Contrasts of Australia and New Zealand

A bit city, a bit country; sometimes beachy, sometimes mountainous; in the company of locals and Indigenous guides – this epic Melbourne to Christchurch tour is diverse and dynamic. Traversing the East Coast of Australia, from Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef to Sydney and Melbourne, the tour also uncovers NZ’s North and South islands, where Auckland’s cuisine, Milford Sound’s grandeur and Rotorua’s thermal springs beckon.

What's Included

5 Dinner with Wine (DW)
17 Breakfast (B)
3 Lunch (L)
2 Highlight Dinner (HD)
2 Be My Guest Morning Tea (BGM)
1 Farewell Dinner (FD)
Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Wet Tropics of Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House, Te Wahipounamu (Fiordland National Park) Centrally located premium hotels

Your Itinerary

Welcome to Melbourne

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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.

Melbourne

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Join your Travel Director for a city sights tour that includes a private walk through Melbourne's famous hidden laneways. You'll discover the city's eclectic little lanes, arcades, café society and fascinating street art. 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. There's time afterwards to explore the city on your own. 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, or travel to new heights at Melbourne Skydeck at the Eureka Tower. Or simply relax and watch the world go by.

Melbourne - Cairns

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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.

Great Barrier Reef

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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.

Cairns Free Time

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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.

Cairns - Sydney

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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.

Sydney

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Discover one of the great highlights of Sydney, the beautiful Sydney Opera House with a guided tour inside this iconic building, before a Sydney Harbour sightseeing cruise enjoying million dollar views. If there was ever a place that slipped from the pages of a fairy-tale, Wendy’s Secret Garden at Lavender Bay is it. Overlooking Sydney Harbour, this pocket of floral paradise is explained by a local volunteer – did you know this was once unused wasteland? Your visit provides a contribution to the ongoing maintenance of the enchanting garden.

Sydney Free Time

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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.

Sydney - Auckland

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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.

Auckland

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Get your Auckland bearings on a city tour, before choosing a precinct to while away the afternoon in. Ask us for dinner tips.

Auckland - Rotorua

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You could be forgiven for thinking Rotorua’s landscapes are a sci-fi movie set. Mud pops and jettisons from bubbling geysers, and steam rushes skywards from cracks in the Earth. The surrounding forest is a fertile habitat for New Zealand’s national bird, being protected and bred at the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa. The cute-as-a-button, cotton-ball kiwi is under threat in the wild; at the hatchery, passionate conservationists reveal how they are saving the population, one incubated egg at a time. Tonight, dive deep into Indigenous culture and traditions at Te Pā Tū Māori Experience. Enjoy a forest kai horotai (seasonal canapés) and chef choice aperitif, followed by a seasonal three-course dinner.

Rotorua - Auckland - Queenstown

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Leave Auckland behind and journey into the countryside for an exclusive family-style Be My Guest experience in the Red Barn on a working dairy farm. Over your farm to table morning tea prepared by the onsite chef, get a feel for country life as you're invited to roll up your sleeves and make your own butter - butter churners, tiny mason jars and all! The feel-good vibes that endure 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.

Milford Sound

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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.

Queenstown Free Time

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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.

Queenstown - Lake Tekapo

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Arrowtown and Cromwell are known for their natural drama; just as enticing is the tasty stone fruit. Take a bite. Arriving at Lake Tekapo, you’re far from anywhere. Which practically guarantees dazzling stargazing in the UNESCO Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.

Lake Tekapo - Christchurch

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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.

Christchurch

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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.

Farewell from Christchurch

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

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AAT Kings is Australia’s favourite guided holiday company, with over 100 years of experience. Our wide range of Day Tours, Short Breaks and Guided Holidays are the perfect way to experience the best of Australia & New Zealand.

Tripcode: 114785

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Contrasts of Australia and New Zealand

What's Included

Your Itinerary

Welcome to Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne - Cairns

Great Barrier Reef

Cairns Free Time

Cairns - Sydney

Sydney

Sydney Free Time

Sydney - Auckland

Auckland

Auckland - Rotorua

Rotorua - Auckland - Queenstown

Milford Sound

Queenstown Free Time

Queenstown - Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo - Christchurch

Christchurch

Farewell from Christchurch

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