On day 12 in Rotorua, meet conservationists at the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa. Learn how fragile eggs are incubated and monitored, then glimpse newly hatched chicks in climate-controlled viewing areas as staff explain the Operation Nest Egg program.

This intimate encounter demystifies the life cycle of New Zealand’s beloved nocturnal bird and the threats it faces in the wild. You’ll leave with a deeper appreciation of the hands-on science and dedication required to bring kiwi safely from egg to release.

On day 14, step into 1907 at Postmasters Cottage in historic Arrowtown, where miners once panned the Arrow River. Saved from demolition and lovingly restored, the villa’s verandas and gardens set a gracious tone for a dinner celebrating seasonal Central Otago produce.

Your Travel Director shares local tales as you savour regional flavours in a candle-lit, heritage setting. The evening connects Queenstown’s adventurous present with its gold-rush past, pairing warm service with the simple pleasure of a shared table.

Optional on day 5, board the heritage Kuranda Scenic Railway, tunnelling past Barron Gorge and Stoney Creek Falls into the rainforest village of Kuranda. Wander markets and leafy trails before returning over the canopy on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, pausing at lookouts for lush, bird-filled views.

This pairing reveals the Wet Tropics from trackbed to treetops, fusing engineering history with ancient forest. Additional cost; bookable on tour, including timed Skyrail and railway sectors arranged by your Travel Director.

Optional on day 14, strap in for the Shotover Jet as your driver threads turquoise shallows and rock-tight canyons at speed, whipping into 360-degree spins. The spray, the roar, the near-misses—this is Queenstown’s adrenaline heritage in concentrated form.

Between bursts, glance up to schist walls and hardy matagouri clinging to ledges. Additional cost; bookable on tour, with safety briefings and gear provided on site.

On day 7, meet a local surf lifesaver for a behind-the-scenes visit at the Bondi Surf Life Saving Club, founded in 1907. Learn how volunteers scan rips and set the famous red-and-yellow flags, safeguarding one of the world’s most storied beaches where Pacific rollers drum the sand.

Afterwards, settle in at the Bondi RSL Club overlooking the curve of the bay to share a meal and stories. With salt on the breeze and board riders silhouetted against the headlands, you’ll discover why surf lifesaving is woven into Australian coastal culture—a proud tradition of community, skill and service.

Bid a fond see-you-later to Australia on day 8 over a convivial dinner in central Sydney. Raise a glass with your Travel Director and fellow travellers as you retrace favourite moments—from reef blues to harbour views—before crossing the Tasman tomorrow.

The evening’s relaxed pace lets you enjoy a free-spirited final stroll—perhaps past Circular Quay’s lights—then savour seasonal dishes that showcase the city’s multicultural palate. It’s a warm coda that captures Sydney’s effortless blend of style, sea air and good company.

Touch down in Aotearoa on day 9 and gather at The Grill in Auckland’s city centre. This easygoing dinner is a chance to settle into the City of Sails and compare first impressions—harbour breezes, volcanic skylines, and an unmistakable Kiwi welcome.

Fresh produce and local flavours anchor the menu as your Travel Director previews the adventures to come. The mood is warm, the conversation lively, and the setting ideal for forging new travel friendships before tomorrow’s deep dive into New Zealand’s sporting spirit and coastal panoramas.

Begin day 10 immersed in national pride at the All Blacks Experience at SkyCity, where multimedia exhibits, player insights and an electric haka encounter reveal how rugby binds communities across Aotearoa.

Then set off to view Mission Bay’s waterfront, Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial with its sunken garden and sweeping outlook over Waitemata Harbour. Your panoramic tour passes the Auckland Museum atop dormant Pukekawa, tracing stories from pre-colonial times to modern city life. It’s a rich portrait of Tamaki Makaurau—harbours, headlands and history—told against sea-sparked light.

On day 11, travel to the Hobbiton Movie Set on the Alexander family farm near Matamata. A local guide leads you along lanes of round-doored hobbit holes, past the Party Tree and gardens cared for as if the occupants just stepped out for elevenses.

Enjoy an exclusive interior hobbit hole experience and time for photos before a convivial moment by the Green Dragon Inn. Whether you’re a Tolkien devotee or a landscape lover, this richly crafted set, framed by rolling Waikato hills, blends film lore with the agrarian charm of the Shire.

On day 13, trace the Devil’s Staircase beside Lake Wakatipu en route to Fiordland National Park. Pause at Mirror Lakes and the Hollyford and Cleddau valleys before boarding a vessel to cruise Milford Sound / Piopiotahi beneath Mitre Peak.

Your naturalist points out fur seals and, with luck, dolphins while waterfalls like Stirling thunder from hanging valleys. Tectonic uplift and glacial carving come alive in commentary as you savour a picnic lunch on deck. Mist, sheer granite walls and the scent of rain-washed bush combine for a humbling encounter with New Zealand’s most storied fjord.

Rolling out on day 15, call at a local fruit stall in Cromwell for seasonal tastes—apricots, nectarines and other stone fruit nurtured by Central Otago’s hot days and cool nights. Then continue to the Highlands Motorsport Museum to admire rare race cars and design icons.

Curators spotlight engineering feats and the region’s motorsport legends, while displays chart how speed, innovation and landscape intersect here. It’s an engaging pairing of terroir and torque: flavours from Lake Dunstan’s shores followed by polished chrome, carbon fibre and stories of the chequered flag.

Arriving at Lake Tekapo on day 15, photograph the Church of the Good Shepherd—built in 1935 from local stone—and the bronze sheepdog statue honouring the animals that opened the high country. The lake’s turquoise hue shimmers with glacial flour, backed by the snow-dusted Southern Alps.

After dark, meet a Local Specialist for stargazing in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. Under some of the clearest skies on Earth, trace the Southern Cross, Magellanic Clouds and the rivering Milky Way through powerful telescopes. Cold air, silence and a universe unveiled combine in a contemplative close to the day.

On day 16, explore Christchurch, a gardened city reshaping itself after 2011. Begin at the Transitional Cathedral—the “Cardboard Cathedral” by Shigeru Ban—whose polycarbonate light and cardboard tubes radiate calm and ingenuity.

Then view the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch Earthquake Memorial, and Bridge of Remembrance, and see punting boats on the Avon River beneath willows. Commentary ties English heritage to contemporary resilience, revealing how murals, green spaces and thoughtful design are helping the city reimagine its heart.

Venture north on day 17 to meet the Bamford family at Hurunui Hills, a sixth-generation Merino sheep and Angus cattle farm. Walk among tussocky ridges, learn about fine-wool production and animal husbandry, and share stories with your hosts—a genuine window into Kiwi rural life.

Continue to Waipara Springs Winery for a guided tasting—think Pinot Noir and Riesling shaped by sheltered valleys—followed by a platter lunch among the vines. Return to Christchurch for a celebratory group dinner featuring Canterbury produce, a fitting finale to New Zealand’s South Island landscapes and hospitality.

Optional on day 2, travel from Melbourne to Phillip Island for the Penguin Parade. At sunset, watch little penguins waddle ashore in tight groups, feathers beaded with sea spray, as rangers share insights on nesting, predators and conservation from boardwalks designed to protect the dunes.

With the Southern Ocean murmuring and the last light fading, this is a rare, intimate wildlife ritual. Additional cost; bookable on tour with your Travel Director, who will advise departure timing and viewing options.

Optional on day 8, suit up and climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge along catwalks and ladders to the 134-metre summit. With expert leaders setting a steady pace, watch the Opera House sails and Circular Quay unfurl beneath you as ferries stitch white wakes across the blue.

The finale is a windswept panorama over the harbour, headlands and Pacific horizon—a rite of passage for many visitors. Additional cost; bookable on tour with various climb times to match your day’s rhythm.

Optional on day 8, escape to the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains. Breathe in eucalyptus as you pause for views of the Three Sisters at Echo Point, and explore cliff-top lookouts and fern-filled valleys where sandstone escarpments fade to blue in fragrant haze.

Time allowing, visit Scenic World for gondola or railway rides into the rainforest. It’s a full-day immersion in Greater Sydney’s wild backyard. Additional cost; bookable on tour with your Travel Director coordinating timings.

Optional on day 14, delve into Central Otago’s cellars to sample cool-climate Pinot Noir and aromatic whites amid vines framed by schist hills and big skies. Meet vintners who explain how altitude, sunshine and glacial soils shape the region’s distinctive expressions.

Expect barrel rooms, cellar doors and a relaxed pace between tastings—often with a platter to complement the pours. Additional cost; bookable on tour, with boutique stops curated for small-group warmth.

Optional on day 14, step aboard the vintage TSS Earnslaw—a 1912 coal-fired steamship—for a cruise across Lake Wakatipu. Watch stokers feed the boilers, then head on deck as mountains mirror in the water and farm stations dot the shore.

Often combined with a lakeside visit to Walter Peak, this leisurely sail offers a nostalgic slice of Queenstown’s pioneering era. Additional cost; bookable on tour with flexible departure times.

On day 2, follow your Travel Director through Melbourne’s laneways and arcades, pausing where baristas steam milk and Hosier Lane’s ever-changing murals ignite the walls. Glide from Victorian-era arcades to modern street scenes, learning how a city of trams, gardens, and boulevards became Australia’s capital of coffee and creativity.

Then join a cultural walk with the Koorie Heritage Trust at Federation Square, hearing stories of the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung peoples whose connection to the Birrarung (Yarra River) stretches back millennia. In the gallery, view contemporary and traditional works that illuminate resilience, identity, and Country. This encounter deepens your understanding of First Peoples’ living culture, placing today’s vibrant city within a far older narrative.

Arriving in the tropics on day 3, board Hartley’s boat to glide through melaleuca wetlands where saltwater crocodiles rise from tannin-dark water. A local expert reveals the crocs’ stealth, jaw power, and vital role in the ecosystem as you scan the banks for basking reptiles and birdlife.

Later, lace up for a hands-on conservation session, planting native species in ancient Notophyll Vine Forest—part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, among the oldest rainforests on Earth. Feel the humidity, smell damp leaf litter, and learn how your work helps stitch wildlife corridors together. This purposeful afternoon balances close-up wildlife interpretation with meaningful restoration of fragile habitat.

On day 4, set out on a high-speed catamaran to the Great Barrier Reef, a living mosaic of coral gardens and fish. Don provided gear to snorkel over bommies swarmed by parrotfish and angelfish, or stay dry in a semi-submersible with underwater observatory where reef life glides past your window like a drifting tapestry.

Marine guides decode the reef’s delicate ecology, from hard corals to giant clams, and explain efforts to protect this vast wonder. Between swims, refuel with a tropical buffet lunch on deck, salt breeze in your hair and cobalt sea all around. As the catamaran powers home, you’ll carry the shimmer of sunlit corals and turquoise shallows long after you dock in Cairns.

As twilight settles on day 5, gather on the Cairns waterfront at Ochre Restaurant, where menus champion native bush ingredients. Watch masts and mountains silhouette against an apricot sky while plates arrive showcasing local seafood, rainforest fruits, and accents like lemon myrtle or wattleseed.

Your Travel Director curates a relaxed atmosphere to share stories from the reef and toast the tropics. With the Harbour Lights boardwalk just outside, the ambiance blends sea air and soft conversation—an evening that connects you to Far North Queensland’s seasonal produce and the region’s laid-back dining culture.

Icon meets icon on day 7 as you step inside the Sydney Opera House, a UNESCO-listed masterpiece by Jørn Utzon. Guides reveal how its shell-like sails rose from an audacious vision, leading you through foyers and theatres where a thousand performances echo beneath the soaring ribs of the structure.

Then cast off to cruise Sydney Harbour, gliding past Harbour Bridge, Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and Fort Denison. From the water, the city’s sandstone headlands, coves and skyline align in cinematic frames. Commentary stitches together colonial history and contemporary life, while the breezes, gull calls and shifting light deliver fresh perspectives on Australia’s most celebrated waterfront.

Touch down in Victoria’s capital and meet your travel companions over a convivial evening meal on the banks of the Yarra River on day 1. Your Travel Director sets the scene for the journey ahead as you dine beside South Wharf’s converted cargo sheds and glassy water, where city lights shimmer on the tide and riverboats slide past.

Between courses, soak up Melbourne’s cosmopolitan energy—a city shaped by gold-rush grandeur and a thriving food scene fueled by migration from across Europe and Asia. This relaxed, riverfront welcome doesn’t just satisfy the palate; it orients you to place, offering a first taste of Australia’s easygoing hospitality and the artful skyline that will frame your first days in the country.

As dusk falls on day 11, enter Te Puia in Rotorua’s Te Whakarewarewa geothermal valley. In the carved house Te Aronui a Rua, a welcoming cultural performance weaves waiata and haka before you’re guided to the Pohutu Geyser, whose breath warms the valley night.

Stories of whakapapa (genealogy) and artistry at the carving and weaving schools deepen your understanding of Maori heritage. Then share hangi-inspired cuisine, aromatic with earth and smoke, and feel the glow of an evening that marries geothermal drama with living culture—authentic, instructive, and unforgettable.