Melbourne Tours and Trips

This trip covers some highlights of Australia A busy pace but there is so much to see that is the only way to fit it all it. This trip also offered options to skip certain outings if you needed more down time or wanted to do something else.

The four cities were great. was a wonderful leader. She explained the logistics well and made sure everyone was taken care of. The dual flight from Ayer's Rock to Cairns was a hassle but explained why we could not fly direct. The hotels all had some small issues but were good. All had a nice breakfast. I enjoyed all the sites. Some bus rides were longer than expected so it would be nice to know ending times for excursions. Also, the optional excursions were a little high priced. Some people commented they would have liked a list of everyone's names in the group. I appreciated having as much time as we did in Sydney.

I picked this itinerary because it had the things and places I wanted to check off my bucket list - visiting Uluru/Ayers Rock, snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, visiting the Sydney Opera House and climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge (optional) in Australia! Optional means it is an activity you have to pay extra to participate in. It included 3 days in Melbourne where we had a Welcome Dinner the first day. 2nd day - city walkabout tour of Melbourne, the Conservatory, Shrine of Remembrance, Koala Conservation Reserve where we saw koalas and wallabies (optional) and Phillip Island to see fairy penguins come out of the sea at dusk (optional). 3rd day - drive along the Great Ocean Road (optional). Uluru/Ayers Rock - Got to learn about aboriginal art (free) and have a BBQ in the desert and tasted kangaroo meat (optional). New Zealand is really beautiful - one cannot capture its beauty accurately on video! In Auckland, we got to attend the All-Blacks Experience. Visited Hobbiton and Rotorua where we had a Maori traditional show, saw geysers and a meal cooked using the traditional method (hangi- sorry not sure how to spell it using the Maori alphabet) (bucket list). Also visited The National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua. We visited Milford Sound and went on a cruise. It was raining that day, so we saw lots of waterfalls! Missed out on flying over the fjords (optional) cos of the weather. Queenstown - went on a cruise on a steamboat (optional), missed out on Jetboat (optional) cos of the weather but went on the gondola instead and did some luging (optional). Visited Arrowtown, Tony Quinn motorway, Lake Tekapo (blue turquoise water and Church of the Good Shephard) and star gazing at Lake Tekapo. Had our Be Our Guest invitation to a sheep farm where we were hosted by and (lovely couple). Our last excursion was to a winery in Waipara where you can taste the best sauvignon Blanc wine New Zealand can offer. It was an amazing trip but I can't lie, it was also tiring - one has to pace onself! This was my third trip with Trafalgar so I knew the pace. Our 2 Tour Directors were great! We had *************** in Australia and ************** in New Zealand.

I truly enjoyed this trip - well organized, we saw all the important places, and our tour director was absolutely terrific. The hotels were wonderful and the activities were well planned out.

Our tour guide, Tony, was terrific - enthusiastic, helpful and meticulous. The hotels and planned meals were wonderful - good food and great locations. We enjoyed the attractions and sights. Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef was a highlight - but next time I’ll take Dramamine. Our fellow travelers were fun to be with. When we toured the Sydney Opera House, we were excited to get tickets to see Rent that night. We paid for one add-on tour, which included a trip to the Sydney Zoo. The early morning visit provided a great opportunity to interact with the wildlife with a zoo guide.

Good balance of included and optional experiences, good variety and coverage of important sights, good balance of travel time - rest time - sight seeing time, great accommodations, smooth transfers, and awesome tour directors.