Overseas Adventure Travel Announcing 2026 Adventures by Land & Small Ship | A South Pacific Odyssey: Australia, the Outback & New Zealand

SOUTH PACIFIC

Uluru (Ayers Rock), Australia

Maori woman, New Zealand

Australia: Melbourne, Alice Springs, the Outback, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Sydney | New Zealand: Christchurch, Hokitika, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Rotorua, Auckland
Small groups of no more than 16 travelers, guaranteed

Delve into the remote rugged heartland of Australia when we spend a night in the Outback in a private tented camp, and explore natural landmarks like the Great Barrier Reef and Ayers Rock (Uluru). We'll also feel the pulse of Australia's cultural centers, from Melbourne to Sydney. In New Zealand, cruise Milford Sound and explore Rotorua, a center for Maori culture, and experience firsthand the Kiwi spirit of adventure.

30 days starting from $12,395
including international airfare from Los Angeles
Single Supplement: FREE
Departure Dates: Jan-May; Aug-Dec
Activity Level: 1 2 3 4 5Moderately Strenuous

IT'S INCLUDED

• 27 nights accommodation

• International airfare, airport transfers, government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges unless you choose to make your own air arrangements

• All land transportation and 6 internal flights

• 54 meals—27 breakfasts, 13 lunches, and 14 dinners

• 30 small group activities

• Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader

• Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and luggage porters

• 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward your next adventure

Sea turtle, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Waimangu Volcanic Valley, New Zealand

Telegraph Station, Alice Springs, Australia

ITINERARY

DAY 1 • Depart U.S.

Fly from the U.S. to Melbourne, Australia.

DAY 2 • Cross International Date Line
Continue your flight to Melbourne, losing one day en route as you cross the International Date Line (which you regain when you fly back home).

DAY 3 • Arrive in Melbourne, Australia
At your hotel in Melbourne, meet your fellow travelers, including those who took our optional Undiscovered Tasmania pre-trip extension.
_{Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne or similar}

DAY 4 • Explore Melbourne • Koorie Heritage Trust visit
Visit Koorie Heritage Trust and learn how the land has changed over time. Discover art installations about the local Kulin peoples. Later, enjoy a Welcome Dinner.
_{Meals: B,L,D | Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne or similar}

DAY 5 • Melbourne • Optional Healesville Sanctuary & Dandenong Ranges tour
Enjoy time on your own today, or experience the tranquility of the Healesville Sanctuary & Dandenong Ranges on an optional tour.
_{Meals: B | Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne or similar}

DAY 6 • Fly to Alice Springs • Old Telegraph Station & School of the Air visit
Fly to Australia's Alice Springs, a quintessential Outback town, and visit the old Telegraph Station. Then, stop at the Alice Springs School of the Air, dedicated to enhancing the learning experiences of children in remote Australian areas.
_{Meals: B,L | Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters or similar}

DAY 7 • The Outback • Outback Camping experience
Stop at Simpsons Gap and Finke River before arriving at your Outback campsite for views of the sun setting over the horizon.
_{Meals: B,L,D | Private Tented Camp}

DAY 8 • Outback • Kings Canyon • Uluru (Ayers Rock)
Tour the walking trails of Kings Canyon on the way to Yulara, just outside Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
_{Meals: B,L,D | Desert Gardens Hotel or similar}

DAY 9 • Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park • Uluru (Ayers Rock)
Discover Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and its rock formations. Later, watch the sun set over Uluru (Ayers Rock), an Aboriginal spiritual site for over 20,000 years.
_{Meals: B,L | Desert Gardens Hotel or similar}

DAY 10 • Fly to Cairns
Fly to Cairns today.
_{Meals: B,D | Crystalbrook Bailey Hotel or similar}

DAY 11 • Cairns • Mossman Gorge • Controversial Topic: How healthy is the Great Barrier Reef?
After looking for crabs and sea snails with spears at Cooya Beach, visit Mossman Gorge, gateway to Daintree Rainforest. A marine biologist will discuss the Controversial Topic of the health of the Great Barrier Reef.
_{Meals: B,L | Crystalbrook Bailey Hotel or similar}

DAY 12 • Cairns • Cruise to the Great Barrier Reef • Optional Great Barrier Reef helicopter ride
Board a catamaran with a marine biologist to the Outer Reef for swimming, snorkeling, or viewing the wonders of the Reef.
_{Meals: B,L | Crystalbrook Bailey Hotel or similar}

DAY 13 • Cairns • Optional Best of Australia's Wildlife tour
Enjoy a day of independent discoveries or join an optional half-day tour featuring the best of Australia's wildlife.
_{Meals: B,D | Crystalbrook Bailey Hotel or similar}

DAY 14 • Fly to Sydney
Set off on a flight from Cairns to Sydney. You'll arrive in Sydney early this evening with some time to explore the city independently.
_{Meals: B | Tank Stream Sydney or similar}

DAY 15 • Explore Sydney • Sydney Opera House
Enjoy a guided tour of the Sydney Opera House and a walking tour of the historic Rocks District.
_{Meals: B,L | Tank Stream Sydney or similar}

DAY 16 • Sydney
Enjoy a free day in Sydney.
_{Meals: B,D | Tank Stream Sydney or similar}

Whakarewarewa Forest, New Zealand

Queenstown, New Zealand

DAY 17 • Fly to Christchurch, New Zealand
Fly to Christchurch, New Zealand, where we'll begin the next chapter of your South Pacific adventure.
_{Meals: B,D | Distinction Christchurch Hotel or similar}

DAY 18 • Explore Christchurch • Waka canoeing experience • Home-Hosted Dinner
Take a walking tour of Christchurch, still recovering from earthquakes in 2011 and 2016. Then, paddling down the Avon in a waka (canoe). Later, enjoy a Home-Hosted Dinner.
_{Meals: B,D | Distinction Christchurch Hotel or similar}

DAY 19 • Farm visit • Conversation on New Zealand's environment • Hokitika
Visit a working sheep farm in the Rubicon Valley. Sit down for a conversation about New Zealand's "100% pure" campaign and its impact on farmers. Then, journey to Hokitika.
_{Meals: B,L | Stopforths Premium Accommodation or similar}

DAY 20 • Explore Hokitika • Meet local artists
Explore Hoktika Gorge followed by a guided tour of Hokitika and a jade carving demonstration.
_{Meals: B,D | Stopforths Premium Accommodation or similar}

DAY 21 • Fly to Queenstown
Stop at Arthur's Pass, then fly to Queenstown.
_{Meals: B,D | Holiday Inn Express & Suites Queenstown or similar}

DAY 22 • Explore Queenstown • Arrowtown
Enjoy a walking tour of Queenstown before departing for Arrowtown.
_{Meals: B | Holiday Inn Express & Suites Queenstown or similar}

DAY 23 • Cruise Milford Sound
Board a private boat for a scenic cruise of Milford Sound.
_{Meals: B,L | Holiday Inn Express & Suites Queenstown or similar}

DAY 24 • Queenstown • Optional Dart River Jet-boat Safari
Today is free for your own discoveries, or you can join an optional tour for a jet-boat ride on the Dart River.
_{Meals: B,D | Holiday Inn Express & Suites Queenstown or similar}

DAY 25 • Queenstown • Fly to Rotorua • Redwood walk
At Whakarewarewa Forest, admire the giant redwoods. Then, a resident of Ohinemutu guides us through his Maori village. You might also like to join our optional canopy tour later this afternoon.
_{Meals: B,D | Prince's Gate Hotel or similar}

DAY 26 • Rotorua • Kiwi encounter • Maori village • Optional Canopy tour
Fly to Rotorua, a center for Maori culture. Then, visit a conservation project that raises baby kiwis.
_{Meals: B,L | Distinction Rotorua Hotel or similar}

DAY 27 • Explore Waimangu Volcanic Valley
Visit Waimangu Volcanic Valley, including the Inferno Crater and Frying Pan Lake, followed by a cruise of Lake Rotomahana.
_{Meals: B,L,D | Distinction Rotorua Hotel or similar}

DAY 28 • Explore Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari • Auckland
En route to Auckland, visit the Arapuni swing bridge and take a bushwalk at a conservation project to reintroduce endangered species.
_{Meals: B,L | Voco Auckland City Centre or similar}

DAY 29 • Auckland
On a city tour of Auckland, learn about the early settlements of New Zealand. Tonight, enjoy a Farewell Dinner.
_{Meals: B,D | Voco Auckland City Centre or similar}

DAY 30 • Return to U.S.
Fly home, or begin your New Zealand's Bay of Islands post-trip extension.
_{Meals: B}

Want to know more? Find the full itinerary and dates & pricing at www.oattravel.com/azo

PERSONALIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE on your Australia & New Zealand adventure

OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS

Choose to maximize your discoveries and value when you add a pre- or post-trip extension—or both—to your adventure.

Undiscovered Tasmania: Hobart, Cradle Mountain & Launceston

PRE-TRIP: 7 nights from $3,095

Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, Australia

41% of travelers choose this extension

This destination is only available as a trip extension

Discover the epic landscapes, unique wildlife, and cultural treasures of Tasmania, one of the world's last unspoiled travel destinations.

IT'S INCLUDED

• Airfare from Launceston to Melbourne

• 7 nights accommodation

• 14 meals—7 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 3 dinners

• 5 small group activities

• Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader

• Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and luggage porters

• All transfers

Learn more at www.oattravel.com/azo-tasmania-2026

New Zealand's Bay of Islands

POST-TRIP: 4 nights from $1,795
 

Bay of Islands, New Zealand

This destination is only available as a trip extension

Explore New Zealand's Bay of Islands a historical crossroads of European and Maori cultures with a unique subtropical ecosystem.

IT'S INCLUDED

• Overland transfer from Auckland to Paihia

• 4 nights accommodation

• 6 meals—4 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and 1 dinner

• 3 small group activities

• Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader

• Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and luggage porters

• All transfers

Learn more at www.oattravel.com/azo-bayofislands-2026

ARRIVE EARLY

We recommend that you relax after a long flight or explore more in depth before your trip. Price shown includes accommodations and private airport transfer.

• Arrive early in Hobart before your Tasmania pre-trip extension from $180 per room, per night
• Arrive early in Melbourne before your main adventure from $160 per room, per night