydney; Melbourne; Great Barrier Reef cruise; Cairns; Christchurch;
Explore the must-see cities and sights of Australia and New Zealand. In Cairns, enjoy a spectacular half-day trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Continue to the Outback, where the stunning landscape is sure to inspire you. Enjoy guided sightseeing in Ayers Rock and Alice Springs, then explore the Outback on ...
Read Full Description- Destination:
- Alice Springs, Australia; Ayers Rock, Australia; Cairns, Australia; Christchurch, New Zealand; Melbourne, Australia; Queenstown, New Zealand; Sydney, Australia
- Trip Length:
- 18 days
- Price Range:
- From $2000 to $3000 per person See what this includes and what this excludes
- Best Time to Go:
- January, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
- Recommended for:
-
15 - 17, 18 - 20, 25 - 30, 31 - 35, 36 - 40, 41 - 50, 51 - 55
Family Trip, Group Retreat, Trip Around the World
Detailed Trip Description
Explore the must-see cities and sights of Australia and New Zealand. In Cairns, enjoy a spectacular half-day trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Continue to the Outback, where the stunning landscape is sure to inspire you. Enjoy guided sightseeing in Ayers Rock and Alice Springs, then explore the Outback on your own. Fly to beautiful Sydney. After the guided sightseeing tour you will have plenty of time to pursue independent activities. Take the exhilarating climb to the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge and take a cruise on Sydney Harbour. Next, it's on to cosmopolitan Melbourne. After the guided sightseeing tour there is plenty of time for independent exploration. Then fly to Christchurch, New Zealand, where you will have time to explore on your own. Continue on to Queenstown. Here, enjoy a full-day trip to Fiordland National Park and cruise on Milford Sound.
Trip Itinerary
Day 1 - On the Plane
International flight.
Commercial Flight
Cross the International Date Line on your flight.
Day 2 - On the Plane
International flight.
Commercial Flight
Cross the International Date Line on your flight.
Day 3 - Cairns
Airport Transfer
Arrival in Cairns.
Sightseeing
The cosmopolitan, colourful city of Cairns in far north Queensland is a tourist-orientated centre because it is the gateway to two of the world's most awesome World Heritage Sites, the Great Barrier Reef and the 110-million year old Daintree rainforest. Cairns started life as a small fishing encampment, which received an injection of prosperity in the 19th century when gold was discovered to the north and tin and timber began to be exploited in the nearby Atherton Tablelands. The harbour and fishing operations increased in importance, and tourism arrived in the early 20th century when marlin fishing became popular, and the world discovered the delights of exploring the Great Barrier Reef. Aided by its pleasant, warm climate the relaxed tropical town has now become a frenzied international tourism centre, flooded with visitors most of the year, its streets lined with souvenir stores, eateries and some first class hotels. The harbour is clogged with streamlined pleasure boats, and the offshore islands bristle with resorts. To cater for tourists the city fathers have even created a man-made salt-water lagoon and sandy beach on the Esplanade to replace the original muddy swamp that crowned Trinity Bay. The international airport keeps the visitors coming in, as the city, with its festive air, expands to accommodate them.
Hotel
RYDGES ESPLANADE, Located conveniently within walking distance to a vast array of Cairn’s finest shipping and dining facilities. A perfect base to explore the Great Barrier Reef.
Day 4 - Cairns
Ocean Cruise
Great Barrier Reef cruise
Day 5 - Cairns
Ocean Cruise
Full day at your leisure.
Day 6 - Ayers Rock
Cairns–Ayers Rock.
Commercial Flight
Fly to Ayers Rock.
Sightseeing
Guided sightseeing; visit The Olgas, view the sunset at Ayers Rock, and enjoy a champagne toast.
Sightseeing
Ayers Rock is located in Northern Australia near Alice Springs. The large red 'rock' is noted to be the largest monolith in the World.
Hotel
DESERT GARDENS HOTEL, Set among eucalyptus trees and part of the Ayers Rock Resort complex. Your hotel offers a swimming pool for relaxation.
Day 7 - Ayers Rock
Sightseeing
Guided morning sightseeing. Visit the base of Ayers Rock.
Day 8 - Alice Springs
Ayers Rock–Alice Springs.
Commercial Flight
Fly to Alice Springs.
Sightseeing
Guided sightseeing; visit the Old Telegraph Station, Anzac Hill, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Sightseeing
Alice Springs, the vibrant hub of central Australia, grew up around a permanent waterhole that was a key terminal for the Overland Telegraph Station in 1870. It became a tough frontier town serviced by camel trains from the railhead at Oodnadatta, until the railway reached it in 1929 and it became a major terminus centre. Today the city, with a population of 25,000 and stylish shopping and dining facilities, provides a perfect base from which to access all of the surrounding natural wonders, including Uluru (Ayer's Rock), and learn more about the local Arrernte Aboriginal tribal group who have inhabited the area for 20,000 years. The city is also the point from which intrepid adventurers strike south to explore the Simpson Desert, or east to visit the ghost towns of the MacDonnell Ranges. Alice Springs has good connections to Australia's capital cities; there are daily flights to and from the capitals and road and rail access from all capital cities is possible.
Hotel
LASSETERS HOTEL, Set against the MacDonnell Ranges and adjoining one of the world’s best desert golf courses. Rooms are spacious and well appointed.
Day 9 - Sydney
Alice Springs–Sydney.
Commercial Flight
Fly to Sydney.
Hotel
THE GRACE, Located in the heart of Sydney’s central business district and only a few minutes walk from all the attractions of Darling Harbour and King St. Wharf. Nearby, you will find The Rocks and Harbour Bridge.
Day 10 - Sydney
Sightseeing
Guided sightseeing. Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge photo stop; see the historic “Rocks” area and visit Bondi Beach.
Sightseeing
Sunny, seductive Sydney is a high contender for the title of the world's most ideal city. It is slick and smart, the streets are clean, the neighbourhoods and busy pedestrian precincts pristine, the parks sublime, the water in the huge harbour blue, and the landmark buildings breath-taking. Sydney's population is approaching five million, but it is easy to leave the frenetic urban pace behind with just a simple ferry ride to the North Shore for a bush walk, enjoy a stroll along the harbour beaches or take any one of a number of daytrips to explore the 'real' Australia on the city's doorstep. Just like its characteristic white-sailed Opera House, Sydney seems to cruise effortlessly through nights and days filled with myriad entertainment opportunities, sophisticated shopping, memorable museums, and strings of beautiful beaches. Visitors find it exhausting to take it all in, even though the tourist precinct where most of the interesting attractions are to be found is concentrated in quite a small area around the down-town waterfront and harbour area. The fact that Sydney is a thriving seaport and industrial city has been cleverly concealed behind attractive pleasure and leisure grounds and residential suburbs, making full use of the scenic, watery geographical location. The harbour area is dominated by the span of one of the world's largest arched bridges, backed by towering skyscrapers. It is all a far cry from the remote penal colony established by the British back in 1788. Another plus for visitors is that compared to most big cities Sydney offers excellent, reasonably priced food, accommodation and public transport. The city has an excellent suburban rail network, with its hub at Circular Quay in the city centre, and full use is made of the waterways with ferries and passenger jet boats plying to and from various points.
Day 11 - Sydney
Relaxation
Full day at leisure.
Day 12 - Melbourne
Sydney–Melbourne.
Commercial Flight
Fly to Melbourne.
Hotel
NOVOTEL ON COLLINS, Centrally located and built above the prestigious Australia on Collins shopping center. Within close proximity to the Regent Theatre, Federation Square, and Melbourne Aquarium.
Day 13 - Melbourne
Sightseeing
Guided sightseeing. Visit the Botanical Gardens.
Sightseeing
Australia's second-largest city, Melbourne, capital of Victoria, is the most European in style with trams rattling through streets past Victorian buildings, parks and outdoor cafes. The city centre is laid out in a simple grid pattern, the long, wide north-south streets gently sloping down to the Yarra River, crossed by a mix of narrow lanes, and the main shopping streets such as Bourke and Collins Streets. The CBD is easily navigable by foot, and if a rest is needed after a session of sightseeing or shopping there are numerous parks nearby, such as the Royal Botanical Gardens, Fitzroy Gardens and Carlton Gardens. Alternatively, you can take one of Melbourne's signature attractions, a tram. The burgundy-coloured City Circle tram is free, and is a good way to get your bearings as well as explore the inner city, while for those wanting to go further afield the tram network extends about 10 miles (15km) into the Melbourne suburbs. Melbourne's population of over three million is made up of a variety of cultures, including Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese, Lebanese and Greek, who have all added their touch to this thriving city. A fierce rivalry exists between the cities of Melbourne and Sydney, but local residents bask in the satisfying knowledge that Melbourne beats Sydney hands-down on the cultural front, noted for its wide variety of high standard performing arts, as well as its sport. The city plays host to world-renowned sporting events like the Melbourne Cup, Australian Open Tennis and Qantas Australia Grand Prix. Around the city, within an hour's drive, there are numerous places worth visiting, including the Macedon Ranges, which is Australia's spa capital with its world-renowned mineral springs, as well as the spectacular Great Ocean Road along the coast, which passes stunning rock formations such as the Twelve Apostles. One of the most popular self-drive routes for tourists to follow is the circular Great Southern Touring Route, which includes spectacular scenery and takes in some of Victoria's most beautiful, scenic and cultural attractions.
Day 14 - Christchurch
Melbourne–Christchurch.
Commercial Flight
Fly to Christchurch.
Sightseeing
The largest city on South Island, Christchurch is the most English of New Zealand's cities, named after an Oxford college. The atmosphere is reminiscent of an English university town, with school boys in striped blazers and punting on the River Avon, a grand Anglican cathedral dominating the central square, little stone-walled bridges, elegant Victorian architecture and numerous parks and exquisite gardens. Dubbed the 'Garden City', it is the lively capital of the Canterbury region, priding itself on its green areas, arts and history as well as its sports. The surrounds offer beach suburbs, protected bays and dolphin swimming, green valleys and snow-capped mountain ranges for skiing, hiking, mountain biking and climbing. The city itself has a relaxed and cosmopolitan centre with historic trams rattling along the streets of the bustling downtown area, a lively pub and restaurant scene, theatres, street buskers, museums and art galleries. Christchurch is the gateway to the South Island and offers the visitor an appealing mixture of historic charm and vibrant city life, a pleasing balance between urban pursuits and outdoor activities. With the least rainfall of any of the other cities and plenty of sunshine it is a perfect base for a Canterbury experience.
Hotel
RYDGES CHRISTCHURCH, Situated adjacent to the picturesque Avon River in Christchurch’s cultural and culinary precinct. Within easy walking distance of the Christchurch Art Gallery.
Day 15 - Queenstown
Christchurch–Queenstown.
Commercial Flight
Fly to Queenstown.
Hotel
RYDGES LAKELAND RESORT, Situated on the shores of beautiful Lake Wakatipu, just a short 5-minute walk to the town center.
Day 16 - Queenstown
National Parks
Full-day guided sightseeing to Fiordland National Park.
Ocean Cruise
Cruise on Milford Sound.
Sightseeing
With a reputation as the adventure sports capital of the world, Queenstown is New Zealand's premier tourist destination, offering visitors the chance to indulge in almost every adrenalin activity imaginable. But Queenstown has more to offer visitors than action packed activities. Queenstown is a heavily commercialised, year round resort that is touristy, crowded and characterless, but with its magnificent scenery, set on the deep blue Lake Wakatipu and framed by the craggy Remarkables Range, it is appealing to adventurers and leisure seekers alike. The lake is the perfect setting for steamer cruises, there are many fine walking opportunities in the surrounding hills and valleys with breathtaking views, surrounding vineyards offer wine tasting, shopping at the town's many boutiques, and the nearby historic gold mining town of Arrowtown is a fascinating day's outing. Scenic flights take visitors on unforgettable excursions, such as those around the majestic peaks of Mt Aspiring and Mt Cook, or to Milford Sound. Queenstown's popularity is also due to the fact that it is a year round resort, a renowned alpine playground for skiers and snowboarders in winter and activities such as jet boating, bungee jumping, luging, white water rafting and paragliding in the summer months.
Day 17 - Queenstown
Relaxation
Full day at leisure.
Day 18 - Queenstown
Departure flight.
Airport Transfer
Your homebound flight arrives the same day.
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Local Host service in Cairns and Christchurch; sightseeing as outlined in day-by-day itinerary. Accommodation for 15 nights as mentioned in the itinerary. Prices are per person, land or cruise only, based on double occupancy.
Budget Excludes:
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