Australia & New Zealand Highlights 17 Days / 15 Nights from $7835 Email this Page to a Friend!   Duration: 17 days, 15 nights Tour Code: EV17   Highlights: Waitomo Caves, Rotorua, TranzAlpine Train, Franz Josef Glacier, Queenstown, Cruise the Milford Sound, Auckland, Maori Hangi Feast, Mt. Cook National Park, Sydney Harbour Cruise, Kuranda Scenic Railway, Great Barrier Reef   Description Join this stylish 17 Day Fully Escorted Tour of Australia and New Zealand. Start in New Zealand with its natural beauty and spectacular scenery with highlights including a cruise along Milford Sound and the thermal regions of Rotorua. Your discovery of Australia starts in Sydney before traveling to the colourful sights of the Great Barrier Reef.   Itinerary   Day 1: Depart Los Angeles This evening board your flight to New Zealand.   Day 2: In flight Today you will cross the International Date Line. Day 3: Arrive Auckland Arrive in Auckland today and be met on arrival at the airport. Transfer to your hotel and enjoy some free time to relax and settle in. Tonight enjoy a delicious Welcome Dinner with your fellow travelers and Tour Director at The Observatory Restaurant atop Sky Tower, offering incredible views of Auckland.  Stay: Crowne Plaze Hotel, Auckland   Day 4: Rotorua This morning you will journey to the Waitomo Caves for a tour of the limestone caverns and glow-worm grotto. Then continue to Rotorua, a region rich in Maori heritage. Tonight, take the short trip to Mitai Maori village, an authentic Maori village. Here you will enjoy a traditional Hangi feast of meat and vegetables cooked in the ground in a special earth oven. You will also be treated to a cultural performance of song and dance by the locals. Stay Two Nights: Millennium Rotorua    Day 5: Rotorua, Te Puia Thermal Reserve Visit the Agrodome to see the Sheep Show and gain an insight into this farming industry. Then head to Te Puia Thermal Reserve to see the power of geothermal energy first-hand. Watch as geysers erupt, mud pools bubble, steam hisses and warm water rains down. Here in the reserve there are more than 500 pools and 65 geysers, including Lady Knox Geyser. Many of these are active and intermittently send explosions up to 30 metres into the air. After an extended stay here the rest of the afternoon is at your leisure to explore further or relax at the hotel as you choose. A Country Homestay option is available tonight   Day 6: Rotorua to Christchurch Fly to the garden city of Christchurch on the South Island this morning. On arrival, enjoy time at leisure to explore your new surroundings. Perhaps go for a wander through one of the many parks, or walk the path along the Avon River and discover why Christchurch is widely known as the Garden City. Check in to your centrally located hotel and settle in for the evening. Stay: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Christchurch Day 7: Southern Alps, Franz Josef This morning after breakfast, board the TranzAlpine train for one of the top rail journeys in the world. Cross the Canterbury Plains, climb up into the Main Divide, then traverse spectacular gorges, valleys and the Southern Alps. At the end of this memorable journey, disembark and continue down the rugged West Coast to Franz Josef. Stay:Te Waonui Forest Retreat, Franz Josef

What's Included   Guaranteed Inclusions International Roundtrip Airfare from/to Los Angeles All Domestic Flights in Australia & New Zealand All Transfers Sightseeing Highlights Take a guided tour of the Waitomo Caves Tour the geothermal sites of Rotorua Spend some time exploring Christchurch Cross New Zealand’s Southern Alps on the TranzAlpine train View spectacular Franz Josef Glacier Spend two nights in Queenstown and enjoy a special Dine Around Dinner Cruise majestic Milford Sound Cruise Sydney Harbour, taking in the Opera House and Harbour Bridge Explore the tropical city of Cairns Ride the Kuranda Skyrail and the Kuranda Scenic Railway over the rain forest Cruise out to the famous Great Barrier Reef Fine Dining 14 Hot Breakfasts, 1 Lunches and 12 Dinners