The 15-day South Pacific Wonders tour is the least expensive of Collette Vacations packages of Australia and New Zealand. The traditional tour travels at a leisurely pace through Cairns, Sydney, Christchurch, Mount Cook National Park, Queenstown and Milford Sound. Highlights of the tour include a high-speed catamaran excursion to the Great Barrier Reef with optional snorkeling and scuba diving trips, a dinner cruise of Sydney Harbour, a traditional Aussie barbecue, views of the New Zealand fjords from a cruise of Milford Sound and a tour of a working Canterbury farm with a sheep shearing demonstration. This tour package is offered at least once a month, except during the Australian winter months of June and July. Vacation package prices include at least one meal a day and are based on per person double occupancy.
The 27-day Complete South Pacific tour includes 39 meals while exploring Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. The adventure beings at the Great Barrier Reef and continues through Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, Darwin, Kakadu National Park, Melbourne, Tasmania, Sydney, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Mt. Cook, Christchurch, Wellington and Rotorua before ending with two nights on Fiji. Collette Foundation experiences include learning about the Outback educational system during a visit to the School of Air in Alice Springs as well as the opportunity to meet Drum Atweme, an Aboriginal musical group comprised of at-risk youth from the local community. Other tour highlight include a cruise in Kakadu National Park, the learning about the culture of the Australian Aborigines and sampling traditional Aboriginal food, as well as the opportunity to see and learn about Tasmanian Devils during a visit to the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park. Tour prices do not include airfare and are based on per person double occupancy.
Spend four weeks exploring the diverse natural wonders of Australia and New Zealand, including Ayers Rock, the Great Barrier Reef, Rotorua and the fjords of Milford Sound with the Great Trains, Wineries & Cultures tour. The excursion includes traveling on the historic Ghan train for an overnight journey passing through the Outback on the way to Adelaide and riding on the Tranz Coastal train for a scenic ride up the eastern coast of South Island in New Zealand. Tour members have the opportunity to learn about reef ecosystems and the marine life of the Great Barrier Reef from a marine biologist, discover the history of Aboriginal and Maori cultures from local experts, participate in an interactive weaving demonstration in New Zealand and hear about the archaeological research conducted at Naracoorte Caves in southeastern Australia. Participants also enjoy wine tastings led by a wine expert at the vineyards of Coonawarra and Barossa Valley. Tour prices are based on per person double occupancy and include 43 meals but airfare is additional.
