Your Australia tour and New Zealand travel adventure includes desert outback, tropical rainforests, coral reefs, glacier-capped mountains, dramatic fiords, and cosmopolitan cities. Bring plenty of film to capture the amazing sights of the Great Barrier Reef, the dramatic waters of Milford Sound, and the setting sun on Uluru (Ayers Rock). From koalas to kangaroos, jet boat rides to formal garden tours, Aboriginal traditions to Aussie barbecues, you get a full sampling of Down Under culture.
2008 Itinerary Day 1: Melbourne by boat and historic tram Tour begins: 1:45 PM, The Langham Hotel, Melbourne. A transfer is included from Melbourne Airport to The Langham Hotel, Melbourne. Welcome to Tauck's grand Australia tour, where friendly g'days greet you from arrival to departure! Take a sightseeing tour this afternoon that includes a cruise on the Yarra River; tonight, board a vintage tram-restaurant for a tour of city landmarks while enjoying a welcome dinner featuring regional cuisine.
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Lodging: The Langham Hotel, Melbourne, Australia
Day 2: Melbourne’s Victorian charms You’ll see a lot of Melbourne on a sightseeing tour of the city, including the High Victorian architecture of Parliament House, the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens and the ANZAC War Memorial – the Shrine of Remembrance. The rest of the day is free to explore as you please. Visit the museums, check out the trendy restaurants, or relax and read a book in the beautiful parks and gardens.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: The Langham Hotel, Melbourne, Australia
Day 3 All about Alice, a highlight of any Australia tour Fly to Alice Springs in the heart of the Red Centre, where you'll be treated to an Aboriginal Dreamtime lunch after your arrival. Pick up some interesting information on Central Australian animals and plants at Alice Springs Desert Park, and learn how the Aborigines have managed the land for thousands of years. Attend a barbecue dinner under a starry sky, where you dine on bush tucker (indigenous Australian food) and are entertained by storytelling.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Alice Springs, Australia
Day 4: Outback adventure at Uluru 
Start your day with an optional (additional $175 per person) hot air balloon adventure, where you'll drift peacefully over the red desert landscape to see wildlife stirring at dawn and vast cattle stations; a champagne breakfast awaits upon your arrival back on land. Fly to Uluru (Ayers Rock), a massive monolith sacred to the Aboriginal people. Witness the sunset spectacle when the Rock changes color from pink to deep red, intertwining with the red desert outback surrounding it. Champagne and canapés complete the experience!
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Sails in the Desert, Ayers Rock, Australia
Day 5: Off to Queensland Spend a free morning at Uluru where you'll have an opportunity to do some more exploring. Your Australia tour continues with a flight north from the red desert to the tropical rainforests of Queensland. Arrive in Cairns, where your hotel is centrally located – it's close to just about everything!
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Hilton Cairns, Cairns, Australia
Day 6: Luxury, luxury, luxury – it's Hayman Island Hop a short flight from Cairns to Hamilton Island, where you'll board a catamaran for your three-night stay on luxurious Hayman Island. The multi-award winning resort lies in a picture-postcard setting... tropical palm-fringed beaches surrounded by the sparkling crystalline waters of the Coral Sea, complete with formal European and manicured Oriental gardens. Indulge in stylishly elegant guest rooms and superb cuisine prepared by acclaimed chefs in the resort's outstanding restaurants. Spend the afternoon as you please, with a variety of activities available.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Hayman Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Day 7: Tauck's Australia tour continues on the Great Barrier Reef Spend a full day exploring one of earth's most incredible "living" sites, the Great Barrier Reef, on an eco-cruise accompanied by a marine biologist. Marvel at the colors and beauty of the coral and fish while swimming, snorkeling, or riding on a glass bottom boat or a semi-submersible watercraft that features enormous viewing windows.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Hayman Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Day 8: Indulgence and Inspiration on Hayman Today is your day to spend your way on Hayman Island. You can practice your golf strokes. Or play a game of tennis. Or play a round of croquet. Swim in the sea, scuba dive under the sea, or snorkel on the sea. Sunbathe on idyllic tropical shores. Take a lap in the pool – and make sure you allow plenty of time as the Hayman pool is 7 times Olympic size. If you're feeling adventurous, soar over the island by seaplane. Indulge the senses, restore the spirit, and discover nature's best-kept secrets at the extraordinary spa. Sail away on a cocktail cruise under the stars. It's your day, all day, your way.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Hayman Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Day 9: Fly to Sydney for three nights Bid a reluctant farewell to this tropical paradise and return to the mainland to fly to Sydney, one of the most exciting cities in the world. Spend the next three nights at one of the top hotels in the city, close to the Botanical Gardens and Circular Quay. Upon arrival, the remainder of the day is yours to explore.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: InterContinental Sydney, Australia
Day 10: Sightseeing, the zoo, and a cocktail cruise – a perfect day Take a city sightseeing tour where you'll see many of the city's architectural gems and landmark sites. Next up – a change of pace with a visit to the Taronga Zoo, home to over 2,000 Australian, rare, or endangered animals living in their natural habitats. Finish the day with a cocktail cruise on Sydney Harbour for a totally different look at Sydney from the water, and dinner at a restaurant on the waterfront.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: InterContinental Sydney, Australia
Day 11: Behind the scenes at the opera house Visit the Sydney Opera House and go "behind the sails" of one of the world's most beloved architectural masterpieces. The rest of the day is free to explore and dine as you please - Sydney's got it all. From museums to shopping, Aboriginal art to dining, you'll find something that captures your interest and makes the day memorable.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: InterContinental Sydney, Australia
Day 12: Farewell to the Australia tour, hello to New Zealand Your grand Australia tour comes to an end as you bid a final farewell and board a flight across the Tasman Sea for your grand New Zealand tour! First stop is Auckland, the City of Sails, where your hotel is located in the heart of the city.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: The Langham Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand
Day 13: Adventures in Auckland A visit to Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World gives you a close-up look at what lies beneath the waters off New Zealand's coast. See extensive collections of Maori and Polynesian artifacts, as well as natural history exhibits at the Auckland War Memorial Museum - and witness age-old Maori song and dance at a presentation. The rest of the day is free for you to explore Auckland and dine as you please.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: The Langham Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand
Day 14: Sheep and farming and thermal geysers While touring the heart of the North Island, have lunch at Longlands Farm, which is a combination working farm and country garden. Next up is a visit to the Agrodome, a great way to learn about one of New Zealand's most important industries, sheep farming. See bubbling mud pools and geysers at Whakarewarewa Thermal Village in Rotorua, as well as Maori crafts and village life exhibits.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Duxton Hotel Okawa Bay, Rotorua, New Zealand
Day 15: Tauck Exclusive: Private Charter to Mount Cook As a Tauck exclusive, enjoy the benefits of VIP travel when you fly on Tauck's private charter flight to the South Island's Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. You have an opportunity to take an optional dramatic helicopter flightseeing excursion, providing the weather cooperates, over the glacier-capped Southern Alps (additional cost of $195 per person). Another private charter flight in the afternoon brings you to beautiful Te Anau.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Te Anau Hotel & Villas, Te Anau, New Zealand
Day 16: Cruise Milford Sound, then on to Queenstown A New Zealand / Australia tour is not complete without visiting Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cruise the lovely waters of Milford Sound, an inlet carved by glaciers with cascading waterfalls along sheer rock walls that rise thousands of feet from the water. Travel to Queenstown, New Zealand's alpine resort playground. It lies along the shores of Lake Wakatipu, beneath the sawtooth peaks of The Remarkables mountain range.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Queenstown, New Zealand
Day 17: Adventure awaits on the rapids Ever dream of being a daredevil? Even if you're not all that adventurous, today's thrilling high-speed jet boat ride down a river carved through the narrow, rocky gorges and canyons of Shotover River Canyon will be a highlight of Tauck's New Zealand / Australia tour! Explore the sights of Queenstown on your own for the rest of the day.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Queenstown, New Zealand
Day 18: Cultural charms of Christchurch, including the museum Another private charter flight brings you to the gracious city of Christchurch, where you'll think you've landed in England due to the appearance of the landscape and the architecture. Tour notable gardens and the historic part of the city, and visit the Canterbury Museum to see exhibits displaying New Zealand's natural and human heritage.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Christchurch, New Zealand
Day 19: Christchurch as you please Spend the day any way you choose - from diverse museums to the Botanic Gardens, harbor cruises, train journeys, wildlife centers - Christchurch is a great city to explore. Share experiences at the farewell cocktail reception and dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Christchurch, New Zealand
Day 20: So long to the lands down under Tour ends: Christchurch. A transfer is included from Crowne Plaza Hotel Christchurch to Christchurch International Airport. Please allow 2 1/2 hours for flight check-in at the airport.
Meals: Breakfast
Say g'day in the lands down under and book this remarkable Australia tour and New Zealand travel adventure today!
Departure Dates Jan 6, 8, 13, 22, 29
Mar 16
Apr 6, 27
Jun 8, 22
Jul 20
Oct 5, 12, 19, 26
Nov 4, 11
Dec 2, 16, 21
Prices 20 Days from $6,190 plus airfare
January - March 29;
September – December
| Land Price | + | On-Tour Air
(8 flights) | = | Total
per Person |
Double
| $6990 | + | $2700 | =
| $9690 |
Single
| $9574 | + | $2700 | = | $12,274 |
Triple
| $6610 | + | $2700 | = | $9310 |
March 30 – August
| Land Price | + | On-Tour Air
(8 flights) | = | Total
per Person |
Double
| $6190 | + | $2100 | =
| $8290 |
Single
| $8622 | + | $2100 | = | $10,722 |
Triple
| $5810 | + | $2100 | = | $7910 |
39 meals included. Note: On-Tour Air, 8 flights, includes 5 private charters.
International Airfare is additional. Call Tauck for special rates on international air, in coach or business, for travel originating in the U.S. (subject to availability). Total price does not include Sydney – Auckland trans-Tasman flight on day 12, which must be purchased with your international air ticket.
Hot Air Balloon Option, Day 4 – add $175
Mount Cook Helicopter Option, Day 15 – add $195
Please ask when booking about additional hotel nights before your tour begins and about our comprehensive Guest Protection Plan.
All prices are per person in U.S. dollars. 
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