Home > 22 Day Highlights of Australia and New Zealand
22 DAY HIGHLIGHTS OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
TRIP DESCRIPTION
Three World Heritage Sites on one tour? It’s a reality on this two-country adventure. Whether you’re drifting across the Great Barrier Reef, sailing Sydney Harbour, gazing at Uluru-Kata Tjuta or cruising through Milford Sound, this Melbourne to Christchurch tour has ‘pinch me’ moments abound. These moments come with experiences of Indigenous heritage, from Maori hangis in Rotorua to Aboriginal guides in the Red Centre.
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Start Location: Melbourne
End Location: Christchurch
TOP HIGHLIGHTS
- Melbourne Laneways Walking Tour
- Great Barrier Reef Cruise
- Sydney Harbour Cruise Sydney
- Opera House Locally Guided Tour
- Rainbow Springs and Kiwi Hatchery
- Tamaki Maori Village, Cultural Performance & Dinner
- Hobbiton tour and breakfast
- Milford Sound Nature Cruise
- Postmasters Dinner in Queenstown
- Dark Sky Project – Crater Experience Britten Stables (BMG)
ITINERARY
Day 1: Welcome to Melbourne
Melbourne is known for its amazing food, as you’ll discover while meeting your fellow travellers tonight.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 2: Melbourne
Get your Melbourne bearings on a city tour, but make sure you’re wearing comfy shoes for when you hit the streets to explore hidden alleys covered in eye-popping murals. Spot a jazz bar or restaurant you fancy? The afternoon is yours to indulge.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3: Melbourne Free Time
There are endless reasons to linger in Melbourne. But if you feel like exploring further afield, talk to us about a road trip along the Great Ocean Road (it deserves its name) or to Phillip Island. The penguins waddling from the ocean up the sand to their burrows is the cutest thing you’ll ever see.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4: Melbourne – Uluru
The rusty red landscapes of Uluru beckon as you leave Melbourne for Ayers Rock Resort, your backdrop this afternoon is the world’s largest rock monolith. Follow your guide to the perfect perch to capture Uluru as the last of the day disappears, glass of bubbles in hand (of course).
Meals: Breakfast
Day 5: Uluru and Kata Tjuta
The only reason to get out of bed before dawn? For a magical Uluru sunrise. It’s a spiritual place, with stories of the Anangu, caretakers of this remote arid landscape revealed while you tour the base. The red desert follows you to Kata Tjuta, where nature humbles as you walk through the towering domes of this ancient rock formation. Cheers to the end of another amazing day.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 6: Uluru – Cairns
So the other reason to rise in the dark is to witness Bruce Munro’s Field of Light, an installation of 50,000 orbs blanketing the outback. This is the countryside that First Nations artists immortalise in their paintings – try your hand at creating one during an intro to Western Desert art. Head to your next stop in sunny Cairns.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7: Cairns Free Time
Cruising with crocs, a scenic railway ride into World Heritage listed rainforest, a wander along the Cairns Esplanade? Today the choice is yours.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8: Great Barrier Reef
The world’s largest living organism, the Great Barrier Reef, never fails to dazzle. Set out on a catamaran to explore a kaleidoscope of colour: over 1,500 species of fish, 215 different birds, 3,000 molluscs, six of the world’s seven marine turtle species, and 30 species of dolphins and whales are residents. Strap on a snorkel or visit an underwater observatory and semi-submersible craft to take in the menagerie without getting your hair wet. Tonight, celebrate the end of an incredible day at dinner on Cairns’ waterfront at Salt House for regional seafood plucked straight from the ocean, highlighting fresh, local ingredients, and prepared on their custom-built Argentinian wood fired grill.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9: Cairns – Sydney
We hope you have a window seat, because the view of Sydney Harbour as you come in to land is one that postcards were made for. Join your Travel Director for a Highlight Dinner cruise around Sydney Harbour against the backdrop of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10: Sydney
Bring your stamina: today is one of innumerable highlights. Go behind the scenes at the Sydney Opera House, discovering its architectural and performance secrets. If these sails could talk. One icon to another: The world’s most famous beach beckons this morning, with your chance to pad along the sand at Bondi with Sydney’s beautiful people. From Worked up an appetite? A local Surf Life Saver will take you into the members-only Bondi Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club. Learn about this historic club and gain an understanding of the important work that is done here saving lives on this famous beach. Next, a Be My Guest lunch with views overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 11: Sydney Free Time
The hardest decision you have to make today: explore more of Sydney, or head to the Blue Mountains, 11,400 square kilometres of World Heritage listed wilderness, a place where sandstone escarpments appear to cleave off the edge of the Earth and waterfall-cooled valleys of rainforest slip dreamily from the pages of a fairytale? The choice is yours.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 12: Sydney Free Time
Now you’ve found your bearings in Sydney, why not linger around the harbour – perhaps it’s time to glimpse it from above on a Sydney BridgeClimb? This bird’s-eye view certainly puts things in perspective. Back at ground level, you’re in the heart of the Rocks, the city’s original colonial settlement and a place of cobbled alleys and private galleries. Finally, a Highlight dinner back in the shadow of the Opera House at Portside Restaurant. Because you’ll never tire of glimpsing this beauty.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 13: Sydney – Auckland
All you have to do today is sit back and enjoy the view as you cross the Tasman to embark on your next adventure.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 14: Auckland
We’ll take you out to Mission Bay and Bastion Point – have your camera poised – and then leave you to your own devices in the afternoon. Need suggestions? How about a cruise to Waiheke Island for a wine tour?
Meals: Breakfast
Day 15: Auckland – Rotorua
Cute and cuddly, NZ’s national bird, the kiwi, is also endangered. Go behind the scenes on a working kiwi nursery and hatchery to learn how breeding programs are helping the population thrive. This evening your Highlight Dinner is prepared in an earthen hangi at the Te Pa Tu Maori Experience. It’s an eye-opening (and tasty) introduction to Māori culture.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 16: Rotorua – Queenstown
Ever wondered what it’s like to be a film star? Today you’ll get a taste of celebrity lifestyle when you sit down to breakfast in the village of Hobbiton, the movie set of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies. Take a guided tour past Hobbit Holes and the Mill, and wave to your fans.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 17: Milford Sound Cruise
Sheer cliffs, thundering waterfalls, glaciers and rainforest – if there’s a destination more inspiring than Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park, we’re yet to find it. After a cruise here (look out for dolphins and sea lions), we’re sure you’ll agree.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 18: Queenstown Free Time
Today is all yours. Love adventure? Ride the Shotover Jet. Oenophile? Arrange a tour to Otago wineries. Regroup for a Highlight Dinner at the historic Postmasters Cottage.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 19: Queenstown – Lake Tekapo
Arrowtown and Cromwell are known for their natural drama; just as enticing is the tasty stone fruit. Take a bite. Arriving at Lake Tekapo, you’re far from anywhere. Which practically guarantees dazzling stargazing in the UNESCO Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 20: Lake Tekapo – Christchurch
Ever wondered what life on the land is like? Meet Angie and Stan Taylor, who have farmed this countryside for more years than they care to remember. The stories you’ll hear over lunch.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 21: Christchurch
Community spirit is strong in Christchurch; not only has the city rebuilt since the devastating 2011 earthquakes, but it’s thriving, with architectural innovations like the world’s first church built of cardboard. Take in the sights with an in-the-know local. Tonight, raise a glass to your travels at a Farewell Diner.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 22: Farewell from Christchurch
How did three weeks disappear like that? Re-live all the memorable moments on your way home.
Meals: Breakfast
DATES & PRICES
We accept 
AVAILABILITY
START DATE
END DATE
PRICE
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
BOOK
Applicable taxes vary depending on travel destination and are not included. Please ask your sales agent what extra taxes will be payable for your tour.
WHY CHOOSE ANDERSON VACATIONS?
Anderson Vacations
Other Companies
Small Group Tours
Travel with a limited number of participants for a personalized journey with a tour leader.Experienced Tour Leaders
Who have gone through intensive vetting and training.(But most contract their tour leaders from Anderson Vacations.)
Canadian Travel Experts
With at least 30 years of experience.Min. 95% Satisfaction Rate
From past guests.Travel to unique places, visit more attractions each day.
Without the distractions of tipping.Activities and excursions included as part of the tour.
(Not as add-ons.)Sustainability
Planting one tree for every passenger that travels with us.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide
- Local Specialists (Guides)
- Centrally located premium hotels
- All meals as indicated in the itinerary
EXCLUSIONS
- Airfare unless specified as included within the itinerary
- Taxes as applicable
- Travel Insurance and Cancellation Protection (strongly recommended, ask us for a quote!)
- Gratuities for Local Guides, Tour Managers, and/or Bus Drivers
- Meals not specifically mentioned as included in the itinerary
- Items (attractions and sightseeing & entrance fees) not listed as included in the itinerary
Can't find what you're looking for?
Our specialists can take away the stress and create a custom trip tailored to your exact interests and budget.
Get A Custom Quote
OR CALL
1.866.814.7378
Custom Trip Plans
You can see what you want, when you want, how you want.
Unique Experiences
Experiences that help you take in the region in a different way.
Freedom To Explore
Time to take in each place with only the tours you want to do.
Tour Questions
What is the maximum number of travellers in a group?
Anderson Vacations specializes in Small Group Fully Escorted tours. If the tour is classified as a ‘Classic Tour’ up to 24 persons may join the tour although tours commonly travel with anywhere between 18 to 24 travellers. If the tour is classified as a 'Tour of Distinction’ only up to 18 persons may join the tour and many 'Tours of Distinction' travel with 12 to 18 travellers.
What are Guaranteed Departures?
After dreaming about travel to an exciting destination, arranging for time off work, booking your flights the last thing you need is for your trip to be cancelled. Anderson vacation's pre-Guaranteed tours take the uncertainty away from planning your travel and give you peace of mind to book our tours. Pre-Guaranteed Tours are group tours that we have already confirmed as certain to travel on the specified date. All 'Guaranteed Tours' will travel except in the event of a natural disaster or a catastrophic event that is beyond our control. They may already have the minimum number of people booked or else are tours that are known to be popular. Only select departures of tours are 'pre-Guaranteed'.
What happens if I book on a tour that is not Guaranteed?
We pride ourselves on providing “a small shared group experience.” In the event that we have fewer than ten participants on a tour we will offer a “small-group surcharge” to ensure that the tour runs as scheduled. This fee, which is up to 15% of the “land” portion of the tour, will be offered to you as an option to continue with the trip. This fee will cover the costs associated with handling a smaller group.
What is the average age of passengers for this tour?
Our tours are suitable for all age demographics. The average age of travelers is typically 45+.
How physically demanding is this tour? Are you able to accommodate people with mobility restrictions/limitations?
Some tours are mainly coach based and may not be physically demanding while others may require walking inclines or on rough surfaces to access interesting locations. Please check with us and your booking agent carefully and discuss your mobility restrictions before completing any tour booking to ensure this style of travel is right for you.
Can you accommodate passengers with dietary restrictions (food allergies, vegan, vegetarian etc.)?
Yes, we do accommodate dietary restrictions (within reason) such as, food allergies, vegan, vegetarian, etc. There are many meals included on our fully escorted tours. Please inform us of any dietary restrictions at the time of booking so we can ensure there are alternative meal choices.
Booking & Flight Questions
Do you arrange airport transfers?
Yes, we can assist you with airport transfers for you in most locations at a reasonable extra cost. Several tours have airport transfers already included. Please contact us for more details.
Can you assist with booking additional accommodation?
Yes, we can certainly assist with booking additional nights of hotel accommodation for you before and after your fully escorted tour. This is available upon request and subject to availability. Please inquire for further information and prices.
How much luggage should I bring?
Each passenger may bring one large suitcase and one carry-on bag. The weight limit for baggage is 20 kilograms or about 40 pounds. Baggage handling is provided at the hotels in our tour packages but there may be places where you will be required to wheel in your bags for quicker access. Be sure to advise our reservations staff if you will be bringing additional items such as a cane, walker, or wheelchair. You may also bring one small soft-sided carry-on bag, which should easily fit into the overhead shelf of a coach. Each person is responsible for his/her own carryon luggage. Remember to check your airline baggage restrictions if you are flying, as they may differ from Anderson Vacations guidelines.
I am a solo traveller. Is there a single surcharge?
There are options for single travelers to join most tours. Solo travellers can choose to pay a Single Supplement and have their own room throughout the tour. For those willing to share with a co-traveller of the same gender, we have a Twin Share option that is offered for most tours where you share a hotel room with another same gender traveller. In this case, you will not be charged for Single Supplement.
Is it possible to book a triple share accommodation?
Yes, it is possible to book triple share accommodations on select trips. Please inquire or contact us regarding this option, as prices and availability vary from tour to tour.
Can we book this tour with our exclusive group?
Yes, you can! Anderson Vacations works with many private groups and helps to customize a tour to traveller’s needs. Please contact us for more details.
Are gratuities included in the tour cost?
For convenience, gratuities for local guides and meals that are specified in the itinerary are included in the tour price. For meals not included in your tour package please remember that it is customary to tip your server 10-20% in North America. Gratuities for your Coach Driver (where appropriate) and Tour Director are entirely at your discretion. We recommend about CDN $5.00 per person, per day, for your Driver and CDN$7.00 per person, per day for your Tour Leader.
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Tour Code
22NAH
22 Day Highlights of Australia and New Zealand
22 days
Created On: 21 Dec 2024
Highlights
- Melbourne Laneways Walking Tour
- Great Barrier Reef Cruise
- Sydney Harbour Cruise Sydney
- Opera House Locally Guided Tour
- Rainbow Springs and Kiwi Hatchery
- Tamaki Maori Village, Cultural Performance & Dinner
- Hobbiton tour and breakfast
- Milford Sound Nature Cruise
- Postmasters Dinner in Queenstown
- Dark Sky Project – Crater Experience Britten Stables (BMG)
Inclusions
- Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide
- Local Specialists (Guides)
- Centrally located premium hotels
- All meals as indicated in the itinerary
Exclusions
- Airfare unless specified as included within the itinerary
- Taxes as applicable
- Travel Insurance and Cancellation Protection (strongly recommended, ask us for a quote!)
- Gratuities for Local Guides, Tour Managers, and/or Bus Drivers
- Meals not specifically mentioned as included in the itinerary
- Items (attractions and sightseeing & entrance fees) not listed as included in the itinerary
Dates & Prices
AVAILABILITY
START DATE
END DATE
PRICE
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
DEPOSIT
AVAILABLE
Sun, 22 Dec 2024
Sun, 12 Jan 2025
$13,335 USD
—
AVAILABLE
Sun, 29 Dec 2024
Sun, 19 Jan 2025
$13,335 USD
—
All prices are per person based on double occupancy and subject to local taxes - GST, PST or HST.
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Melbourne
Melbourne is known for its amazing food, as you’ll discover while meeting your fellow travellers tonight.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 2: Melbourne
Get your Melbourne bearings on a city tour, but make sure you’re wearing comfy shoes for when you hit the streets to explore hidden alleys covered in eye-popping murals. Spot a jazz bar or restaurant you fancy? The afternoon is yours to indulge.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3: Melbourne Free Time
There are endless reasons to linger in Melbourne. But if you feel like exploring further afield, talk to us about a road trip along the Great Ocean Road (it deserves its name) or to Phillip Island. The penguins waddling from the ocean up the sand to their burrows is the cutest thing you’ll ever see.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4: Melbourne – Uluru
The rusty red landscapes of Uluru beckon as you leave Melbourne for Ayers Rock Resort, your backdrop this afternoon is the world’s largest rock monolith. Follow your guide to the perfect perch to capture Uluru as the last of the day disappears, glass of bubbles in hand (of course).
Meals: Breakfast
Day 5: Uluru and Kata Tjuta
The only reason to get out of bed before dawn? For a magical Uluru sunrise. It’s a spiritual place, with stories of the Anangu, caretakers of this remote arid landscape revealed while you tour the base. The red desert follows you to Kata Tjuta, where nature humbles as you walk through the towering domes of this ancient rock formation. Cheers to the end of another amazing day.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 6: Uluru – Cairns
So the other reason to rise in the dark is to witness Bruce Munro’s Field of Light, an installation of 50,000 orbs blanketing the outback. This is the countryside that First Nations artists immortalise in their paintings – try your hand at creating one during an intro to Western Desert art. Head to your next stop in sunny Cairns.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7: Cairns Free Time
Cruising with crocs, a scenic railway ride into World Heritage listed rainforest, a wander along the Cairns Esplanade? Today the choice is yours.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8: Great Barrier Reef
The world’s largest living organism, the Great Barrier Reef, never fails to dazzle. Set out on a catamaran to explore a kaleidoscope of colour: over 1,500 species of fish, 215 different birds, 3,000 molluscs, six of the world’s seven marine turtle species, and 30 species of dolphins and whales are residents. Strap on a snorkel or visit an underwater observatory and semi-submersible craft to take in the menagerie without getting your hair wet. Tonight, celebrate the end of an incredible day at dinner on Cairns’ waterfront at Salt House for regional seafood plucked straight from the ocean, highlighting fresh, local ingredients, and prepared on their custom-built Argentinian wood fired grill.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9: Cairns – Sydney
We hope you have a window seat, because the view of Sydney Harbour as you come in to land is one that postcards were made for. Join your Travel Director for a Highlight Dinner cruise around Sydney Harbour against the backdrop of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10: Sydney
Bring your stamina: today is one of innumerable highlights. Go behind the scenes at the Sydney Opera House, discovering its architectural and performance secrets. If these sails could talk. One icon to another: The world’s most famous beach beckons this morning, with your chance to pad along the sand at Bondi with Sydney’s beautiful people. From Worked up an appetite? A local Surf Life Saver will take you into the members-only Bondi Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club. Learn about this historic club and gain an understanding of the important work that is done here saving lives on this famous beach. Next, a Be My Guest lunch with views overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 11: Sydney Free Time
The hardest decision you have to make today: explore more of Sydney, or head to the Blue Mountains, 11,400 square kilometres of World Heritage listed wilderness, a place where sandstone escarpments appear to cleave off the edge of the Earth and waterfall-cooled valleys of rainforest slip dreamily from the pages of a fairytale? The choice is yours.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 12: Sydney Free Time
Now you’ve found your bearings in Sydney, why not linger around the harbour – perhaps it’s time to glimpse it from above on a Sydney BridgeClimb? This bird’s-eye view certainly puts things in perspective. Back at ground level, you’re in the heart of the Rocks, the city’s original colonial settlement and a place of cobbled alleys and private galleries. Finally, a Highlight dinner back in the shadow of the Opera House at Portside Restaurant. Because you’ll never tire of glimpsing this beauty.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 13: Sydney – Auckland
All you have to do today is sit back and enjoy the view as you cross the Tasman to embark on your next adventure.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 14: Auckland
We’ll take you out to Mission Bay and Bastion Point – have your camera poised – and then leave you to your own devices in the afternoon. Need suggestions? How about a cruise to Waiheke Island for a wine tour?
Meals: Breakfast
Day 15: Auckland – Rotorua
Cute and cuddly, NZ’s national bird, the kiwi, is also endangered. Go behind the scenes on a working kiwi nursery and hatchery to learn how breeding programs are helping the population thrive. This evening your Highlight Dinner is prepared in an earthen hangi at the Te Pa Tu Maori Experience. It’s an eye-opening (and tasty) introduction to Māori culture.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 16: Rotorua – Queenstown
Ever wondered what it’s like to be a film star? Today you’ll get a taste of celebrity lifestyle when you sit down to breakfast in the village of Hobbiton, the movie set of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies. Take a guided tour past Hobbit Holes and the Mill, and wave to your fans.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 17: Milford Sound Cruise
Sheer cliffs, thundering waterfalls, glaciers and rainforest – if there’s a destination more inspiring than Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park, we’re yet to find it. After a cruise here (look out for dolphins and sea lions), we’re sure you’ll agree.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 18: Queenstown Free Time
Today is all yours. Love adventure? Ride the Shotover Jet. Oenophile? Arrange a tour to Otago wineries. Regroup for a Highlight Dinner at the historic Postmasters Cottage.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 19: Queenstown – Lake Tekapo
Arrowtown and Cromwell are known for their natural drama; just as enticing is the tasty stone fruit. Take a bite. Arriving at Lake Tekapo, you’re far from anywhere. Which practically guarantees dazzling stargazing in the UNESCO Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 20: Lake Tekapo – Christchurch
Ever wondered what life on the land is like? Meet Angie and Stan Taylor, who have farmed this countryside for more years than they care to remember. The stories you’ll hear over lunch.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 21: Christchurch
Community spirit is strong in Christchurch; not only has the city rebuilt since the devastating 2011 earthquakes, but it’s thriving, with architectural innovations like the world’s first church built of cardboard. Take in the sights with an in-the-know local. Tonight, raise a glass to your travels at a Farewell Diner.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 22: Farewell from Christchurch
How did three weeks disappear like that? Re-live all the memorable moments on your way home.
Meals: Breakfast
