Australia & New Zealand Uncovered

Sydney

Touch down in Australia’s most iconic city and settle into the luxurious Four Seasons Sydney, where harbour views and five-star elegance set the tone for your journey. Explore the city’s highlights in style on an exclusive half day Panoramic Tour with AEA Luxury Tours, unveiling Sydney’s coastal beauty, vibrant neighbourhoods, and world-famous landmarks. With time to soak up the sunshine, indulge in fine dining, and wander at your own pace, this stay blends luxury and leisure in perfect harmony.

Brisbane

Arrive in Brisbane and transfer to your hotel for a two-night stay. Striking, modern architecture and colonial charm combine in cosmopolitan Brisbane, Australia’s third largest city. Less than an hour’s drive away are the theme parks, nightlife and surfing beaches of the Gold Coast.

Noosa

Pick up your hire car and drive to the sleepy beachfront town of Noosa which is located on the Sunshine Coast and surrounded by riverside areas and hinterland communities. The following day join a relaxing afternoon cruise through Australia's Everglades. Admire the reflective waterways and watch the colours change as the sun starts to set while enjoying a beer or glass of bubbles.

Hervey Bay

It is a two-hour drive to Hervey Bay, commonly considered the gateway to Fraser Island. There is plenty to do here, with white sand beaches, historic Urangan Pier and many seaside cafés and picnic spots. Hervey Bay is also renowned for whale-watching encounters - July to November is the best time for sightings

K'gari

Catch the ferry to K'gari, a unique island destination which combines the best of nature’s adventure playground with beaches and sunsets that stretch forever, K'gari is a place like no other.
The following day meet your Ranger for a day’s adventure on the world’s largest sand island. Drive across this World heritage-listed island in an air-conditioned 4WD coach to the golden sands of 75-Mile Beach. Swim in the fresh waters of Eli Creek on K'gari's eastern beach. See the rusting hulk of the Maheno Shipwreck and continue to the Coloured Sands of the Pinnacles. Discover the former logging station at Central Station. Walk long the boardwalk of Wanggoolba Creek. Then visit Pile Valley, where the islands famous Satinay trees grow in the sand. Take a dip in the clear waters of Lake McKenzie, walk around the sandy shoreline or just relax and enjoy the spectacular view.

Sunshine Coast Hinterland

After breakfast, take some time to relax and explore more of beautiful K'gari. This afternoon catch your ferry back to Hervey Bay. Drive the three-hour journey to the beautiful Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Discover the ancient volcanic peaks of the Glass House Mountains, stroll through the lush rainforests and admire the breathtaking scenery, the Sunshine Coast Hinterland is a haven of relaxation.

Brisbane - Auckland

Bid farewell to Queensland’s sun-drenched shores as you return to Brisbane and drop off your hire car. Ahead lies a new chapter—cross the Tasman to Auckland, where your New Zealand adventure begins. From golden beaches to emerald hills, prepare to swap surf for spectacular scenery and coastal charm for alpine drama.

Auckland - New Zealand’s largest city is also one of its most beautiful. Arrive early to explore its vibrant harbourside precincts filled with galleries and stylish boutiques. Later, meet your fellow travellers for a warm Welcome Reception and dinner, complete with local drinks to toast the start of your adventure.

Auckland

If you didn’t get your city bearings yesterday, you will on an Auckland tour today. Have your camera poised as you reach Mission Bay, a dreamy waterside suburb where the blues patchwork to the horizon. Then get snap happy once again at Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial, offering epic vistas over Auckland and its harbours. Want some tips on how to spend your free afternoon in New Zealand’s largest city? How about going behind the scenes of the All Blacks, arguably the world’s most legendary rugby team? Or cruising to Waiheke Island to sip more wine at forward-thinking cellar doors? This evening’s Auckland tour is at your leisure.

Rotorua

You could be forgiven for thinking Rotorua’s landscapes are a sci-fi movie set. Mud pops and jettisons from bubbling geysers and steam rushes skywards from cracks in the Earth. The surrounding forest is a fertile habitat for New Zealand’s national bird, being protected and bred at the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa. The cute-as-a-button, cotton-ball kiwi is under threat in the wild; at the hatchery, passionate conservationists reveal how they are saving the population, one incubated egg at a time. Tonight, dive deep into Indigenous culture and traditions on a Rotorua tour at Te Pa Tu Māori Experience, where your hangi Highlight Dinner is cooked underground.

Queenstown

Lord of the Rings fanatics, prepare for a day of goosebumps. Your Rotorua tour begins with breakfast served in the very spot that Frodo and Bilbo once lived. The Hobbiton Movie Set is all rolling hills and emerald pastures, a storybook landscape for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. The feel-good vibes that ensure will follow you all the way to Queenstown, the self-proclaimed adventure capital of New Zealand. It makes perfect sense – there are ski fields, white-water river and bridges strapped with bungy cords wherever you turn. And then there’s the dining scene; Queenstown is home to some of the country’s most awarded restaurants. Whether you’re in the mood for bulging burgers or lakeside tapas, ask your guide for recommendations on this leg of your Queenstown New Zealand tour.

Milford Sound - Queenstown

Bring your stamina and sense of adventure – things get a little wild today. Nature rules as you skirt Queenstown’s gleaming Lake Wakatipu, and traverse the Devil’s Staircase to Te Anau, the alpine gateway to World Heritage listed Fiordland National Park. Once you’ve paused to admire the drama at Mirror Lakes, Knobs Flat, Hollyford Valley lookout, Cleddau Valley and the Chasm, you’ll begin to understand why Rudyard Kipling called this the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. You haven’t even seen Bowen Falls or Milford Sound/Piopiotahi yet… The best Milford Sound/Piopiotahi cruise sees you in the company of eagle-eyed guide, who not only knows the immense geological history of the region, but can also point out sun-baking fur seals and playful dolphins.
The following day is at your leisure to explore Queenstown. Like things fast and furious? Feel the wind in your hair on the high-octane Shotover Jet, perhaps, your high-octane chariot churning over the Shotover River’s white-water rapids. Prefer to be able to talk (and drink wine) while you cruise? Glide across Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet barbecue lunch in a dreamy alpine setting. Wherever you wander, be sure to save space for tonight’s Highlight Dinner at Postmasters Café, a historic Arrowtown cottage replete with picket fence and Instagrammable gardens.

Queenstown - Lake Tekapo

Whether pinot noir grapes or cherries, things grow well in the fertile Central Otago region of the South Island. Get a taste for the area’s plump stone fruit at a local orchard, where the farmers will guide you around the estate. Mountain drama – including views of Aoraki/Mt. Cook – is your backdrop en route to Lake Tekapo, with water so turquoise it looks like a Renaissance painting. This part of the country is ravishing and remote; the lack of light pollution means dazzling Southern Hemisphere stargazing at UNESCO World Heritage listed Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. It’s handy to have an astronomer in your company to decode the constellations of the Milky Way. If there was ever a NZ experience that put life in perspective, this is it.

Lake Tekapo - Christchurch

The Canterbury region of the west coast is a bucolic union of grassy plains, mirror-like lakes and snow-capped mountains, the kind of landscape that you might see on postcards. Enjoy some warm Kiwi hospitality at Morelea, the home of Angie and Stan Taylor. Indulge in a Be My Guest barbecue lunch and hear about a lifetime spent in farming in New Zealand. You'll also get to witness Angie preparing her famous pavlova dessert. Whether installations or bijou boutiques, this city packs a mighty art punch, as you’ll discover on tomorrow’s Christchurch tour. For now, the only thing to do is celebrate your NZ holiday at one of the city’s forward-thinking restaurants and bars.

Christchurch

Start your last full day of your travels touring the beautiful English city of Christchurch, which is not only rebuilding itself after the devastating 2010/11 earthquakes, but is changing the way architects think about design. Case in point the mind-bending Transitional Cathedral, made largely of cardboard, and Turanga, the gold-clad central library. A big day leads to a big evening joining your Travel Director and travel mates for a celebratory Farewell Dinner featuring produce from the Canterbury region.

Depart Christchurch