ROCS Guided Holidays - Australia & New Zealand OPTION 2

The Grand East Coast Tour of Australia & New Zealand VISITING : MELBOURNE, CANBERRA, SYDNEY, BLUE MOUNTAINS, MANLY, TARONGA ZOO, AUCKLAND, ROTORUA, QUEENSTOWN, MILFORD SOUND, PIOPIOTAHI CRUISE, LAKE TEKAPO, CHRISTCHURCH DAY 1 - MALTA - MELBOURNE Meet your Tour Manager at Malta International Airport for your flight to Melbourne. DAY 2 - MELBOURNE Arrival in Melbourne, transfer and check in at The 5* Crown Metropol Hotel. DAY 3 - MELBOURNE Specially commissioned by Governor Macquarie for his wife Elizabeth who was known to love the area this is one of the best vantage points to view the sights of Sydney Harbour. We then return to King Street Wharf to board the cruise vessel for a luncheon on the overwhelming Sydney Harbour. DAY 9 - SYDNEY - BLUE MOUNTAINS

€ 10,169 22 DAY GUIDED TOUR

18 NOV - 09 DEC 2024

DAY 13 - 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. Click! Then get snap happy once again at Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial, offering epic vistas over Auckland and its harbours. Click, click, click! 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? DAY 14 - AUCKLAND - 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 at Te Pā Tū Māori Experience. Enjoy a forest kai horotai (seasonal canapés) and chef choice aperitif, followed by a seasonal three course dinner. Accommodation at the Millennium Hotel Rotorua. DAY 15 - ROTORUA - AUCKLAND - QUEENSTOWN Leave Auckland behind and journey into the countryside for an exclusive family-style Be My Guest experience in the Red Barn on a working dairy farm. Over your farm to table morning tea prepared by the onsite chef, get a feel for country life as you’re invited to roll up your sleeves and make your own butter - butter churners, tiny mason jars and all! The feel-good vibes that endure 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 us for recommendations on this leg of your Queenstown New Zealand tour. Accommodation at the Millennium Hotel, Queenstown DAY 16 - MILFORD SOUND / PIOPIOTAHI CRUISE 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 UNESCO World Heritage listed Fiordland National Park. Once you’ve paused to admire the drama at Mirror Lakes, Knobs Flat, Hollyford Valley lookout and Cleddau Valley, you’ll

Proceed to Melbourne city tour. We will travel through the city centre past China Town and Parliament house to Fitzroy Gardens, St Patrick’s Church. Visit Captain Cook’s Cottage (entrance ticket included). We will then go to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, national Tennis centre and the famous Australian Grand Prix Track. We will then travel over Westgate Bridge for panoramic views and visit the Botanic Gardens. Entry to the Eureka Sky deck 88 to view the city from the Observation Deck. Proceed to the Shrine of Remembrance which was built in 1934. The Shrine is the Victorian state memorial to Australians who have served in war and peacekeeping operations. Enter the Classical interior and discover the reverent solitude of the Sanctuary. View breath taking vistas of Melbourne from the Balcony. DAY 4 - MELBOURNE Today we travel to Melbourne’s Eastern Suburbs, we will take a ride on the historic steam train Puffing Billy. We will ride through the forest from Belgrave to Menzies Creek and pass through the spectacular Blue Dandenong Ranges, with towering mountain ash forests, lyrebirds and fern gullies. Proceed to Yarra Valley for lunch and wine tasting. DAY 5 - MELBOURNE Day at leisure - shopping or visiting relatives. DAY 6 - MELBOURNE - CANBERRA Depart Melbourne and transfer to Canberra - Australia’s Capital City. Check in at The 4* QT Canberra Hotel. DAY 7 - CANBERRA - SYDNEY There is plenty to see and do in Canberra. The most well-known are Parliament House, Old Parliament House, The Aboriginal Tent Embassy, The Australian War Memorial and Lake Burley. Another place you can visit is the attractive Government House and the gardens. Depart Canberra and proceed to Sydney. Check in at The 5*Hilton Sydney Hotel. DAY 8 - SYDNEY Today we will tour this magnificent city known to be one of the most beautiful and picturesque cities of the world. We will see the Harbour Bridge, visit the famous Opera House and Mrs Macquarie’s Chair which is a Sydney landmark. The chair was carved out of a sandstone rock ledge by convicts in 1810.

Today we will travel past the site of the Sydney Olympics to the Blue Mountains National Park. With stunning natural beauty, this world heritage region of the Blue Mountains is an Australian highlight, this slate-coloured haze that gives the mountains their name comes from a fine mist of oil exuded by the huge eucalyptus that form a dense canopy across the landscape of deep valleys. Upon arrival at Echo Point we take a ride on the Scenic Skyway and/or Scenic Railway (rides not included) and awe in wonder at the Three Sisters rock formation. DAY 10 - SYDNEY - MANLY - TARONGA ZOO Visit Circular Quay, which is the hub of Sydney Harbour, situated at a small inlet called Sydney Cove, the founding site for Sydney and Australia. It is a stepping-off point for most attractions based around the harbour. The quay is a vibrant, bustling place with ferries leaving every few minutes to different parts of the harbour, including Taronga Zoo and Manly, where we will visit today. Manly has well been considered Australia’s favourite seaside resort; on the water’s edge, a destination for all seasons and all ages. It’s an attraction famous for its breath-taking natural beauty, scenic walkways alongside harbour and ocean beaches and cultural events. One of Sydney’s most famous attractions, the award-winning Taronga Zoo is home to over 4,000 animals, including Australian native wildlife, as well as rare and endangered exotic animals. Taronga Zoo Sydney’s beautiful outdoor harbourside location provides you with the chance to connect with animals and nature and enjoy time safely with family and friends. Overlooking the magnificent Sydney Harbour, Taronga Zoo is just 12 minutes from the city by ferry. DAY 11 - SYDNEY - AUCKLAND Transfer to Sydney Airport to fly to Auckland. DAY 12 - AUCKLAND New Zealand’s largest city is also one of its prettiest, as you’ll discover exploring at your leisure. Arrive early to linger in its hip harbourside precincts, where galleries and design-driven stores await. You’ll have worked up an appetite by the time you meet your fellow travel companions for a Welcome Reception and dinner at The Grill. Start your Auckland tour on a high, we say. Accommodation at Horizon by SkyCity Auckland.

THE GRAND EAST COAST TOUR OF AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND 2024

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