AAT Kings - Australia & New Zealand Panorama Itinerary

AAT Kings - Australia & New Zealand Panorama Itinerary
1

Welcome to Melbourne!

On arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel. This evening join your Travel Director for a welcome dinner - it's a great opportunity to get to know everyone in a unique setting.

Included Meals: Dinner with Wine

Flights to arrive prior to 12 noon into Melbourne Airport

Accommodation: Melbourne - 2 Nights

Melbourne

2

Melbourne's Famous Hidden Laneways Tour

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. Discover more of Melbourne with a  tour and walk at Koorie Heritage Trust Gallery. 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.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Laneways Melbourne

3

Fly to Cairns & Crocodile Adventure

Go from city to tropics today as you fly north to Cairns, Queensland. On arrival join a private wildlife boat cruise at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures. There will be time to help regenerate the rainforest particular to the Wangetti Valley in which Hartley’s is located. Feel free to join in as much or as little as you wish with this tree planting project and be a part of keeping the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics alive.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Cairns - 3 Nights

croc

4

Great Barrier Reef Cruise & Snorkel

Did you know that the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef is home to 1,500 species of fish, 215 different birds, 3,000 molluscs, six of the world’s seven marine turtle species, and 30 species of dolphins and whales are residents? Get ready for an experience of a lifetime when you board a high-speed catamaran and cruise to the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. Strap on a snorkel and mask to view this marine menagerie up close and personal. Enjoy a buffet lunch onboard before returning to Cairns

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

snorkel

5

Cairns at Leisure

If you’re in the habit of getting up early now, you may wish to begin your day with a horizon-bending hot-air-balloon ride over the Atherton Tablelands. Prefer to stay grounded? Sign up for a guided walk through the Daintree Rainforest, or surround yourself with nature riding the Scenic Railway to Kuranda returning on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway (all own expense). Tonight, join your companions for dinner, with native ingredients highlighted at Ochre Restaurant.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Cairns

6

Cairns to Sydney

Fly from Cairns to Sydney. The rest of the day is yours to do as you wish. You could walk to the Art Gallery of NSW or to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair for a panoramic views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Ask your Travel Director for evening dining suggestions.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Sydney - 3 Nights

Sydney
Sofitel Sydney Wentworth offers a luxury escape without equal. Ideally situated in the heart of central Sydney’s business and shopping districts, this hotel is conveniently located 500 metres from the nearest ferry, train and bus stops and only minutes from famous Sydney attractions like the Opera House, Circular Quay, The Rocks and the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Sofitel WentworthSydney

7

Sydney Highlights

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 shell-shaped structure, 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. 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. Cheers to that!

Included Meals: Breakfast

Opera House

8

Sydney Free Day

You could spend weeks exploring Sydney. Months even. But you have today, so get set for a wild ride. Your agenda is completely up to you, but we have more than a few ideas. Perhaps a bird’s-eye perspective of the city on a Sydney BridgeClimb? Or take a tour to the Blue Mountains to view the famous Three Sisters (both own expense). This evening, celebrate Sydney at dinner with your travelling companions..

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Blue Mountains

9

Fly to Queenstown

New Zealand's adventure capital, Queenstown, awaits. Explore the alpine village and stunning Lake Wakatipu, then enjoy walkable bars and restaurants. Ask your Travel Director for tips.

Meals: Breakfast 

**(airfare is not included and must be booked in addition to this itinerary - please contact us to confirm the most up to date details).

Accommodation: Queenstown - 3 nights

Queenstown

10

Farm Tour, Arrowtown & TSS Earnslaw Cruise

Get a taste of country life combined with good old fashioned southern hospitality as you meet a ‘Southern Girl’ local female farmer at Real Country. On this experience get a feel for life on the farm as you have demonstrations of Horse communication and Working sheep dog mustering. Try your hand at a Stock whip cracking lesson, and feed and interact with the friendly farm animals. Plus, for every guest, we donate funds to The Fairlight Foundation, Advancing Women in Agriculture. Then you'll think you've stepped back in time when you arrive in the former gold-mining village of Arrowtown. Come dusk, cruise across Lake Wakatipu aboard the TSS Earnslaw; the only thing more inspiring than the peaks of the Remarkables that surround is the festive atmosphere welcoming you to Walter Peak High Country Farm, where a gourmet barbecue Highlight Dinner at the Colonel’s Homestead awaits.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner

walter peak

11

Queenstown at Leisure

Explore Queenstown your way! On your free day, we highly recommend either venturing into the end-of-the-earth wilderness that is Milford Sound, to cruise past sheer cliffs, white-capped peaks and waterfalls. Or blissing out on an obligatory wine tour of the Otago region (both own expense). It’s a difficult decision.

Recommended Alternative Excursions are:

Routeburn Day WalkHighest Bungy JumpExplore Arrowtown

Wine Tasting Central Otago      

Biking Skippers Canyon      Round at Millbrook Golf Resort
Earnslaw Steamboat Cruise  Dart River Jetboat Safari      

Gibbston Valley Wine Trail


Meals: Breakfast 

Jet Boat Queenstown

12

Fly to Auckland and Travel to Rotorua

After touching down in Auckland, you'll board your coach for the drive to Rotorua, the cultural capital, where you will immerse yourself in Maori history and culture.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Rotorua - 2 nights

This 4 star property is perfectly situated next to Lake Rotorua and is just a brief stroll from the City centre, close to many restaurants and bars. The hotel offers world class residential style accommodation. Restaurant Nikau offers a good range of evening menu choices, while the Brassiere Poolside Restaurant is the perfect place to start your day with an alfresco style breakfast beside the geothermal heated pool.
Millenium Hotel Rotorua

13

Rotorua

Your visit to the National Kiwi Hatchery is guided by passionate conservationists and will give you fascinating insights into New Zealand's national bird.. Rotorua's landscapes are reminiscent of a sci-fi movie set where mud pops from bubbling geysers and steam rushes skywards. See it firsthand at Whakarewarewa, the world's only living Māori village where people live on a daily basis, using natural geothermal resources to cook, bathe and heat their homes as they have for centuries. This evening, embark on the Te Po experience at Te Puia. Learn about Learn about Maori history and culture on this guided experience, which includes hangi-inspired cuisine and a cultural performance in a finely carved meeting house. Witness a pōwhiri (traditional welcome), waiata (song), mōteatea (traditional chant) poi and haka. 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.

Meals: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner

Rotorua

14

Rotorua - Waitomo - Auckland

Today your journey will take you to Waitomo Caves. While cruising cavernous waterways, your route is cast in a magical light by thousands of glowworms. The next thing that glows on your horizon is Auckland. This evening, share the stories of your New Zealand Panorama tour at a Farewell Dinner with your Travel Director and companions at The Grill, celebrating Aotearoa's culinary treasures.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner

Accommodation: Auckland - 1 Night

Auckland Viaduct Harbour
Accommodation:

Horizon by SkyCity is a 5-star hotel located in the heart of Auckland CBD and directly connected to the New Zealand International Convention Centre and the SkyCity precinct. Get lost in views of the city and while inside, hints of Aotearoa can be found in every corner of your spacious room, from locally crafted furnishings, through to fresh New Zealand milk in the fridge. Experience vibrant entertainment, attractions and award winning dining.

Horizon by SkyCity

15

Farewell from Auckland

Haere rā and Bon Voyage!

Two countries, multiple adventures, an abundance of new friends… Just how do you say goodbye to a journey like this?

Meals: Breakfast

Flights to depart anytime from Auckland Airport

Itinerary Variations:
The provider strives to improve trip itineraries. If improvements can be made, or if circumstances beyond their control make changes necessary, the provider reserves the right to vary itineraries and to make substitutions.

Bon-voyage

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What Elizabeth says about this tour: This trip offers great value with the chance to see both Australia and New Zealand in the great company of like minded travellers and the expertise of your Guide and Driver. Discover World Heritage Great Barrier Reef and world famous Sydney Opera House. Enjoy the alpine resort of Queenstown and soak in the geothermal springs of Rotorua. There is so much on offer on this expertly guided 15 day trip.
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The price is based on current exchange rates but is only an approximation. Please contact us for a final price