| Days 1: | Home City / Los Angeles, CA |
| Depart home city and arrive in Los Angeles to connect to your Air New Zealand flight to New Zealand. (IFM) |
| Days 2: | Cross International Dateline |
| Cross the Equator & the International Date Line (lose a day) on your overnight flight. (IFM) |
| Day 3: | Arrive Auckland |
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Arrive in Auckland on New Zealand’s lush North Island. A land of amazing contrasts and scenic beauty awaits you. Enjoy a morning city tour of New Zealand’s largest city including Harbor Drive, downtown, residential areas, and views from Mt. Eden. Arrive at your hotel for an early check in. Relax prior to your Get Acquainted Dinner at the Auckland Tower. (D) Crowne Plaza Hotel |
| Day 4: | Auckland / Rotorua |
| Board your coach for the scenic drive through the gorgeous green countryside of the Waikato Valley, the world’s richest sheep farming area. Stop to tour the Waitomo Caves and take a boat ride along an underground river to the world famous Glowworm Grotto. Arrive in Rotorua, home of the native “Maori”, Polynesians who invaded these islands 700 years ago. Tonight, enjoy a Maori Concert & Hangi Feast. (B,D) Grand Tiara Hotel |
| Day 5: | Rotorua Sights |
| Rotorua is known as the “Yellowstone of New Zealand”. Tour the Maori Arts & Crafts Institute before viewing the Whakarewarewa thermal area with its boiling pools & geysers. Next visit Rainbow Springs to see huge trout, Kiwi birds, and a sheep shearing & dog show. Free afternoon to relax or shop in town. (B) |
| Day 6: | Rotorua / Queenstown |
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Enjoy a morning scenic flight over the Southern Alps as we fly to the South Island. Arrive in Queenstown, New Zealand’s premier resort town. Ascend Bob’s Peak in a gondola for a panoramic view of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables Range. Free afternoon to explore on own and shop for sheepskins, paua shells, greenstone, and woodcarvings. Tonight, enjoy a traditional lamb dinner at a fine local restaurant. (B,D) Rydges Lakeland Resort |
| Day 7: | Milford Sound Day Trip |
| The highlight of your tour to New Zealand will undoubtedly be this full day trip to Milford Sound. A breathtaking day of magnificent scenery awaits you as we drive through Fjordland National Park. Motor past lakes, beech forests, rugged mountain passes, and through the famed Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound. Board a cruise of this incredible deepwater inlet reminiscent of Norway’s scenic fjords. Enjoy an up close view of towering cliffs & waterfalls plus see seals and Kea parrots. Return to Queenstown. (B,L) |
| Day 8: | Queenstown |
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Relax & sleep in. Shop in the village, take a lake cruise, visit a high country sheep station, walk the public gardens, or take a thrilling Shotover River “jet boat” ride. (B) |
| Day 9: | Mt. Cook / Christchurch |
| Today take a scenic drive along the Kawarau River Gorge, over Lindis Pass to Lake Pukaki and a view of Mt. Cook, New Zealand’s tallest peak at 12,249 feet. Leave the Alps and cross the Canterbury Plains farming region to Christchurch, the “most English city outside of England”. (B,D) Holiday Inn on Avon
Note: Departure Tax from New Zealand to Australia - $25NZ per person |
| Day 10: | Christchurch City Tour / Fly to Melbourne, AU |
| Your morning city tour of Christchurch, New Zealand’s most English City, will include picturesque Cathedral Square, Avon River scenic drive, Hagley Park, and the view from Cashmere Hills Lookout. Then transfer to the airport for your afternoon flight across the Tasman Sea to Melbourne, Australia. (B,IFM) Citigate Hotel |
| Day 11: | Melbourne / Phillip Island |
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Tour Melbourne, the “City of Parks” and home to Australia’s traditional wealth. See Fitzroy Gardens, Victoria Market, the Cricket Grounds, National Opal Museum & the Shrine of Remembrance. Enjoy a free afternoon, or take our optional coach trip to nearby Phillip Island to watch the evening fairy penguin parade on the beach (estimated cost is $115 CND p.p. including dinner). This tour is always a sell out! (B) |
| Day 12: | Melbourne |
| A full free day to explore this great city. You may wish to shop for opals, ride a streetcar to the Captain Cook House, visit the Queen Victoria Market, walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens, or tour the Victorian Arts Centre. (B) |
| Day 13: | Melbourne / Canberra / Sydney |
| Depart Melbourne on your short included flight to the capital city of Canberra. Designed by an American, Walter Burley Griffin, Canberra is a beautiful, completely planned city built around an artificial lake. See Parliament House, Embassy Row, and the fascinating Australian War Memorial Museum. Next visit a working sheep station for an Aussie BBQ and sheep show. Then relax on your coach as we travel through the “Australian Bush” countryside to Sydney, the City of Sails” and home to Australia’s brash new wealth. (B,L) Holiday Inn Darling Harbor |
| Day 14: | Sydney |
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Our morning tour of this world class city will include all the must see sights such as the famous Opera House, Darling Harbor, naughty Kings Cross, the historic “Rocks” area, and Bondi Beach. This afternoon is free to enjoy on your own for shopping, sightseeing, or relaxing at your hotel. (B) |
| Day 15: | Sydney |
| Enjoy a free day exploring or shopping. You may wish to visit the 2000 Olympic Park or Featherdale Wildlife Park, where 2200 native Australian animals live in natural bush surroundings. Tonight, enjoy a narrated dinner cruise of Sydney harbor as you sail the sparkling waters past the Opera House, Harbor Bridge, upscale homes, and million dollar coastline. (B,D) |
| Day 16: | Sydney / Home City |
| Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the US and connect to your flight home to Canada. Arrive home the same day after crossing the Dateline once again. (B,IFM) |
| Optional Extension: | Sydney / Cairns |
| Day 16:
Transfer to the Sydney airport for your mid morning flight to Cairns, Queensland – gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Visit the Tjapukai Aboriginal Park, a stunning theatrical interpretation of this ancient rainforest people & their culture. Meet tribal members, enjoy two live music & dance shows, plus learn didgeridoo playing and boomerang throwing. (B,IFM) Tradewinds Esplanade Resort |
| Optional Extension: | Great Barrier Reef |
| Day 17:
Visitors from around the world flock here for the inspiring beauty of the Great Barrier Reef, extending for 1200 miles along Australia’s northeastern coast. Board your high-speed catamaran for an exciting excursion onto the reef. From your base on Green Island, enjoy a choice of snorkeling in the crystal clear waters or a glass bottom boat ride over the reef. Relax at the island’s resort pool and take an included guided walk through the rainforest. This afternoon, enjoy free time in Cairns to explore and shop in town, stroll along Esplanade Boardwalk or relax around the hotel pool. Tonight, meet for your Farewell Dinner at a local seafood restaurant. (B,D) |
| Optional Extension: | Cairns / Home City |
| Day 18:
Transfer to the Cairns International Airport for your return flights home. Fly Air New Zealand directly to Auckland and then on to LAX before connecting to your flight home to Canada. Arrive home on the same day you left due to crossing the International Dateline once again. (B,IFM) |
| Important Note! | |
| Pre or Post Accommodation at the Los Angeles Crown Plaza Hotel is available – contact Anderson Vacations for prices!
Remember to protect yourself and your loved ones by purchasing travel insurance! Call Anderson Vacations for the most competitive rates in the market. 1-866-814-7378 |
