• 6 Dinner (D)
• 14 Breakfast (B)
• 2 Lunch (L)

• Rotorua: Visit Whakarewarewa Living Village for insights into the lives of the Maori community and their special bond they share with their country, Aotearoa.
• Rotorua: Visit Te Puia for the Te Po experience, an evening of Maori culture and connection. Dine on traditional Hangi-inspired cuisine, followed by a captivating cultural performance.

On day 10, head into rural South Island for a hands-on morning at Real Country. Watch working sheepdogs mustering, learn horse communication, and try a classic stock-whip cracking lesson. Your visit supports the Fairlight Foundation, advancing women in agriculture and celebrating genuine southern hospitality.

Continue to Arrowtown, a gold-rush settlement of the 1860s. Stroll its tree-lined main street and visit the restored Chinese Settlement beside the Arrow River, where interpretive signs evoke miners’ lives. The combination of farm life and frontier heritage reveals Central Otago’s character—resourceful, close-knit, and shaped by the land.

Make day 5 a classic Cairns adventure: ride the Kuranda Scenic Railway through hand-cut tunnels and across bridges skirting Barron Gorge, with waterfalls plunging into rainforest below, before exploring the markets and galleries of Kuranda village.

Return to the lowlands on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, gliding above ancient canopy with stops to walk among giant ferns. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; it blends heritage engineering, lush scenery, and superb photo opportunities.

Harness up on day 8 for the BridgeClimb, ascending catwalks and ladders along the steel arch to the 134-metre summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. With your guide setting an easy pace, the city, harbour islands, and Pacific horizon spread in every direction.

Hear stories of rivets and riggers as sea breezes brush past and the Opera House gleams below. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; time slots vary from daylight clarity to golden dusk.

As day 5 settles into evening, take your seat at waterfront Ochre Restaurant overlooking Trinity Inlet and the distant ranges. Share stories with your travel companions while tasting a menu that showcases native Australian ingredients—think pepperberry, lemon myrtle, reef fish and tropical produce—paired with Queensland wines or craft beers.

The setting captures Cairns’ relaxed, sea-breeze mood as boats edge into the marina and twilight washes the mountains. It’s a delicious snapshot of the region’s larder and a chance to enjoy a free-flowing evening of conversation, flavour, and views before tomorrow’s flight south to Sydney.

On day 7, step inside the Sydney Opera House for a guided tour beneath its iconic sails, hearing how bold design and engineering shaped this 20th-century masterpiece. Stories of performers and acoustics animate the foyers and theatres as you gaze across glittering Sydney Harbour.

Continue to Bondi Beach for a behind-the-scenes visit at the Bondi Surf Life Saving Club. Learn what it takes to patrol this powerful shoreline before a Be My Guest lunch at the Bondi RSL, where Pacific vistas meet local hospitality. It’s Sydney at its most elemental—architecture, ocean, and a culture defined by surf, service, and sun.

Later on day 7, board a vessel to cruise Sydney Harbour, tracing a route past the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, circular bays, and sandstone headlands. From the water, the city’s skyline and ferries busying the quays unfold as a moving panorama.

Guided commentary reveals hidden coves, colonial forts like Fort Denison, and the natural harbour that shaped Sydney from penal colony to global city. Enjoy the sea air on deck and pause for photos and reflection as the light shifts across coves and covenants—an elegant close to a day of Sydney icons.

On day 8, toast your Australian chapter at a convivial farewell dinner in Sydney. Revisit favourite moments—from reef blues to outback greens—over seasonal dishes and local wines as the city sparkles beyond the windows.

It’s an easygoing evening that celebrates new friendships and the freedom to enjoy a free afternoon that preceded it, with your Travel Director on hand to preview the journey ahead in New Zealand. The mood is relaxed, the flavours distinctly local, and the harbour’s night-time shimmer the perfect backdrop.

Arriving on day 9, take a short orientation drive through Queenstown to get your bearings in New Zealand’s alpine playground. Stop to admire Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables, whose snow-dusted peaks frame the town like a natural amphitheatre.

Your Travel Director shares local tips on trails, eateries, and the area’s gold-rush origins, pointing out waterfront promenades and photogenic corners where you can pause for photos and reflection. With the mountains catching the evening light, you’ll feel the energy of this compact adventure hub before exploring its bars and restaurants at your own pace.

As afternoon turns to evening on day 10, step aboard the 1912 TSS Earnslaw for a nostalgic steamship cruise across Lake Wakatipu. Watch stokers feed the boilers and take in alpine vistas as the vintage vessel chuffs toward Walter Peak.

Disembark at Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet BBQ at the Colonel’s Homestead—succulent meats, seasonal salads, and Central Otago wines—followed by an entertaining sheepdog demonstration. The return crossing reveals Queenstown twinkling under the mountains, a gentle finale to a day steeped in lakeside history and high-country flavour.

Begin day 13 in Rotorua with a guided visit to the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa. Learn how specialists incubate eggs, care for hatchlings, and release juveniles once they’re strong enough to fend for themselves—critical work for New Zealand’s shy national bird.

See the equipment, talk to experts, and discover why predators and habitat loss have imperilled kiwi populations. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER experience reveals conservation at eye level, connecting you to the sounds, textures, and careful routines that give these nocturnal icons a fighting chance.

On day 14, step onto the elevated Redwoods Treewalk, a series of swaying bridges and platforms suspended up to 20 metres among 118-year-old Californian redwoods in Whakarewarewa Forest. The scent of pine and filtered light create a serene, bird-filled canopy world.

Afterwards, slip into darkness at a local glowworm grotto, where thousands of tiny lights shimmer overhead—an ethereal constellation cast by bioluminescent larvae along cave walls. It’s a quietly magical contrast to the lofty tree canopy, rounding out Rotorua’s nature-rich finale before you travel on to Auckland.

On the evening of day 2, travel from Melbourne to Phillip Island for the Penguin Parade, where Little Penguins waddle ashore at dusk after a day’s fishing. Settle into your vantage point as the beach quiets and the soft patter of tiny feet crosses the sand toward dune burrows.

Rangers share insights into nesting habits and conservation, adding context to this tender nightly ritual. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; it offers intimate wildlife viewing under skies brushed with Southern Ocean breeze and pastel light.

Use day 8 to head west into the Greater Blue Mountains, where eucalyptus oils tint the air and valleys fall away in soft blue haze. Stand at Echo Point to view the Three Sisters rock formation and scan rugged sandstone ridgelines laced with forest.

Depending on conditions and timing, you might ride Scenic World’s cableway or boardwalk through Jurassic-age temperate rainforest. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; it pairs fresh mountain air with sweeping cliff-top vistas.

On day 8, meet Australia’s native icons at Sydney Zoo, where open, walk-through habitats bring you close to kangaroos, koalas, and dingoes, and keeper talks illuminate behaviour and care. Wander at your pace between wetlands, outback, and reptile zones.

Thoughtful exhibit design enhances animal welfare and visitor connection, making this a relaxed way to immerse in the country’s biodiversity without leaving the city. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Dedicate day 11 to Fiordland’s grandeur on a journey to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi. Board a vessel to glide beneath Mitre Peak and sheer glacier-carved walls where waterfalls like Stirling and Bowen tumble into inky water, and fur seals bask on rocks.

Guides reveal how ice and uplift formed Te Wahipounamu’s UNESCO-listed landscapes. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; weather shifts only heighten the drama—from sun-lit cliffs to mist that magnifies every cascade.

Stay close to Queenstown on day 11 with a leisurely tour of Central Otago’s boutique vineyards in Gibbston and Bannockburn. Explore barrel halls, learn about pioneering winemakers in this cool-climate region, and taste expressive Pinot Noir alongside aromatic whites.

A shared platter lunch amplifies the region’s flavours—artisan cheeses, cured meats, and seasonal produce—against a backdrop of schist hills and river terraces. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; it’s a mellow counterpoint to Queenstown’s high-adrenaline side.

On day 2, join a guided walking tour through Melbourne’s famed laneways and arcades. Trace fragrant coffee trails, admire edgy street art in Hosier Lane, and step beneath the glass canopies of the elegant Block Arcade as your guide shares tales of gold-rush wealth, sporting obsessions, and café culture.

Then deepen your understanding at the Koorie Heritage Trust in Federation Square. Learn about the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung peoples through art, objects, and storytelling that connect past and present. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER experience highlights living culture and the values of respect and community, leaving you with context for the landscapes and cities you’ll explore across Australia.

Touch down in tropical North Queensland on day 3 and head to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures for a private wildlife experience. Glide across a lagoon to spot saltwater crocodiles, meet koalas and cassowaries, and hear expert insights into the region’s intricate ecosystems of woodland, wetland, and rainforest.

Later, take part in a hands-on Rainforest Restoration project within a Notophyll Vine Forest site—planting native trees to help revive habitat lost to clearing and overgrazing. It’s a grounded encounter with the Wet Tropics’ biodiversity that pairs close-up wildlife viewing with tangible conservation-in-action, leaving a positive footprint in the very forest you’ve come to admire.

On day 4, board a high-speed catamaran bound for the Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage marine wonderland. Choose to snorkel over coral gardens alive with parrotfish and angelfish, or stay dry in a semi-submersible as the reef’s intricate bommies and giant clams drift into view. A tropical buffet lunch is served onboard.

Guides share how this vast ecosystem formed and why warm currents, seagrass meadows, and coral polyps sustain an astonishing web of life. Between swims, soak up the trade-wind breeze and pause for photos and reflection on the reef’s colour, clarity, and fragility before cruising back to Cairns in the late afternoon sun.

Arrive in cosmopolitan Melbourne and, on day 1, gather with your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a convivial welcome dinner on the banks of the Yarra River. Settle into the city’s rhythm as you meet your Travel Director, raise a glass, and savour modern Australian dishes paired with local wines while the riverfront glows after dusk.

Dining by the Yarra offers a first look at Melbourne’s creative heart, where heritage warehouses meet cutting-edge design. Hear about the journey ahead and get tips for exploring this city of tramlines and terrace houses. It’s a warm introduction that blends good food and easy camaraderie with views across the water—perfect for easing into the Antipodean adventure.

AAT Kings

On day 13, enter Whakarewarewa – The Living Maori Village, where whanau share customs and daily life amid steaming vents and bubbling pools. Through the spirit of manaakitanga, stories of whakapapa (ancestry) and geothermal ingenuity foster connection and respect.

At night, continue to Te Puia for the Te Po experience: a moving Maori cultural performance inside Te Aronui a Rua, a walk to view the Pohutu Geyser under the stars, and a hangi-inspired dinner. The combination of living village and evening ceremony grounds you in Aotearoa’s heritage—welcoming, resilient, and richly expressive.