Highlights of Downunder

The Heritage Auckland is an ideal place to stay for both leisure and business travellers. The hotel is positioned overlooking Waitemata Harbour in the heart of Auckland's business district. The hotel is within walking distance of the city's many attractions, including the Sky Tower Casino, the shops of Queen Street and Auckland city's finest cafes and restaurants. It includes two distinctive accommodation wings, The Hotel (reflects delightful ornate touches carefully preserved from the building's past) and The Tower (offers a more contemporary design). They are connected by a walkway enabling guests to access the range of facilities available. Both have their own entrance and reception areas.

Experience the best sights of Auckland City in the morning combined with an afternoon Wilderness Experience - a day of contrasts. Auckland is set on 52 dormant volcanic cones and between two harbours, the sparkling Waitemata and the brooding Manukau. Known as the City of Sails, it's New Zealand's largest and busiest city. The morning tour is a journey of discovery designed to explore the history and sights as well as see how Aucklanders live and play.

A 30 minute drive from downtown Auckland brings you to the Arataki Centre, the gateway to the rain forest, where the sweeping decks give breathtaking panoramic views from the Tasman Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Absorb the local history and admire the traditional Maori carvings that stand guard there. Head further west and experience the power of the wild and rugged west coast. Feel the black sand beneath your feet as you stroll along some of the most awe-inspiring beaches the world has to offer.

With your knowledgeable and experienced guide, your eco-tour continues on to the lush rain forest where you hear native birdsong as you walk the easy bush tracks amongst New Zealand's famous kauri trees and giant tree ferns.

Travel south from Auckland over the Bombay Hills to the rich farmland of the Waikato region. Your journey takes you through undulating green hills signaling that you are approaching The Shire. Your Bush and Beach guide will give you commentary on the way to Hobbiton with insights into the areas you are travelling through, along with some background to the movies.

On arrival at Shire's Rest you embark on your Hobbiton Movie Set tour. This location is the largest "green set" in the world and the only part of the set remaining in New Zealand. You see 44 hobbit holes, the Mill and double arch bridge, and the party tree. At this stunning location, you can take a photo at the gate to Bilbo's house, "Bag End", looking out over the whole set to the hills in the distance.

The tour ends with a visit to the Green Dragon Inn for a drink. Enjoy time in the Hobbiton gift shop and the opportunity to spend your souvenir voucher before joining the shuttle and heading to Rotorua.

An oasis of understated hip contemporary elegance and comfort amidst the exciting attractions and experiences Rotorua has to offer. Step out of the calm of your gorgeous room or suite and stroll to the vibrant restaurant zone or lakefront area or simply stay in, relax and savor the luxury facilities.

Learn about Rotorua's huge colourful hot springs, erupting geysers and active boiling mud pools, spectacular volcanoes and lush native forest. Enjoy a pick up from your accommodation then drive through forestry and farmland to New Zealand's largest boiling mud pool. Your guide shows you a series of colourful hot springs and volcanic features at Wai-O-Tapu. Then see the Lady Knox geyser eruption at 10:15 am.

Next, a short drive to the Waimangu Volcanic Valley where your guide explains the Mt. Tarawera eruption which blew open this spectacular, bush covered, geothermal park. This award-winning eco tourism adventure is one you won't want to miss!

This evening, you will engage in an immersive experience blending the best in Maori culture and cuisine. Get the chance to explore concepts, rituals, and stories of ancient Maori warfare and peace. Tu Te Ra is a time of year when the sun expresses its optimal energy. It is when days are longest and when the energy of the light nourishes the natural world. It is a time for harvesting and a time for celebrating. It is also a time for warfare, settling old scores and forging peace.

Your experience is filled with drama, performance and divine seasonal kai (cuisine) shared against a backdrop of blazing bonfires, towering Tawa trees and a natural forest amphitheater. Tonight's menu has been designed by award-winning Maori chefs and includes staple favorites, such as crispy pork, caramelized apple wrapped in kawakawa, paua, pikopiko fronds, smoked eel and charred hangi kumara, which are followed by a four-course hakari (feast).

Served al fresco on warmer nights and indoors on cooler nights, the space is eclectically designed to make you wonder if you have journeyed back to the times of trade and warfare and to make you feel the depth and generosity of hakari.

The Heritage Queenstown offers enchanting views of Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkable Mountain Range. A short distance from the town centre, this unique European style lodge is surrounded by native forest in the heart of New Zealand's alpine wonderland. Crafted from centuries old schist and cedar, The Heritage Queenstown is the perfect place to relax in comfortable yet sophisticated surroundings. The Heritage offers a choice of 178 luxury rooms, including traditional deluxe hotel accommodation and spacious 1 or 2 bedroom Suites. Each room is thoughtfully decorated, featuring individual touches which reflect unique high country origins.

Depart Queenstown and take a luxurious coach ride along the shores of Lake Wakatipu and Lake Te Anau. These tranquil lakes are crystal clear and reflect the surrounding mountains. The driver's compelling commentary will keep you informed and entertained throughout.

Enter Fiordland National Park and pass through Eglington Valley, one of the only road-accessible glacier valleys in New Zealand. Take the opportunity to capture some memorable shots of the Mirror Lakes or the ancient alpine forests as you get closer to Milford Sound. The glass-roof coach will give you sensational views of the peaks soaring above you while you cross the Main Divide of the Southern Alps. Make a stop at Monkey Creek and drink some of the freshest water in the world before venturing through the Homer Tunnel, a 1.2km tunnel drilled into solid rock. After the Homer Tunnel, then experience The Chasm, a short but impressive walk over footbridges spanning a series of powerful, swirling waterfalls and rapids, before arriving at the fiord.

Next, board the most luxurious catamaran in Milford Sound to explore the spectacular fiord. Venture out to the Tasman Sea while cruising past tumbling waterfalls, glacier-scarred rock walls and lush rainforests. Keep an eye out for wildlife species such as seals, penguins and dolphins and get a glimpse of Mitre Peak. A tasty picnic lunch will keep you filled on board.

Today is totally free and at leisure. You can take advantage of any optional activities available or simply relax.

A beautiful hotel with a stunning 1800's sandstone facade, the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney is an intimate, boutique-style property. Once home to the Fairfax newspaper empire and the prestigious Bank of New South Wales, this accommodation offers a location near Sydney Opera House and major shopping precincts. There is a wide array of upscale facilities, including on-site dining at the recently refurbished restaurant and a modern health club. The staff ensures that your stay at this accommodation in Sydney is both comfortable and unforgettable.

Depart your hotel for an unforgettable Panoramic Sydney half day city sights tour. On tour you'll visit the historic Rocks area and hear early convict history. Enjoy magnificent views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. See the shopping heart of the city, QVB, Centre point.

Visit Sydney's trendy new district Oxford Street. Travel through elegant Paddington with its terrace houses before arriving at the Pacific Ocean. See the superb coast cliff walk around Tamarama and Bronte.

Travel on to famous Bondi Beach. Visit the beachfront promenade, enjoy a coffee or cool drink (at own cost). See bronzed Aussie lifesavers and Sydney's best panoramic view at Dover Heights.

Return to Sydney via Double Bay, Kings Cross and Mrs Macquarie's Point for a final magical viewpoint over the harbour before returning to the city centre.

Passengers can join our optional harbour lunch cruises, seaplane tours or return directly to their hotels.

The designated harbour lunch cruise drop-off point is Darling Harbour (adjacent to the aquarium).

Begin your day with a sensational morning tea cruise. A unique, Sydney Harbour Highlights two-hour cruise experience. Enjoy the company of a small group aboard a 52-foot motor yacht. Your personal captain and host will share the rich history of Sydney Harbour and its foreshore as you take in the sites of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and the bays and coves of Sydney Harbour. Enjoy a light morning tea with coffee, tea, juice, water and 5-star service.

The Pacific Hotel Cairns boasts a magnificent location, personalised service and award winning hospitality. Contemporary, and with a tropical ambiance, befitting a bygone era, an era when great service and friendly hospitality were the rule rather than the exception. Spacious rooms, higher level rooms offer balconies. Enjoy the onsite restaurant and bar, outdoor pool and complimentary WIFI throughout the hotel.

For an experience of a lifetime, Quicksilver's wave piercing catamarans and friendly crew will take you to a reef at the very edge of Australia's Continental Shelf, to an underwater world that is a dazzling kaleidoscope of colour and brilliance. Agincourt Reef is a magnificent ribbon reef where you can experience first-hand the magic that is the Great Barrier Reef. Choose to dive (extra cost), snorkel, or stay dry and explore the stunning reef from the comfort of a semi-sub, just one metre underwater. Watch the fish feeding from a unique underwater viewing platform and underwater observatory, or fly in a helicopter over the reef (extra cost). Whichever way you choose; you'll bring home a lifetime of memories from this living natural wonder.

The Classic Kuranda Experience includes the main attractions of Kuranda, but gives you more free time to explore Kuranda. You will travel to Kuranda by scenic railway and then spend some free time in the village. Wander through the many shops and local markets, which offer a full range of local handicrafts, souvenirs, and gifts.

You will then be transferred to Rainforestation Nature Park, where you will enjoy a delicious Australian BBQ lunch, a guided tour of the rainforest on board an amphibious Army Duck, and the Pamagirri Aboriginal Dance performance, followed by the Dreamtime Walk. You will learn how to throw a boomerang, see a spear-throwing demonstrations, and learn about aboriginal culture.

A guided tour of the Koala and Wildlife Park will commence at the Cultural Centre. Your coach will then transfer you to Kuranda Skyrail Terminal for the 7.5 kilometre Skyrail Rainforest Cableway journey down the mountain. Your coach will then return you to your accommodation.