Day 1
Arrive around midday in Port Douglas, your access point to the Great Barrier Reef. Travel by private transfer to your luxurious holiday apartments at Coconut Grove. Your spacious suite includes a full kitchen, outdoor entertaining area, and close beach access.
Coconut Grove
Day 2
Enjoy a full day today out on the Great Barrier Reef with a small group for reef interpretation and a guided snorkel tour. You’ll be transported to 3 spectacular sites. The snorkeling advisor teaches current use of the equipment and snorkeling techniques. Dedicated snorkel crew provides personal in-water assistance and flotation devices for beginners, while the more experienced snorkeler can enjoy unrestricted exploration of spectacular drop-offs and coral pinnacles. Or, if you have your certification, you may Scuba dive at these fabulous locations.
Coconut Grove
Day 3
Today is a full day into the heart of the Daintree Rainforest. One of the oldest rainforests in the world (since before the dinosaurs!), Daintree is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Seek out wildlife and birdlife unique to the region, and cruise along the Daintree River before seeking out the deepest part of the rainforest. You’ll also visit the place where the “rainforest meets the sea,” feeling like Robinson Crusoe as you step onto the lonely sand with rainforest canopy overhead.
Coconut Grove
Day 4
Today is yours to spend at your leisure. Take a few steps from Coconut Grove to the beautiful Four-Mile Beach, or head into the city to explore the wonderful shops and restaurants.
Coconut Grove
Day 5
Take a flight this morning to Uluru/Ayers Rock. The heart of the “Red Center,” the Outback here stretches far and wide with red desert. Uluru is the largest rock monument in the world, a naturally existing monolith significant to the local Anangu people as a sacred Aboriginal site. Spend the afternoon exploring Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), where eons of weathering and continental upheaval have created the interesting rock formations. Get back in time for the quintessential Outback dining experience, the Sounds of Silence where you’ll enjoy a traditional BBQ dinner and hear an aborigine describing the stars of the ever-expanding night sky.
Desert Gardens Hotel
Day 6
Rise early this morning, to watch the sunrise from atop a camel. These ancient desert animals were introduced to Australia because they’re perfect for the dry climate. The afternoon is at leisure, and then in the evening you have a traditional Aboriginal sunset tour. See the Cultural Centre and learn about the native law and culture, then visit paintings in timeworn ochres at the base of Uluru. Hear ancient stories and legends, then clink a glass of champagne as you watch the sun go down.
Desert Gardens Hotel
Day 7
Today you’re on to spectacular Sydney—a world-class city that offers style and sophistication. Fringed by numerous bays and beaches and presided over by the glistening Opera House, Sydney unveils a great photo opportunity at every turn. With its Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, the zoos and lively neighborhoods, Sydney is just delightful.
The Grace Hotel
Day 8
The daytime is yours at leisure to enjoy the city however you please. Recommended additional activities include taking a self-guided walking tour of The Rocks Historic District, ferrying to Manly Beach, or shopping the boutiques of Paddington. Save your energy for a twilight Sydney Harbour BridgeClimb to see the city as the stars come out to play. You’ll get suited up and climb the steps and ladders of the bridge to the very summit, 440 feet above the water!
The Grace Hotel
Day 9
Today you’ll join a small group and cycle around Sydney’s major sites on a bike tour, introducing you to the parts of Sydney that you saw from above the evening before. Your expert guide will escort you to the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour, Darling Harbour, and all the highlights and hidden gems. You’ll even stop at a pub for a pint at the halfway point through this 4-hour tour, but not for long, because there is so much to see.
The Grace Hotel
Day 10
Your chauffeur is waiting to take you to the airport for a flight to Queenstown, New Zealand, the heart of the South Island. A delight for scenery lovers and adrenaline junkies alike, Queenstown is the outdoor adventure capital of the country, if not the world. There is an endless supply of activities to fully experience the stunning natural landscape and to get your adrenaline flowing.
Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel
Day 11
You’re off on a luxury glass-roofed coach along the Milford Road to a day cruise in one of the most beautiful places on earth—Milford Sound within the Fiordland National Park. Travel the spectacular Milford Road through impressive alpine scenery with time for photo stops and short walks along the way. On reaching Milford Sound, board a nature cruise of the fjord for a leisurely itinerary that allows plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and wildlife. View spectacular waterfalls, rainforest, and towering peaks. Plus, keep an eye out for fur seals, dolphins, and penguins.
Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel
Day 12
Today, you’ll have a diverse adventure exploring spectacular wilderness within Mt. Aspiring National Park through a combination of exhilarating wilderness jet boating, informative ancient forest walk, and back-country 4WD safari. Surrounded by awe-inspiring peaks and mysterious hidden valleys shrouded in native beech forest, see the variety of landscapes, vegetation, wildlife, and history within this unique area.
Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel
Day 13
Short flights bring you to the heart of the North Island, Rotorua, home to amazing geothermal sites and the most accessible Maori cultural experiences. Your hotel room has lovely views of Lake Rotorua, created by a volcanic explosion long ago (or created by the tears of a scorned lover, according to Maori legend).
Novotel Rotorua Lakeside
Day 14
Daytime is at leisure today to explore geothermal sites. You have your own rental car to go visit pools of boiling mud, colorful hot springs, erupting geysers or even our favorite hidden hot waterfall. Spend the evening with a Te Pō cultural experience. It is a feast of cultural storytelling, entertainment and Māori kai (indigenous food).
Novotel Rotorua Lakeside
Day 15
This morning, you’ll drive to Waitomo Glowworm Caves for 3 hours of blackwater rafting. You’ll ride an inflated rubber inner tube down river inside a cave. You’ll work your way through tight squeezes, take leaps of faith over cascading underground waterfalls, and float serenely down river as you enjoy the glowworm show on the vaulted limestone galleries up above. Then you’ll continue your drive up to Auckland for 2 nights at a hotel in the city center.
Stamford Plaza
Day 16
Today, it’s an Auckland city and hinterlands tour. See Mt. Eden, with magnificent views across the city on a clear day, and also check out the old colonial Parnell neighborhood. After a picnic lunch, head outside the city to Auckland’s West Coast and the Waitakere Ranges to visit an artist enclave, spectacular ocean vistas, soaring cliffs, roaring surf, volcanic black sand beaches, and ancient native rainforest. Alternatively, we can arrange dolphin swimming or day tours to islands off the harbour.
Stamford Plaza
Day 17
Fly early into Fiji this morning and board your catamaran for Castaway Island. The small island is covered with lush tropical vegetation, surrounded by white sand beaches, and encircled by vibrant coral reefs. The beauty of the island is matched by the warmth and genuine hospitality of the staff, which encourages guests to learn about the Fijian way of life.
Castaway Island Resort in Fiji
Day 18 – 20
These days are at leisure to explore the island. Visit the Shell Village to interact with locals and have the chance to meet a Fijian chief. If you’re lucky, you will be there during rugby season and you can attend a local rugby game. Or just relax on the beach and snooze away the days as you dream of the adventures you’ve had in Australia and New Zealand.
Castaway Island Resort in Fiji
Day 21
Board a catamaran back to the mainland today with complimentary beverages on board, then head to the airport to begin your trip home.
