Australia & New Zealand

• Itinerary
• Prices & Information

February 29-March 21, 2008 • 22 Days
Day 1 & 2 – Inflight
Your friendly driver graciously picks you up this morning and whisks you off to the airport for your flight to Los Angeles where we will connect with Quantas for a pleasurable flight to the land down under!  Your R & J Tour Director will be there to assist you during these first two days of travel.  Sit back and relax, you are embarking on a trip of a lifetime!  We’ll give up a calendar day as we cross the International Date Line inflight.
Included Meals: Inflight

Day 3 – Melbourne
Arrive in the Victorian capital of Melbourne where your outstanding hotel awaits.  Arrive in the center of Melbourne for a sightseeing tour that features a cruise on the Yarra River.  This evening your elegant dinner is served aboard the vintage Colonial Tramcar Restaurant which moves around the city.  Enjoy the sights of Melbourne as you dine in grand style!  Your hotel is in the heart of Melbourne. 
Included Meals: Dinner
Hotel: Rydges Melbourne   

Day 4 – Melbourne
This gracious city with 19th century architecture offers delightful sightseeing on our city tour.   See Captain Cook’s Cottage, Queen Victoria Market, and Firzroy Gardens and visit the historic Shrine of Remembrance.  This afternoon enjoy some leisure time in this delightful city.  Dinner is on your own this evening to choose from the many restaurants of Melbourne.
Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 5 – Melbourne
After breakfast at the hotel and a free morning we depart for Warrock Farm, a working cattle property, and enjoy  the opportunity to feed kangaroos and other farm animals.  At Phillip Island  visit the Koala Conservation Centre and see koalas along an elevated boardwalk.  View the Nobbies and one of Australia’s largest fur seal populations.  We stop at the charming seaside town of Cowes with time to enjoy dinner on your own.  At dusk, enjoy the “little penguin parade and see penguins make their way to their burrows.  Later return to the hotel for a restful evening.
Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 6 – Melbourne to Alice Springs
Experience a dramatic change of scenery this morning as we fly into Australia’s Outback.  Arrive in Alice Springs, located in the Red Centre of Australia.  Visit the Royal Flying Doctor Quarters and School Of The Air which brings medical and education services to the people living throughout the vast outback.  Travel out to Cattle Drovers Camp set in the outback where you will experience a true bushman’s barbeque dinner under the Outback stars!  Enjoy the great food while you listen to ancient Aboriginal legends and learn about the Southern Hemisphere Constellations. 
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner        
Hotel: Crowne Plaza Alice Springs

Day 7 – Alice Springs to Ayers Rock
Travel to famous Ayers Rock, considered a holy place among the Australian Aborigines. Enjoy a walking tour of Olga Gorge before this. At sunset, sip champagne as the horizon and landscape pass through an incredible spectrum of colors at Ayers Rock.  You will be graciously served cocktails and nibblies.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Sunset Reception          
Hotel: Desert Gardens Hotel

Day 8 – Ayers Rock to Daintree Rainforest
Awake early and sip warm coffee as the sun rises on Ayers Rock.  We’ll watch the sunrise as it strikes the rock and turns bright orange!  Return to the hotel for breakfast.  The contrast today will be great as we fly from the arid desert of the outback to the lush tropical wilderness of  Northern Queensland.  Arrive in Cairns, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.  Your unique lodge is nestled just outside of Daintree National Park. 
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner       
Hotel: Silky Oaks Lodge & Healing Waters Spa

Day 9 – Daintree Rainforest
This morning after breakfast we board our cruise for a day on the Great Barrier Reef.  Cruise to the very edge of Australia’s Continental Shelf, to an underwater world that is a dazzling kaleidoscope of colour and brilliance.  Quicksilver takes you to Agincourt Reef, a magnificent ribbon reef where you can experience first hand the magic that is the Great Barrier Reef.   Enjoy viewing the reef, thousands of tropical fish, coral gardens and giant clams, plus the use of snorkel equipment for those who would like a closer look!  Return to the lodge for a restful evening.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch  

Day 10 – Daintree to Cairns
After breakfast board the famous Kuranda Scenic Train for one of the most scenic train rides in the world!  View spectacular lush rain forests as you rail around mountainous terrain with rushing waterfalls and rich cane fields.  Pass through up to 15 tunnels and more than 40 bridges.  Visit Kuranda, called “The Village in the Rain Forest” before boarding the world’s longest gondola cableway that gently guides you over the rainforest to sea level!  You are gliding over the Daintree Rainforest, the oldest living rainforest in the world.  Protected by World Heritage status, this ancient forest has been set aside for the enjoyment and education of all generations. Enjoy amazing views as we descend across the lush rainforest with the Coral Sea as a backdrop!  This afternoon we will be entertained at the internationally renowned Tjapuki Aboriginal Cultural Park.  This evening you are free to choose from the many restaurants of Cairns on your own. Your hotel is the Esplanada Hotel ideally located on the Cairns Esplanade. 
Included Meals:Breakfast, Lunch
Hotel: Tradewinds Esplanada Hotel

Day 11 – Cairns to Sydney
Fly to Sydney.  Your hotel is the lovely Sofitel Wentworth Hotel.  Your day finishes an unforgettable sunset cocktail cruise.  Enjoy sweeping views as you gaze at the millions of lights of Sydney twinkling across one of the most splendid harbors in the world, with sweeping views of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge.  We’ll end the cruise at a delightful waterfront restaurant for dinner.
Included Meals:Breakfast, Dinner   
Hotel: Sofitel Wentworth Hotel

Day 12 – Sydney
Sightsee Sydney, the splendid capital of New South Wales.  Explore the Rocks, built by convicts for Australia’s first settlers.  Capture the essence of Sydney, discovering the major Sydney highlights including the Botanic Gardens before wandering along Bondi Beach.  See the city’s downtown, vibrant Kings Cross, sandy white eastern beaches and affluent harborside suburbs.  This afternoon tour the Sydney Opera House and go “behind the sails” of one of the world’s architectural masterpieces.
Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 13 – Sydney
R&J Tours has arranged for you to enjoy a free day here in Sydney.  Pursue your own interests today with the help of your tour director.
Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 14 – Sydney to Christchurch
Fly to New Zealand’s South Island to the charming town of Christchurch known as the “Garden City.”   Enjoy an orientation tour before we arrive at your delightful hotel overlooking Victoria Square and the tranquil Avon River. This evening you are special guests at a magnificently restored mansion.  Experience the true elegance of Canterbury as we dine and learn about the history of the first settlers of Christchurch.  Truly a cultural journey we will long remember.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner           
Hotel: Copthorne Central Hotel

Day 15 – Christchurch to Mount Cook
The pretty Canterbury Plains give way to the glacier-capped Southern Alps.  Stop for a view of the Church of the Good Shepherd and enjoy afternoon tea at Taylor’s farm before we arrive at The Hermitage Hotel, nestled in the Mount Cook National Park, boasting the most spectacular peaks in the Southern Alps. 
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: The Hermitage Mount Cook Lodge

Day 16 – Mount Cook to Queenstown
Enjoy some free time before continuing to the charming alpine village of Queenstown nestled among snow-capped peaks. Check into your beautiful lakefront hotel featuring Lakeview rooms.  Tonight you are guests on a leisure cruise on Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak for a carvery dinner at the Colonel’s homestead. 
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Heritage Queenstown Hotel

Day 17 – Queenstown
Take an optional jet boat ride down a glacier-fed river with the narrow, rocky gorges of the Shotover River Canyon.  The rest of the day is yours to explore Queenstown at leisure. A free day in this alpine resort is a must.  There is something for everyone and we want you to be free to decide your pleasure.
Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 18 – Queenstown
Today will be a day you will long remember as we embark on a spectacular journey to Milford Sound.  We make our way through rugged countryside to Te Anau, the gateway to Fjordland National Park.  We’ll enjoy morning tea here before we wind through Homer Tunnel and on to amazing Milford Sound which boasts some of the most spectacular scenery in the world!  This unique area is honored by belonging to the World Heritage Parks and today you’ll know why!  Cruise on the quiet waters of the fjord along sheer rock cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and the occasional sight of a basking seal.  Return to Queenstown for a restful evening. (May we suggest an optional scenic flight back to Queenstown.)  This evening some may want to join us for an optional pizza party at The Cow, an old restored milk creamery.
Included Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Day 19 – Queenstown
Fly to Rotorua today, a city built on an area of geothermal activity and an important centre for North Island Marori Culture.  Some may want to take in Rainbow Springs that highlights the magnificent  Trout of New Zealand or visit Hells Gate Spa for a relaxing mud bath in the therapeutic mineral rich springs or a massage.  This evening immerse yourself in culture as you enjoy a Maori Hangi Feast and cultural performance of traditional dances accompanied by song.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Millenium Hotel

Day 20 – Rotorua
Today experience a full day at the attractions of Rotorua.  Visit the Te Puia Thermal Reserve, New Zealand’s major geyser field.  The area has over 500 hot springs and most forms of geothermal activity, including steaming ground, boiling mud pools, hot springs and impressive geysers.   Later visit the Agrodome to enjoy an entertaining sheep and farm show and learn about New Zealand’s important sheep industry.  This evening visit a local New Zealand family for an overnight stay.  Enjoy a delicious home cooked dinner with good conversation this evening.  Those who choose not to stay with a family will be staying at the Millenium Hotel for another relaxing night.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 21 – Rotorua to Auckland
Enjoy breakfast with your family before we meet the group and tour through the beautiful countryside to the rugged hills south of Otorohanga, where you will visit the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves.  We’ll board flat-bottomed boats and quietly glide along this underground river through the caves until we come to glowing caves, alive with thousands of tiny glow worms hanging from the cave’s ceilings.  Arrive in Auckland, an attractive city set between two harbors of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean.  As you descend upon the city, enjoy sweeping views of Mt. Eden and city below.  Your hotel is perfectly located in downtown Auckland.  Join us this evening for a farewell dinner celebration at Harbourside Restaurant, situated on Auckland’s waterfront.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner        
Hotel: Mercure Auckland Hotel

Day 22 – Auckland to Home
After breakfast, tour the ‘City of Sails’ with the Skytower-the tallest building in the southern hemisphere.  Capture stunning views from atop Mount Eden as Auckland and Rangitoto Island, a dormant volcano, towers in the distance.  Visit Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World, for a fish-eye view of the sea.  Later board the Devonport Ferry across the Waitamata Harbour to Auckland’s North Shore.  Devonport is Auckland’s oldest area, with many of the original shops and homesteads still existing.  Take time to browse the shops and have dinner on your own at one of the many unique restaurants before returning by ferry.   Later this afternoon we board our flight for home.
Included Meals: Breakfast