All Over Australia and New Zealand

Your first day offers an immersive introduction to Auckland and the landscapes that define it. With your private guide, trace the city’s harbors and coastlines, pause at viewpoints shaped by ancient volcanic activity, and gain insight into the Polynesian and Māori influences woven throughout New Zealand’s largest city before settling into The Grand by SkyCity in the heart of Auckland's CBD.

From Auckland, the drive south gives way to rolling farmland, the Waikato River keeping pace alongside the road. The real surprise comes at Waitomo, where the most memorable part of the day happens underground. A boat glides through the Glowworm Grotto in near silence, its ceiling lit by starry bioluminescence. After lunch, it's over the Mamaku Ranges and into Rotorua, where geothermal landscapes and Māori culture await.

Spend the day experiencing the many sides of Rotorua, from a lighthearted introduction to sheep farming at the Agrodome to a stroll through Rotorua Gardens and stops at the vivid Green and Blue Lakes. Continue to Te Puia for the afternoon and discover one of New Zealand’s most significant geothermal and cultural sites. Here, steaming vents, bubbling mud pools, and the powerful eruptions of Pohutu Geyser create the backdrop for an introduction to Māori traditions and the enduring connection between people and place.

Set off to the South Island for an ultra-luxe stay at the boutique Azur Lodge overlooking Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain range.

Follow the lakeshore south as the landscape shifts to rolling green valleys, clear braided rivers, and distant snow-capped mountains. Pause at Te Anau, New Zealand’s second-largest lake, before continuing into Fiordland, where the road winds deeper into one of the country’s most dramatic landscapes. Each bend reveals another shift in scenery until the journey culminates at Milford Sound.

The Dart River runs through some of the South Island's most remote country, where snow-capped peaks are the backdrop to braided channels, hidden valleys, and waterfalls. A jet boat carries you upriver through the ever-shifting river system before a guided bush walk at Paradise introduces the native forest, its flora and fauna, and the Māori and colonial history woven into the landscape. The return journey by jet boat brings a different perspective on the same remarkable terrain.

Today's transfer is one of New Zealand's great road journeys. From Queenstown, the route moves through the Kawarau Gorge, Central Otago's fruit stalls and vineyards, and the remote Lindis country before Aoraki Mount Cook comes into view. After a midday pause, the afternoon continues through the wide open Mackenzie Country and down onto the Canterbury Plains, arriving in Christchurch in time for a brief orientation of the Garden City.

By now, Christchurch’s nickname, The Garden City, begins to make sense. The Port Hills put the region into perspective: Christchurch laid out in neat lines below, the Canterbury Plains reaching toward the horizon, Lyttelton Harbour shimmering in the light, and the Southern Alps rising dramatically in the distance. From there, visit two private gardens that blend New Zealand natives with exotic species in distinct and thoughtfully designed landscapes. After lunch in the city, continue to the Botanical Gardens, home to some of the largest, tallest, and oldest exotic trees in New Zealand.

Onward to Australia! Today you'll arrive in one of the world's great natural harbor cities. A private transfer brings you to Shangri-La, Sydney, positioned high in the historic The Rocks district near Circular Quay with uninterrupted views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Spend the day getting to know Sydney beyond its postcard moments. Trace the city’s evolution from its colonial beginnings in The Rocks to the energy of Barangaroo before stepping inside the Sydney Opera House for a guided tour inside its iconic sails. Continue through the city’s historic heart and into the Royal Botanic Garden, where harbor views frame the skyline.

By afternoon, trade city streets for sea air with time to stroll Bondi Beach and enjoy lunch by the water before continuing past Macquarie Lighthouse and Sydney Heads. A ferry back to Circular Quay past Sydney's most coveted waterfront homes closes the day.

Scale the Sydney Harbour Bridge on a guided climb to the summit, 400 feet above the harbor. As the arch rises beneath your feet, Sydney opens up in every direction: the Opera House to the east, the Blue Mountains on the horizon, and ferries tracing white lines across the water below. The rest of the day is yours to explore Sydney up close.

Trade city lights for the scale and stillness of the Red Centre as you arrive at Uluru. As evening settles over the desert, head to a remote location with uninterrupted views of the monolith. A lone didgeridoo marks the transition from day to night while a three-course dinner inspired by native bush ingredients is served beneath a sky dense with stars. Then, as darkness deepens, Field of Light slowly awakens: 50,000 illuminated glass spheres spreading across the desert floor and shifting softly through changing color.

Experience two of the Red Centre’s most significant landscapes in a single day. Begin at Kata Tjuta at sunrise, when shifting light brings definition to the immense domes, before continuing into Walpa Gorge, named for the wind that moves through it. Walking between the towering rock walls offers a deeper understanding of both the ancient geology and enduring cultural significance of this place.

Later, spend time at the base of Uluru, approaching gradually to appreciate its scale. Walk to Mutitjulu Waterhole and past rock art sites while learning about the monolith’s significance to the Anangu people. End the day at Talinguru Nyakunytjaku with a toast as the last light washes across Uluru, with Kata Tjuta lingering in the distance.

From red earth to the deep greens and blues of Tropical North Queensland, today reveals a completely different side of Australia.

From the air, the meeting point of the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef reveals something no ground-level visit can: the only place in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites share a coastline. The flight follows the rainforest first, over Mossman Gorge, the mouth of the Daintree River, and Cape Tribulation, before the Coral Sea opens up and the reef comes into view around Low Isles.

The Kuku Yalanji people have lived across this stretch of coastline and rainforest for thousands of years, and this day offers the opportunity to experience their culture through the people and places that continue to shape it. Guided by a Kubirri Warra clan member, move across beach, mudflats, and mangroves while learning about bush medicines, traditional foods, and trying your hand at throwing a fishing spear. At Mossman Gorge, elevated boardwalks wind through World Heritage-listed rainforest as stories and local knowledge bring deeper meaning to the landscape. The day concludes at Janbal Gallery with Aboriginal artist Brian ‘Binna’ Swindley, whose work shares Dreamtime stories of animals, Country, and culture through art.

From Auckland’s harbor to the Coral Sea, two countries and sixteen unforgettable nights have brought together experiences that linger long after you leave. Today, you begin your journey home.