Transfer to your local airport for the short flight to Los Angeles. Your overnight flight to New Zealand will depart for L.A. early this evening. In-Flight meals are included.

You will cross the Equator and the International Date Line during this portion of your flight, losing a day along the way. In-Flight meals are included.

Today you arrive in Auckland, New Zealand on the lush North Island. A land of amazing contrasts and scenic beauty awaits you. Enjoy a morning city tour of New Zealand’s largest city prior to arriving at your hotel. A get acquainted dinner is included at the Auckland Tower.

After breakfast, board your motorcoach for a scenic drive through the Waikato Valley. Stop to tour the Waitomo Caves where you will take a boat ride along an underground river to the famous Glowworm Grotto. Arrive later this afternoon in Rotorua, home of the native Maori, Polynesians who invaded these islands 700 years ago. Tonight we have included a Maori concert and Hangi Feast.

Rotorua is known as the Yellowstone of New Zealand. Tour the Maori Arts & Crafts Institute before viewing the Whaka thermal area with its boiling pots and geysers. You will also visit Rainbow Springs to see huge trout and Kiwi birds. A sheepshearing demonstration and dog show is next after which you will have an afternoon free to explore on your own. Overnight is again in Rotorua.

Enjoy a scenic flight over the Southern Alps this morning on the way to South Island. Arrive in Queenstown, New Zealand’s premier resort town and check into your hotel for a three-night stay. Your afternoon is on your own to shop and explore. This evening, ascend Bob’s Peak in a gondola for a panoramic view of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables Range, then return to the hotel for an included dinner.

The highlight of your trip to New Zealand may come today on a full day trip to Milford Sound. Experience the magnificent scenery of Fjordland National Park and drive through the famed Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound. Here you board a cruise to this incredible deepwater inlet reminiscent of Norway’s scenic fjords. Enjoy an up close view of towering cliffs and waterfalls plus see seals and Kea parrots before returning to Queenstown for the night.

Today is a free day in Queenstown. You may choose to relax and sleep in, go shopping in the village or take a lake cruise. Other options include a high country sheep station visit, a thrilling Shotover River jet boat ride or a trip to the learn the Gold Rush history of quaint Arrowtown.

This morning enjoy a scenic drive along the Kawarau River Gorge, over Landis Pass to Lake Pukaki and a view of Mt. Cook, New Zealand’s tallest peak. You will cross the Canterbury Plains farming region on the way to the city of Christchurch, the most English city outside of England. Tonight enjoy an included dinner at the hotel.

You will be part of a morning city tour of Christchurch to include Cathedral Square and the Cashmere Hills Lookout. Early this afternoon you transfer to the airport for a flight across the Tasman Sea to Melbourne, Australia for a 3-night stay.

Tour Melbourne this morning, known as a city of parks. See Fitzroy Gardens, Cricket Grounds, the National Opal Museum and the Shrine of Remembrance. You will have a free afternoon in Melbourne or take an optional coach trip to nearby Phillip Island to watch the evening fairy penguin parade on the beach. (Estimated cost is $130.00 pp including dinner)

You will have a full free day to explore Melbourne. Suggested options would be to ride a streetcar to the Captain Cook House, visit the Queen Victoria Market, take a walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens or just relax and do some shopping.

Depart Melbourne this morning for a short included flight to the capital city of Canberra, a beautiful planned city built around an artificial lake. See Parliament House, Embassy Row and more. Next you will visit a working sheep station for an Aussie BBQ and sheep show. Board your coach and relax as you travel through the Australian Bush countryside to Sydney for a three night stay in the “City of Sails”.

Our morning tour of this world class city will include all the must see sights such as the Opera House, Darling Harbor, naughty Kings Cross and Bondi Beach. This afternoon is free to enjoy shopping, sightseeing or relaxing at the hotel on your own. Tonight there are many restaurants to choose from within easy walking distance of your hotel.

This is a totally free day in Sydney. You may wish to visit the 2000 Olympic Park or Featherdale Wildlife Park where 2200 native Australian animals live in natural bush surroundings. Tonight be part of a narrated dinner cruise of Sydney Harbor as you sail the sparkling waters past the Opera House, Harbor Bridge and a million dollar coastline.

Transfer to the airport this morning for your return flight to the United States. Arrive home the same day after crossing the Date Line once again.