Contrasts of Australia and New Zealand

Settle into your hotel on the banks of the Yarra River and meet your Travel Director for a welcome reception and dinner at the South Wharf riverside pub, The General Assembly restaurant. It's a great opportunity to get to know everyone in a unique setting.

Get out and see the sights today on a guided walk with your Travel Director discovering the little lanes, arcades, and café society of stylish Melbourne. Gaze up at the beautiful Victorian façades lining grand boulevards. Stroll past famous, edgy street art that shows a stylish contrast to federation buildings and churches as Melbourne’s coffee aroma wafts overhead. Discover more of Melbourne over a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience tour and walk at Koorie Heritage Trust Gallery. Make a positive impact while you learn about Koorie peoples, cultures and communities. You’ll love discovering the importance of Koorie peoples as part of a broader 21st century community over a tour and talk. With a vison to ensure the rich cultural heritage, history and knowledge systems of First Peoples are valued, celebrated and an active part of society, the Koorie Heritage Trust is an organization you’ll be happy to support. There's time afterwards to explore the city on your own, enjoy an optional experience to Phillip Island to see the nightly ritual of the Penguin Parade (own expense). Or simply relax and watch the world go by.

Things start to heat up in Cairns, the heart of Tropical North Queensland. Jump aboard a cruise at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures to discover some of the wildlife that calls this part of the state home, koalas, wallabies and crocs among them. Now that you’ve appreciated the beauty of the area, you can put your passion into practice helping with a Rainforest Restoration project, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, to protect the natural wonder of the nearby Notophyll Vine Forest, an area older than the Amazon. By jumping in and helping the team plant trees, you’re supporting the protection of this rare type of dry rainforest from development and restoring it to an important wildlife corridor of native birds. Talk about a feel-good day. *If you are departing on an early flight from Melbourne, a boxed breakfast will be provided.

Go from city to sea today on a full day bucket list exploration of the world’s largest coral reef system in the Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Set sail on a high-speed catamaran for these tropical waters then explore this underwater wonderland up close donning your mask and fins for a snorkel (equipment provided). You’ll feel like a fish in an aquarium weaving through the rainbow of reefs and fish. Or, choose to stay dry in your semi-submersible, air-conditioned craft with an underwater observatory to have a different view of these tropical species. However you choose to explore, you’ll love learning the insights on the reef the colourful fish and plants that call it home from your local guide. On board you’ll be treated to a buffet lunch and afternoon tea and coffee to soak up the Aussie sun before you cruise back into Cairns.

Today is a free to do as you choose. A great option is the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to Kuranda, travelling over and through World Heritage rainforest, explore quaint Kuranda village and later board the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway for the return journey (own expense). If you’d prefer to spend the day relaxing by your hotel pool or sitting back at a local café you can do that too! After a big day out or in town, meet up with the group for dinner at Ochre Restaurant and enjoy Australian cuisine featuring the best local produce.

Following a leisurely start to the morning it’s time to switch the tropical vibes back to city highlights as you fly to Sydney. We hope you have a window seat for the flight - the view over the harbour as you come in to land certainly sparkles. Check into your centrally located hotel and spend the rest of the day and evening exploring as you wish. Ask your Travel Director for sightseeing and dinner suggestions.

There are legendary Sydney sights, and then there’s the Sydney Opera House – this dramatic building is the reason the word ‘icon’ was made. Go on a guided tour of the pearly shell-shaped structure, learning about its architecture as well as some of the famous artists who have graced the stages. Then see it from the outside on a sightseeing harbour cruise, also sailing past Circular Quay, Shark Island, jaw-dropping mansions, beaches and parks. Oh, and you’ll get to glide under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Talk about ‘pinch me’ moments. You’ll want to toast your good fortune. Thankfully, we have planned a Be My Guest afternoon of wine tasting at Sydney’s Urban Winery. One of the few places in the city itself that makes wine, this establishment is a great place to get a feel for the stellar local drops that are made in Australia. Cheers to that!

The day is yours to explore at your leisure or book one of our hand crafted selection of optional activities. There are so many sights and experiences to be had in this city and further afield. You might choose to visit the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains, for fresh mountain air and stunning scenery. Or get your adrenaline racing with a thrilling climb up the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This evening you can share your stories of your day with your fellow travellers over dinner.

All you have to do today is sit back and enjoy the view as you cross the Tasman to embark on your next adventure. Dinner is at The Grill, celebrating Aotearoa's culinary treasures. Expect the finest quality grassfed steaks, from 100% New Zealand owned and operated suppliers, and sustainable line-caught fish.

After a relaxed start, set your sights firmly on New Zealand's national game: rugby. The interactive All Blacks Experience explores an introduction to the game as a part of New Zealand culture. Afterwards get the lay of the land on a city sightseeing tour including Mission Bay, Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial to New Zealand's first Labour Prime Minister. Admire the sunken pool and landscaped gardens as you’re treated to sweeping views of Waitemata Harbour and the North Shore.

Experience the real Middle-earth at the Hobbiton Movie Set where you can step into the lush pastures of the Shire, as seen in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. You will be fully guided around the 12-acre set, including into an interior Hobbit Hole experience. Continue to Rotorua, where tonight you will visit Te Puia's geothermal Valley. Dive into culture and learn about Maori history and culture on this guided experience, which includes a dinner of hangi-inspired cuisine and a cultural performance in a finely carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua. It ends on a high at the Pohutu Geyser, where, armed with a hot chocolate, you'll view one of New Zealand's geothermal wonderlands.

Your destination this morning in Rotorua is the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa, where you’ll join a local guide for a tour. Learn about the work being done to save this rare native bird, get up close and see kiwi eggs being incubated, the hatching process, and even newly hatched kiwi chicks at this national leader in kiwi husbandry. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience is not only fun but will give you fascinating insights into New Zealand’s national bird. The feel-good vibes will follow you all the way to Queenstown, the self-proclaimed adventure capital of New Zealand. It makes perfect sense – there are ski fields, white-water river and bridges strapped with bungy cords wherever you turn. And then there’s the dining scene; Queenstown is home to some of the country’s most awarded restaurants. Whether you’re in the mood for bulging burgers or lakeside tapas, ask us for recommendations on this leg of your Queenstown New Zealand tour.

Skirt Queenstown’s gleaming Lake Wakatipu, and traverse the Devil’s Staircase to Te Anau, the alpine gateway to World Heritage listed Fiordland National Park. Once you’ve paused to admire the drama at Mirror Lakes, Knobs Flat, Hollyford Valley lookout and Cleddau Valley, you’ll begin to understand why Rudyard Kipling called this the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. Onboard your nature cruise, enjoy commentary from your eagle-eyed Naturalist guide, who not only narrates on the immense geological history of the Fiord, but will point out fur seals and dolphins should they choose to come out to play. The cruise includes a delicious picnic lunch.

Take today’s Queenstown New Zealand tour at your own pace. Like things fast and furious? Feel the wind in your hair on an optional high-octane jet boat ride, perhaps. Or consider an optional glide across Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a guided farm tour, including morning or afternoon tea, in a dreamy alpine setting. Wherever you wander, be sure to save space for tonight’s Highlight Dinner at Postmasters Café, a historic Arrowtown cottage replete with picket fence and Instagrammable gardens.

Today your New Zealand tour takes you to lovely Lake Tekapo travelling to Cromwell on the banks of Lake Dunstan. Visit Mrs. Jones' Fruit Stall to taste of some of the town's juicy stone fruit including apricots, nectarines, peaches, and plums. Is it Michael Schumacher’s Benetton F1 car or the $4.2-million Aston Martin Vulcan that draws crowds to the Highlands Motorsport Museum? During your visit to this extraordinary space you’ll have the chance to become familiar with some of the rarest cars in NZ motorsports history. And you don’t have to be a rev head to appreciate the machines on display – they’re genuinely impressive from every angle. Small wonder many have starred in movies and TV shows over the years. Call in at the quaint, lakeside Church of the Good Shepherd welcomed by its friendly bronze sheepdog statue. Late this evening after dark, you’re treated to a guided stargazing experience in the world-renowned UNESCO Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. Your expert astronomy guide will highlight stars seen only in the Southern Hemisphere such as The Southern Cross and Centaurus.

Get an early start to watch the sun rise over the lake or sleep in before heading to Christchurch, where community spirit is strong; not only has the city rebuilt since the devastating 2010/11 earthquakes, but is changing the way architects think about design. Case in point the mind-bending Cathedral, made largely of cardboard, and Turanga, the gold-clad central library.

Travel north through rolling countryside to Hurunui Hills, a hill country farm in North Canterbury. Enjoy warm Kiwi hospitality with the Bamford Family, who have been farming at Hurunui since 1884 with six generations focused on producing premium Merino sheep, wool and Angus cattle. Soak up stunning scenery, meet the farm animals & discover what it is like to live off the land on this unique By My Guest experience. Continue to a local vineyard, Waipara Springs Winery, where it's time to relax with a platter-style lunch among the vines. A big day leads to a big evening joining your Travel Director and travel mates for a celebratory Farewell Dinner featuring produce from the Canterbury region.

It’s hard to say goodbye; so say Haere rā instead.