Journeys: Iconic Australia and New Zealand
Use code BONUS10 to get an extra 10% off all tours — for a limited time only. T&Cs apply
From AUD $17972 Was AUD $19969
Small Group
Light
Rating
Journeys: Iconic Australia and New Zealand
Use code BONUS10 to get an extra 10% off all tours — for a limited time only. T&Cs apply
23 days
Small Group
Moderate
Light
English
Experience Overview
Discover the cultural and natural highlights of New Zealand and Australia on an epic 23-day adventure. Start off on New Zealand’s North Island with a Maori feast in Rotorua; then head south to cruise through majestic, wildlife-rich fjords.
Includes
Activities
- Your Journeys Highlight Moment: A day at Kohutapu, Rotorua Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Sheep Shearing Experience, Canterbury Plains Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Tekapo Dark Sky Experience, Lake Tekapo Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Melbourne Foodie Walk, Melbourne Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Private Tour of the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Exclusive Indigenous experience at Cooya Beach, Port Douglas Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your Expedition Leader and Group
- Waiheke Island Wineries
- Waitomo Caves tour
- Kohutapu Local Maori Community Initiative
- National Kiwi Hatchery
- Scenic TranzAlpine train
- Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre
- Aoraki Mount Cook Kea Point Trek
- Free time in Wanaka and Arrowtown
- Wilderness day cruise in Fiordland National Park
- Free time in Queenstown
- Internal flight
- All transport between destinations and to/from included activities
- Melbourne Foodie Experience
- Sunrise interpretive walk at Uluru
- Sydney Harbour dinner cruise
- Indigenous Peoples Interpretive Walk in the Daintree Forest
- Great Barrier Reef Excursion
- Exclusive Indigenous experience at Cooya Beach
- Internal flights
- All transport between destinations and to/from included activities
Accommodation
- Hotel (22 nts)
- 22 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 1 dinner
Transport
- Private vehicle, plane, train, boat, walking.
Group Leader
- National Geographic Expedition Leader
Highlights
- Go behind the scenes at Sydney Opera house
- Take an interpretive walk with an Indigenous guide
- Snorkel with the fish in the Great Barrier Reef
- Witness thousands of glowworms lighting up the scenery
- See the stars like never before in the protected International Dark Sky in Lake Tekapo.
Trip Details
23 days
Private vehicle, plane, train, boat, walking.
English
Auckland, New Zealand
Cairns, Australia
Moderate
National Geographic Journey, Budget
Light
Itinerary
Day 1: Auckland
Please make your own way to the joining hotel. Our National Geographic Expedition Leader will have a welcome meeting this evening.
Auckland is a fantastic city with so much to see and do. Should you want more time to explore on your own, we recommend booking pre-nights.
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Your opportunity to meet your National Geographic Expedition Leader and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.Accommodation - CityLife Auckland
Day 2: Auckland
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Enjoy a brief walk with your Expedition Leader. He/she will give you some tips on finding things like supermarkets, main squares, and ATMs. For more specific or in-depth information, an official guided tour is recommended.Activity - Catch the ferry to picturesque Waiheke Island to learn about the evolution of the highly celebrated wine industry in New Zealand in its founding region. Tour picturesque vineyards, tasting well known wines from the region while enjoying the views. Return to Auckland this evening via a scenic ferry ride.Accommodation - CityLife Auckland
Day 3: Auckland/Rotorua
Rotorua sits over an active geothermal zone with bubbling mud pits and multi-coloured pools in different areas around the town. This is a fascinating region with Maori history and culture tied directly to the geothermal aspects of the land.
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - Enjoy a peaceful boat ride through 30 million year old caverns covered with magical glowworms that are unique to New Zealand. Hundreds of thousands of these tiny creatures radiate luminescent light in underground caves carved by rivers and time. Take in more than 136 years of cultural and natural history on this unique excursion.Accommodation - Millennium Rotorua
Day 4: Rotorua
Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Travel to Kohutapu Lodge, a social enterprise owned by a local Maori family who are making a difference in their local community through community-driven initiatives. Led by your guide, set off for the Whirinaki rainforest—a Jurassic Podocarp forest—where you will be led by your Maori guide to discover more about the Maori culture and learn about the history of the forest. Spend a final few moments bathed in the forest’s sights and smells while indulging in a cup of hot kawakawa tea. Witness the preparation of a ground-cooked hangi and taste it for yourself. After a delicious lunch, set off on a short hike to the nearby sacred Maori rock carvings, carbon-dated 400 years before the Great Migration.Accommodation - Millennium Rotorua
Day 5: Rotorua/Christchurch
With free time in Rotorua this morning, opt to relax in one of the hot pools fed by water coming directly from the natural springs.
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Learn about the national bird of New Zealand on a guided tour of the National Kiwi Hatchery. With your expert guide, you'll learn about the efforts of the hatchery and the conservation practices New Zealand is taking to care for the endangered bird.Transport - Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.Activity - Enjoy a brief walk with your Expedition Leader. He/she will give you some tips on finding things like supermarkets, main squares, and ATMs. For more specific or in-depth information, an official guided tour is recommended.Accommodation - Distinction Christchurch Hotel
Day 6: Christchurch
Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Climb aboard the train in Christchurch and travel through what many consider to be the most beautiful train ride in the world!Activity - Dive into quintessential Kiwi culture on a sheep farm deep in the Southern Alps. Watch how sheep dogs work alongside humans to wrangle the sheep through paddocks. Join in a sheep shearing demonstration and learn about the importance of sheep farms in New Zealand.Accommodation - Distinction Christchurch Hotel
Day 7: Christchurch/Lake Tekapo
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Free_time - Spend a free morning exploring the beautiful and historic city of Christchurch.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - Witness the stars, planets and milky way like never before in an unforgettable stargazing adventure. Nestled in the heart of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, the purpose-built observation craters give you a fantastic view of the stars. Here, you'll have the unique opportunity to understand the night sky like never before.Accommodation - Woolshed Suites
Day 8: Lake Tekapo
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Visit the Alpine Center museum and theatre to learn about Sir Edmund Hillary himself and the legendary climbing history of Aoraki Mount Cook.Activity - Hike this easy 3 km loop to the foot of the glacier and back. This hike offers incredible views of Mount Sefton, Hooker Valley and Mueller Glacier Lake.Accommodation - Woolshed Suites
Day 9: Lake Tekapo/Queenstown
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Free_time - Enjoy some free time in the lakeside town of Wanaka.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Free_time - Spend some free time exploring historic Arrowtown.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Accommodation - Novotel Queenstown Hotel
Day 10: Queenstown
Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - Cruise through stunning Fiordland National Park, one of the most untouched, remote places in the world. Depending on the departure, the cruise will be in either Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound – two of the most stunning regions within the park. Marvel at the steep cliff walls and cascading waterfalls, and keep an eye out for area wildlife: dolphins, penguins, seals, and a variety of birds.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Accommodation - Novotel Queenstown Hotel
Day 11: Queenstown
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Free_time - There's plenty to see and do in Queenstown, and we wanted to make sure that you had some time to take it all in. Feel free to relax or try optional activities like mountain biking and jet boating. Your National Geographic Expedition Leader has more ideas if you need them. Just ask!Accommodation - Novotel Queenstown Hotel
Day 12: Queenstown/Melbourne
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.Accommodation - Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne
Day 13: Melbourne
Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch
Exclusive inclusions: Free_time - Free time to explore the city or take an excursion.Activity - Melbourne has long been considered a major centre for foodie culture in Australia. As home to many immigrant communities, the gastronomic expertise on offer here is both diverse and exciting. Explore this incredible city on a National Geographic Journeys-exclusive guided walk. Enjoy lunch at three popular venues that showcase why contemporary dining in Melbourne is such a special experience. Through European flavours as well as those from across Asia, you’ll gain a greater understanding of the city’s history, its people, and its celebrated (and gorgeous) laneways.Accommodation - Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne
Day 14: Melbourne
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Free_time - Melbourne is full of things to do – take advantage of this free day and get out to explore! Opt to book an excursion along the Great Ocean Road.Free_time - Melbourne is full of things to do – take advantage of this free day and get out to explore! Opt to book an excursion along the Great Ocean Road.Accommodation - Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne
Day 15: Melbourne/Uluru
Accommodations in Uluru are limited and of varying amenities. We do our best to secure a mid-range hotel, but on occasion a more simple accommodation with fewer amenities may be used.
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.Activity - Learn about the beliefs and customs of the Anangu, the area’s traditional Indigenous owners.Activity - Gaze upon these awe-inspiring uplifted sandstone rock formations.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Accommodation - Desert Gardens Hotel
Day 16: Uluru
Enjoy some free time in the afternoon before capping off the day with a glass of sparkling wine as you witness a crimson sunset over this fabled monolith.
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - While Uluru is the most famous landmark in the park, we explore a bit further afield at Kata Tjuta walking through these red domed rocks that comprise this stunning landscape.Free_time - Enjoy some time at leisure.Activity - Enjoy a glass of sparkling wine while watching the sunset over Uluru. Marvel at the changing colours over the desert and keep reminding yourself that yes, you really are there.Accommodation - Desert Gardens Hotel
Day 17: Uluru/Sydney
Enjoy your final moments in the heart of the outback before it's time to pack up and head off to the airport for an afternoon flight to Sydney.
Observe the stunning display and watch the sun rise with views of Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the distance.
Return to the hotel for breakfast and your final moments in the heart of the outback before it's time to pack up and head off to the airport for an afternoon flight to Sydney. Check in to our Sydney hotel and opt to join our National Geographic Expedition Leader for a dinner out on the town in one of Sydney's famous neighbourhoods.
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Head to the Field of Light for a sunrise experience you won't soon forget. The artist Bruce Munro created an art installation that becomes illuminated in the changing light. Observe the stunning display and watch the sun rise with views of Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the distance.Transport - Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.Accommodation - Vibe Hotel Sydney
Day 18: Sydney
Meals included: Breakfast,Dinner
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Get around underground via public transit.Activity - During today’s private tour of the Sydney Opera House the group will learn about the history of the opera house and how the architecture functions within the theatres to produce sound. You’ll learn how during the mid-1950’s a man from Denmark named Jørn Utzon created a sculpture on Sydney Harbour that dramatically shifted twentieth-century architecture. Hear stories of the how the architects, engineers, and artists built this engineering masterpiece together and spend time in the theatres themselves witnessing how the architecture of each space contributes to sound, as well as the ways that this space manipulates it.Activity - Board a private yacht and enjoy a four-hour cruise navigating the bays and coves of Sydney Harbour. Relax and enjoy the iconic scenery as our crew share stories of Sydney and its famed harbour. Enjoy a casual Aussie BBQ as the sun sets over the Harbour Bridge and Opera House and watch the city lights come alive across the water.Accommodation - Vibe Hotel Sydney
Day 19: Sydney
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Free_time - Today is a free day and we recommend visiting the Australian Museum, Bondi Beach, or Darling Harbour.Accommodation - Vibe Hotel Sydney
Day 20: Sydney/Port Douglas
We catch a very early flight to ensure we make the most of the day.
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - Take an interpretive walk through the Daintree Rainforest. Follow an Indigenous guide and learn about bush food, medicinal plants and the lasting relationship of the Kuku Yalanji people with their natural environment. Find out how to make bush soap, watch an ochre painting demonstration and sample some bush tea.Accommodation - Mantra PortSea
Day 21: Port Douglas
Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - You haven't truly visited Australia until you've experienced the Great Barrier Reef. Climb aboard the Sailaway VII, a 25m (82ft) sailing vessel and take the journey to the Outer Barrier Reef. Spend time in the largest coral reef system in the world, snorkel amongst colourful fish and keep an eye out for nemo (of course). You’ll sail along the coastline with spectacular views of the Daintree Rainforest and pass Snapper Island on the way out to the reef. You’ll enjoy a guided snorkel tour, and a glass bottom boat which offers extra viewing opportunities for those not looking to get in the water. Afternoon tea, coffee, cakes, fruit, and a buffet lunch are included and all necessary snorkelling gear and equipment.Accommodation - Mantra PortSea
Day 22: Port Douglas
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Free_time - In the morning explore charming Port Douglas. Head to the Sunday markets to see what souvenirs you can take home.Activity - Enjoy an exclusive Indigenous experience at Cooya Beach featuring a welcome ceremony and a smoking ceremony, during which travellers will learn the purpose and meaning of these rituals and their significance to the Kuku Yalanji people.Accommodation - Mantra PortSea
Day 23: Port Douglas/Cairns
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
- Flights to and from origin and destinations
- Airport transfers (unless otherwise stated)
- Anything else not explicitly listed in tour inclusions
- Recommended gratuities/tipping
- Optional activities/tours
- Personal expenses
- Travel insurance
- Visas, meals and beverages not stated in the list of inclusions.
When meals are not included, your tour leader (where available) will be happy to help with restaurant recommendations, bookings, and directions. Please let us know if you have any dietary needs or preferences. We will do our best to accommodate these, though we cannot guarantee that every request can be met.
You are responsible for your personal belongings throughout the tour. You will need to carry your own bags between the vehicle and your hotel room. Drivers will assist with loading and unloading luggage from the vehicle.
Travellers requiring wheelchair access should contact our sales and service team, who can make enquiries on your behalf.
This tour requires an average level of fitness. Activities are paced gently and include leisure time. You may be expected to join guided walks of up to one hour, navigate short stairways and mild inclines, and manage your own luggage. You should also be able to board and exit all transport without assistance.
Travellers are expected to be self-sufficient and capable of handling all aspects of their journey. Please discuss your circumstances and support needs with your booking agent to confirm this trip is suitable.
If you are unsure, we recommend consulting your doctor before booking or travelling.
If a planned site visit is unavailable due to changes in operating hours or holiday closures, the itinerary may be altered, or a comparable activity will be substituted where possible and subject to availability.
Visa conditions can change. Once you receive your travel documents, check with the relevant embassy, consulate, or immigration office of your destination for the latest information.
- It is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct and valid travel documents and to comply with all entry requirements.
- Non-Australian citizens must also confirm visa and identification requirements with the appropriate consulate or visa agency.
- Certain occupations (for example, journalists, government officials, or those working in charities) may face additional restrictions when applying for visas, which could affect the type of application required.
From
AUD $19969
Duration: 23 days
Trip Type: Small Group
Activity Level: Light
Discover the cultural and natural highlights of New Zealand and Australia on an epic 23-day adventure. Start off on New Zealand’s North Island with a Maori feast in Rotorua; then head south to cruise through majestic, wildlife-rich fjords.
Price based on per person in Double Room for departure 09 Aug 2026
Tour Operator
G Adventures, founded in 1990 by Bruce Poon Tip, is a global adventure travel company specializing in small-group tours that emphasize authentic, sustainable, and culturally immersive experiences. Originally launched as GAP Adventures (“Great Adventure People”), the company pioneered the concept of community-driven travel by offering affordable trips that connect travelers with local communities while minimizing environmental impact. Today, G Adventures operates in more than 100 countries, offering a wide range of itineraries across themes such as active adventures, wildlife, wellness, family, and National Geographic–partnered tours, while maintaining a strong commitment to responsible tourism and social enterprise through its Planeterra Foundation.
In Business Since 1990
- Offer valid from 09:00 Monday 2 March, for a limited time only, and applies to tour bookings.
- Enter the coupon code BONUS10 at checkout to receive 10% off any tour booking.
- Only one coupon code may be used per booking. Discount applies per booking, not per traveller.
- Discount applies to the land portion of the tour price only.
- All tours are subject to availability and the individual tour operator's terms and conditions, shown at checkout.
- Offer may be withdrawn at any time without notice.
- Coupon codes can only be used once against one booking, cannot be used against existing bookings, and cannot be redeemed or exchanged in any other way. If multiple coupon codes are available at the same time, they are not cumulative and it is at the discretion of the customer to select the coupon code they wish to apply.
- Webjet's standard booking Terms & Conditions apply.
Family trips cannot be booked online.
Please contact webjet customer service to book the trip.
Email: [email protected]