TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Hobbiton/Alexander Farms – Lord of the Rings Tour Milford Sound Cruise

• Waitemata Harbour

• Fjordland National Park

• Lake Wakatipu

• Kuranda Koala Gardens

• Kuranda Scenic Train

• Sydney Harbour Cruise

• Penguin Parade

• Great Barrier Reef Cruise

• Sydney and Melbourne Local Step on Guided Tours Sydney Opera House Tour

RATES PER PERSON

*Flights Included:
Double: $9,500
Single: $12,000 

INCLUDED IN TOUR

• Professional tour director

• Professional motor coach driver

• All flights (regional airport departures may cost more)

• Step on guides for city tours

• Top quality accommodations – 4 Star and above

• Luxury motor coaches

• Many meals on tour, equal amount of breakfasts and lunches/dinners

• Tips on all meals

• All taxes, fees, visas, etc. included in total price of tour

• Personalized service

• Final documents for trip details, 8 weeks prior to departure

• Luggage handling

• Much, much more!
  

NOT INCLUDED IN TOUR

• Every meal not included – guests are informed about how much more money to expect to pay for meals prior to departure

• Tips for tour director and driver
  ($7 - $10 per person per day is recommended. Bluebird Guided Tours also tips our tour directors and drivers individually)

• Baggage Fees when flying (~$25 per direction per bag)

• Personal expenses (souvenirs, other personal costs, etc.)

ITINERARY

LEG 1: NEW ZEALAND

Day 1 and 2: Flight to Auckland, New Zealand
*2 Meals served during flights
Fly from your most convenient departure location to meet your tour director in Los Angeles, CA where you’ll depart on the 12-hour flight to New Zealand. Lose a calendar day when crossing the International Date Line but it is all worth it as the group arrives in one of the most amazing countries in the world!

Day 3: Auckland
Arrive to Auckland, New Zealand for the first day in the Southern Hemisphere. Begin by cruising the Waitemata Harbour with commentary from a local guide. This overview of the city includes sights like the Harbour Bridge, Bean Rock Lighthouse, and the beautiful city skyline. Check into the hotel to end the day in Hamilton and prepare for a fantastic vacation!

Novotel Hotel, Hamilton

Day 4: Alexander Farm and Matamata
Learn the history of the Alexander Farm in the quaint town of Matamata. After arriving, follow a local guide through this 1,250-acre sheep farm that is best known as the set of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Get lunch and enjoy the views of the Kaimai Ranges just outside of Matamata and finish the evening in nearby Rotorua for a two night stay.

Distinction Hotel, Rotorua

Day 5: Wai-O-Tapu and the Maori
*Breakfast and Dinner Included
Begin the day with a visit to the Rotorua Museum to learn about the history and lifestyle of the Maori people. After lunch, stop over to Wai-O-Tapu, an 11 square mile volcanic hot spring that displays many vibrant colors and even boiling mud pools. For the end of the day stop at the Tamaki Maori Village for a concert and Hangi Feast!

Distinction Hotel, Rotorua

Day 6: Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables
*Breakfast and Dinner Included
Fly into Queenstown in the morning and explore the surrounding area for the next 3 days. The beautiful Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain range will be in the background for the duration of the stay on the south island. Queenstown is known for its adventure tourism, but casual observers will find the city of less than 15,000 delightful. Tonight enjoy an included dinner but not before taking the gondola up 1,500 feet to the top of Bob’s Peak, which gives fantastic panoramic views of this mountainous region.

The Rees Hotel, Queenstown

Day 7: Milford Sound
*Breakfast Included
Fjordland National Park is the main destination today! These immense glaciated valleys are reminiscent of Norwegian fjords. Depart on a two-hour cruise that shows Milford Sound and travels past Bowen Falls which drops over 500 feet into the sound. Sea lions, a variety of birds, and other wildlife will also be on hand throughout the cruise. Today will be one of the many highlights of the trip!

The Rees Hotel, Queenstown

Day 8: Queenstown
*Breakfast Included
Start the day at the Kiwi and Birdlife Park; the Kiwi is the national symbol of New Zealand and all 5 species are endangered. At the Birdlife Park see these birds in their nocturnal houses during the middle of the day. For the afternoon, enjoy free time in the beautiful town of Queenstown. Do some shopping, jet boating, golfing, or any other outdoor activity (bungy jumping perhaps?). If you are interested in an outdoor activity, just ask the tour director for options!

The Rees Hotel, Queenstown

Day 9: Southern Alps
*Breakfast and Dinner Included
Cross through the Central Otago and over the Lindis Pass, traveling past Mount Cook National Park, giving gorgeous views of New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Scenery is the guide today! See the glacially fed Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki along with peaks and valleys of this incredible inland region. By evening, arrive to Christchurch to stay the night. Tomorrow, fly across the Tasman Sea to the country of Australia and continue this fantastic trip!

Rendezvous Hotel, Christchurch

LEG 2: AUSTraLIA

Day 10: Australia
Make the flight from Christchurch, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia this morning. For the afternoon, tour the city by bus and on foot with a local guide. Get a perfect introduction to Sydney with sights of the famous Sydney Opera House, Botanical Gardens, Harbour Bridge, and Queen Victoria Building. Stay three nights at the same lodging.

Radisson Hotel, Sydney

Day 11: Sydney Harbour Cruise
*Dinner Included
Cruise the Sydney Harbour today! See fantastic views of the famous Sydney Opera House along with many other highlighted sights. View the Harbour Bridge, which is one of the top 10 largest span bridges in the world! After lunch, arrive to ‘the Rocks’ neighborhood for some free time. finish the night with an included dinner!

Radisson Hotel, Sydney

Day 12: Sydney Opera House
Finish time in the capital of New South Wales with a tour of the famous Sydney Opera House. This guided tour walks through the world-renowned facility that annually hosts over 1,500 events and is seen by over a million people. Learn about its 50-year history and the multiple venues it has on property. The afternoon will be spent in the Darling Harbor area, a fantastic tourist destination to finish off the time in Sydney!

Radisson Hotel, Sydney

Day 13: North to Cairns
*Dinner Included
Jump on a flight and go to the northernmost Australian destination of the trip. The tropical city of Cairns (pronounced like ‘cans’) is the gateway to many natural wonders in Australia, including the Great Barrier Reef! Get an included dinner tonight and prepare for some natural wonders in the upcoming days.

Double Tree Hotel, Cairns

Day 14: Kuranda Scenic Train
*Breakfast and Lunch Included
Cairns holds many highlights of this trip down under and the Kuranda Train is definitely one of them. Travel from Cairns to Kuranda by rail car. En route to this village in the rainforest, see massive waterfalls into Barron Gorge along with expansive views of the surrounding mountains. Disembark the train and visit the Kuranda Koala Gardens, to get a rare opportunity to interact in close quarters with koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies. After an included lunch, take some time to explore the Kuranda Heritage Markets. Finish the day back in Cairns with the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef waiting tomorrow.

Double Tree Hotel, Cairns

Day 15: Great Barrier Reef
*Breakfast and Lunch Included
Experience the 1,600-mile long Great Barrier Reef today! This is the largest living organism in the world. Have the option to explore the reef by glass bottom boat and/or by snorkeling. Learn about the reef from local environmentalists as they show and teach about the vividly colored coral and many different varieties of fish. Enjoy a delicious tropical lunch on board and return in the evening with amazing knowledge and pictures of the Great Barrier Reef.

Double Tree Hotel, Cairns

Day 16: Fly to Melbourne
*Breakfast Included
Fly to Melbourne today, the capital of Victoria nestled on the southeastern coast of Australia. The last three nights will be spent here. This city is known for many things including botanical gardens and 19th-century architecture.

Best Western Riverside, Melbourne

Day 17: Tour of Melbourne
Begin the day in Melbourne with a local step on guide of the city. See famous sights like the Parliament Building, Shrine of Remembrance Memorial, and Chinatown. Enjoy some free time this afternoon and see sights all within walking distance from the hotel like Waterfront Precinct, Victorian Arts Center, and much more.

Best Western Riverside, Melbourne

Day 18: Mornington Peninsula
*Lunch and Dinner Included
After a free morning, travel to the Mornington Peninsula this afternoon, home to great views of the Phillips Bay which is home to Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. Get an earlier dinner and then travel to Phillips Island to see the amazing coast and hopefully some wallabies! Finish today at the Penguin Parade to see the world’s smallest penguin, the Little Penguin, come ashore to their nests.

Best Western Riverside, Melbourne

Day 19: Flying Home
This morning, enjoy free time in the morning and then board a plane to begin the trip home, across the International Date Line to regain a day landing in Los Angeles, California again. We will make our way back home today – or early morning tomorrow for some – this depends on your original departure location.

Side Trip Options: Tack on three or four days at the end of your trip to Uluru (Ayres Rock) or Fiji. Let Bluebird Guided Tours know as early as possible to get pricing options!