Contrasts of New Zealand Australia and Fiji Itinerary

‘Haere Mai’ … Welcome to New Zealand

We will meet you at the airport and drive you directly to your hotel to freshen up and unwind. Make the most of some free leisure time in the 'City of Sails' - simply relax or take this opportunity to explore the many sights of Auckland. Choose one of the many activities available for a more in-depth understanding of Auckland and the surrounding area. Visit the iconic Sky Tower, join a whale and dolphin cruise, visit nearby Waiheke or Rangitoto Island. This evening we suggest you head down to the viaduct for dinner.

Accommodation: Auckland - 1 Night

Setting off from Auckland, travel through the lush farmland of the Waikato and King Country regions. You will journey to the emerald pastures and rolling hills of The Shire, where Hobbiton was brought to life on a private farm in Matamata. This idyllic village blurs the line between fantasy and reality. Set to the scale of a 3ft Hobbit you’ll feel like you’ve walked into a magical world of smoking chimneys. 

From here your journey continues to Rotorua. Rotorua is surrounded by steaming lakes, bubbling hot pools and bursting geysers, host to some of the world's most incredible natural forces. A heartland of Maori culture, the local people have embraced this turbulent land.

In the evening, you will experience an entertaining Māori Cultural Performance. Enjoy a traditionally cooked hāngī meal steamed under ground. During the cultural performance, you'll learn about the Māori history see their carvings and ta moko (tattoo art).

Accommodation: Rotorua - 1 Night

Included Meals: Dinner

Collect your rental vehicle on arrival at Christchurch Airport and drive to Mount Cook.

Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park is part of UNESCO's Te Wāhipounamu (The Place of Greenstone) World Heritage region. Here in Mackenzie Country you'll find Australasia's highest mountain - Aoraki / Mount Cook (3,724m) - nestled in the splendid Southern Alps.

Known to Māori as Aoraki or Cloud Piercer, this magnificent mountain is surrounded by over 150 peaks along with countless glaciers, ice and snow fields, mountain lakes and ranges.

Today we recommend  a Mount Cook Helicopter Flight, affording you a spectacular bird's eye view of these natural wonders, with a landing on the Tasman Glacier to make you feel like you're on top of the world.

Approximate Distance: 332 km | 206 miles  Total Driving Time: 4 hours 30 mins

Accommodation: Mount Cook - 2 Nights

Start your day with a walk up the beautiful Hooker Valley, providing breathtaking views of some of New Zealand's highest and most enthralling peaks. Enjoy a stunning 11 km (6.8 mile) trek along over mostly flat terrain (there are some rocky bits) to the terminal lake of the Hooker Glacier. The journey encompasses an Alpine Memorial and passes over the turbulent Hooker River by Swing Bridge to unsurpassed vistas of Aoraki Mount Cook's south face and the surrounding glaciers.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Make the most of this morning to enjoy the beauty of Mount Cook National Park at your leisure. Take your time heading south this afternoon: you won't want to miss the spectacular scenery as it transforms from rugged ranges and mirror lakes to the winding Kawarau River Gorge. You will finally emerge into the lush green farmland surrounding Queenstown, your destination for tonight.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Approximate Distance: 263 km | 163 miles  Total Driving Time: 3 hours 30 mins

Accommodation: Queenstown - 2 Nights

For the most engaging way to experience the riches of Fiordland National Park. This option includes three modes of transport (land, sea & air) making this the ‘holy grail’ of combination tours.

Coach: Board a luxury coach for a journey into beautiful Fiordland. The Road to Milford is one of New Zealand’s most scenic drives. The first part is relatively mild farmland, and then you’ll ease into a beech forest near the entrance to the Fiordland National Park. Look for the Avenue of the Disappearing Mountain and the Mirror Lakes and through the rough-hewn Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound.

Cruise: Enjoy a scenic cruise of the entire length of Milford Sound viewing the spectacular waterfalls and famous Mitre Peak. Grand, brooding, serene and wild, Milford Sound draws visitors from all over the globe to cruise its length. The purpose-built cruise boat offers excellent viewing of waterfalls, rainforest, mountains, and wildlife with large windows, spacious decks, and comfortable lounges.

Fly: Experience the “Absolutely Stunning” scenery as you fly over Sutherland Falls and over beautiful Milford Sound and lakes Te Anau and Lake Manapouri on your way back to Queenstown.

Included Meals: Breakfast

The drive from Queenstown to Franz Josef is one of the most scenic in New Zealand. Mountain passes give way to ancient rainforest and the windswept West Coast. There's beauty around every bend, with woodland walks and dramatic waterfalls along the way - perfect for picnic stops. Nestled in a rainforest clearing, Franz Josef Glacier Village lies at the heart of the Westland National Park. Welcome to one of the most diverse and beautiful areas of New Zealand.

The magnificent Franz Josef Glacier is widely regarded as the gem of New Zealand’s West Coast glaciers. Tumbling down from the Southern Alps almost to the sea, its ancient icy faces contrast spectacularly with the surrounding rainforests. There are many different ways to admire the glacier. You can walk to the terminal face, get a bird's eye view with a scenic helicopter flight, or take an exhilarating Heli Hike up to the bluest ice.

Approximate Distance: 350 km | 218 miles  Total Driving Time: 5 hours 

Accommodation: Franz Josef Village - 2 Nights

Fly over Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier on a spectacular helicopter tour that includes a landing right on the snow. Seeing both glaciers on a single helicopter flight offers an incredible perspective and understanding of New Zealand’s massive ice sheets, and you touch down on one of the glaciers to snap up-close photographs of the frozen terrain.

Highlights

• Spectacular aerial views of Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier
• Live pilot commentary points out landmarks and unique features below
• Walkout onto the snow after an exciting glacier landing
• Bring home photographs of the glaciers and the stunning Southern Alps

Begin your morning with a breathtaking coastal drive to Greymouth. You might like to pause in Hokitika for a spot of shopping - this town is home to many artisan carvers of the local pounamu (greenstone), which is sacred to Maori. A unique, locally carved greenstone pendant would be a special way to remember your trip.

Arriving in the town of Greymouth it's time to drop off your car and head to the station to begin the TranzAlpine Scenic Rail Journey.

Renowned as one of the great train journeys of the world, you will descend through spectacular gorges, river valleys and over massive viaducts before completing your journey at Christchurch.

Approximate Distance: 173 km | 107 miles  Total Driving Time: 2 hours 30 mins

Accommodation: Christchurch - 1 Night

Welcome to Melbourne! On arrival, you will be transferred to your accommodation. Victoria's capital, Melbourne, sits on the Yarra River and around the shores of Port Phillip Bay and is very much about lifestyle. It is no huge surprise to residents that their city has been ranked as one of the world's most liveable cities. Melburnians love the city's vibrant energy, restaurants, fashion boutiques, café-filled laneways, cool bars, unbeatable galleries, spacious parks and village-like inner suburbs, each with its own special character. 

Accommodation: Melbourne - 3 Nights 

Take the Morning to Relax...
When looking for things to do in Melbourne, it's all too easy to find yourself with a very long list and nowhere near enough time to do it all! From good food to retail therapy, to a thorough exploration of the city's thriving arts and culture scene. Melbourne is packed with attractions, from laneways and street art to lush parks and grand galleries and museums.

Phillip Island
This afternoon travel first to the multi-award-winning Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park, where you can Hand-feed kangaroos & wallabies. Arriving on Phillip Island, travel to the south-western tip of the Island Island to view the Nobbies and Australia's largest Fur Seal colony at Seal Rocks. Finally, it's Summerland Beach for the highlight of the show. Watch hundreds of Little Penguins emerging from the ocean and waddling across the beach to their homes among the dunes. 

The spectacular Great Ocean Road is one of the world's most beautiful and naturally maintained secrets! Experience and enjoy the breathtaking coastline. Every twist and turn exposes you to stretches of broad, uninterrupted beaches, dramatic coastlines and the lush rainforests of the Otway Ranges - all of which provide an amazing postcard backdrop for all your memories!

Enjoy the stunning coastal views and long golden surf beaches at some of Australia's most impressive beaches, look for koalas & native birds in the wild, and end up marveling at the World famous 12 Apostles.

Today you will be transferred to Melbourne Airport to meet your flight to Cairns. On arrival, you will be transferred to your accommodation.

Cairns is situated in the Northern end of Tropical Queensland, the city is framed by the spectacular twin backdrops of rainforest mountain ranges and the sparkling Coral Sea. The World Heritage-listed Wet Tropical Rainforest, Great Barrier Reef and Outback are all within easy reach. 

Accommodation: Cairns - 3 Nights 

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the natural wonders of the world. Join this day cruise from Cairns and spend up to 5 hours on the Outer Great Barrier Reef visiting two premium coral reef locations and come face to face with amazing marine life and coral gardens. Included in this spectacular day tour is snorkel gear, lycra and wetsuit hire, glass-bottom boat coral tours and fish feeding led by marine biologists.

Step back into the Great Barrier Reef's Dreamtime with Indigenous sea rangers who recount the Dreamtime stories of the local people and help you gain a deeper cultural understanding of the diverse ecosystems that make up the Great Barrier Reef.

Included Meals: Lunch

Sit back and relax in comfort in a custom-built 4WD air-conditioned vehicle while listening to informative and entertaining commentary by your local naturalist guide. Group size is limited for a more personalised experience. As one of the only tour operators to travel on the Bloomfield Track your experience will be like no other. Spot crocodiles on a Daintree River cruise, learn about flora, fauna and the history of the Daintree on a guided boardwalk tour, take a 4WD ride through a World Heritage-listed rainforest on the rugged Bloomfield Track, visit Cape Tribulation Beach and enjoy a homemade Daintree ice-cream on your journey home. 

Today you will be transferred to Cairns Airport to meet your flight Sydney and transferred to your accommodation on arrival. Sydney, the oldest and grandest of Australia's big cities. Blessed with a glorious natural harbour, golden beaches, and a blissful climate, this incredible metropolis must be seen to be believed.

Settle into Sydney with a stroll along Circular Quay. With the Sydney Harbour Bridge at one end and the white sails of the Opera House at the other, is there any more iconic view in the world?

This evening you'll enjoy a Sydney Harbour sunset dinner cruise. This is the perfect start to an evening or stunning end to an amazing day in the greatest city in the world.

Included Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Sydney - 3 Nights

Explore Sydney at your leisure this morning...
This afternoon take a guided tour of iconic Sydney Opera House. See inside the world's most recognisable sails. Experience this miracle of architecture and engineering. A work of art that came into existence against impossible odds - to become one of the busiest performing arts centres in the world.

Working with new, rich audio-visual components, where images are projected onto the fabric of the building - our guides will take you on an emotional journey, engrossing you in a story to rival any opera plot with its dramatic twists and turns. You'll visit at least one of our venues - where we live performance every day. Some 1,500 performances, from opera to circus, rock and cabaret, are staged each year to audiences of around 1.5 million. 

Today's Blue Mountains Deluxe Day Tour is a journey into the heart of a unique World Heritage Region.

Your journey to the Blue Mountains takes you through picturesque villages to spectacular views and waterfalls. Stop for morning tea at Calmsley Hill, a working farm which is also home to Kangaroos, Emus, Wombats and Koalas. Continue on to a scenic lookout point where you will learn all about the unique trees of the Australian forest, and find out the cause of the blue haze which gives the region its name.

Take lunch at the Hydro Majestic Hotel with magnificent valley views before you, then spend the afternoon visiting a selection of stunning Blue Mountains lookouts. The view from Govett’s Leap is one of the most famous in Australia: the magnificent waterfall drops a whopping 180m to the base of the cliff.

The last stop is the delightful Mt Tomah Botanic Gardens to admire the sweeping views and enjoy a glass of sparkling wine or orange juice before travelling back to your hotel.

Included Meals: Lunch

Welcome to Viti Levu
Covering an area of 10,400 sq km, Viti Levu or Great Fiji is the largest of the Fijian islands. Roughly circular in shape with a mountainous interior, Viti Levu is thought to be the oldest of Fiji's 300 plus islands. 

On arrival, you will be transferred to your accommodation on the Coral Coast. The Coral Coast around the southeast of Viti Levu is the main tourist destination with nice beaches and large resorts. The garden valley of Sigatoka along the South Coast marks the beginning of the East with its jagged mountains which raise the clouds, bring rain, and make green the land around Suva, the capital, on the southeast side of the island. 

Accommodation: Viti Levu - 3 Nights 

The Coral Coast is a stunning 80km stretch of coastline between Sigatoka and Suva, on the southern shores of the main island of Viti Levu. Lined with sleepy villages and unspoilt beaches, the Coral Coast offers a wide variety of cultural activities and fun outdoor activities for everyone.

From game fishing, diving, river jet boating, cave and waterfall tours, surfing and rafting. The Coral Coast offers activities and adventures to suit the whole family.

Inspired by a traditional Fijian village, the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa has superb facilities set among coconut palms and 35 acres of native flora. Make your family holiday, wedding or business event memorable with warm Fijian hospitality beside world-class Natadola Beach.

Enjoy non-motorised watersports, dive among brilliant coral, relax in our pool or sophisticated spa, or enjoy 18 holes on our PGA-endorsed golf course. All rooms offer Cleopatra baths for a true luxury retreat.

Vinaka Vakalevu!

After the most amazing trip, today you will be transferred to Nadi Airport to meet your onward flight

We know you will enjoy your holiday and our promise is to make your travels as enjoyable, hospitable and hassle-free as possible. On this final day of your holiday, we say farewell and Vinaka vakalevu (thank you very much). You'll be departing today from Fiji with a library full of photos, and huge smiles on your faces when recalling your South Pacific holiday!