13-Day Australia & New Zealand

A city of stunning natural beauty, Auckland blends the best of the modern cosmopolitan world with that of a Polynesian paradise. Nestled between two beautiful harbors, this marine playground offers breathtaking views and more than 1,000 bays and beaches. Shop the colorful Victorian Park Market or the charming boutiques of Parnell Village. Explore museums brimming with artifacts of the Maori culture. Or enjoy the natural splandor of the city, from English-style rose gardens to extinct volcanic sites. Popular landmarks are One Tree Hill and Mount Eden.

Hobart, capital and chief port of Tasmania, SE Australia. Its harbor is one of the world’s finest. Manufactures include processed food, textiles, chemicals, and glass. Founded in 1804, it is the site of the Hobart Theatre Royal (1836), Australia’s oldest major theater.

In this fertile region of vineyards, fruit orchard and sheep farms, Napier stands out elegantly as one of the loveliest cities in New Zealand. Completely rebuilt after the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake, it now boasts one of the most complete collections of Art Deco buildings opposite oceanfront Marine Parade. Nearby Cape Kidnappers is one of the world’s only mainland nesting area for the gannet offering sanctuary to 15,000 of the large sea birds.

Port Arthur is a historic penal settlement from the brutal days of the convict settlement. It is located on the southeastern shores of Tasmania.

On Cape Breton Island, it is not uncommon to find Gaelic spoken and to hear the plaintive call of bagpipes. For it is here that the Scots found a land that most resembled their own beautiful home. Follow the winding Cabot Trail around the coast of Cape Breton, one of the most dramatic drives in North America. On Bras d’Or lake, you may spot one of the 250 pairs of bald eagles nesting in the treetops. Visit the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, where the inventor spent his summers. Explore the star-shaped French fortress of Louisbourg, conquered by the British in 1760. Or sample the rugged life of the coal miner at the Miner’s Museum.

The region surrounding Rotorua offers both thermal features and insights into Maori culture. Trout fishing is abundant
as well as golfing at the famed Mount Maunganui.

Curled up around its harbor, Wellington cascades down pine-clad hills stretching to the horizon. Antique timber homes in a rainbow of pastels cling to the wooded hillsides, and Victorian architecture lives comfortably beside skyscrapers.