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Journey Down Under
Tour# - 581216
June 15, 2009
Students (under 23): $3990
Adults: $4380
Sign up: 1-800-665-5364
$95 Dollar deposit, last payment due March 9, 2009.
for more info contact:
Cynthia Bingham:
480-654-0030
480-529-0595
Program Fee includes:
-Round-trip airfare
-9 overnight stays in hotels with private bathrooms
(10 with extension)
-American-style breakfast daily; 1 dinner (2 with
extension)
-Full-time EF Tour Director
-2 sightseeing tours led by licensed local guides:
Rotorua Sydney
-8 visits to special attractions:
Waitomo Caves Whaka geothermal area
Maori Cultural Centre Skyline Gondola
Harbour Cruise Opera house Sydney Tower
Wildlife World
-Hangi Dinner
OPTIONAL:
Blue Mountains of Katoomba ($90)
Kuranda Skyrail and Train ($120)
Days 1-2 Flight
Flight to New Zealand "Lose" a calendar day as you cross the International Date Line, bound for the South Pacific.
Day 3 Auckland Rotorua
Arrival in Auckland Arrive in Auckland, known as the "City of Sails," due to its close proximity to Waitemata Harbour. After clearing customs, your tour director assists with your transfer to Rotorua. Guided visit of the Waitomo Caves Journey along the mighty Waikato, New Zealand's longest river, to the subterranean world of the Waitomo Caves. See dazzling limestone formations in the Ruakuri and Aranui Caves. Then board a wooden boat and journey deep inside the Waitomo Caves. Enter a cavern ablaze with millions of points of light-the famous Glowworm Grotto! Transfer to Rotorua Journey through New Zealand's countryside, known for its farming and horse breeding, to Rotorua, home of the Maori people. Hangi dinner Tonight witness Maori song and dance at a Hangi dinner - a traditional Maori feast prepared in a large underground thermal pit.
Day 4 Rotorua
Guided visit of the Whaka area A Maori guide leads you on a fascinating tour through the geothermal wonders of the Whakarewarewa area. See bubbling pools of mud, crystal springs of hot mineral water, geysers, and richly colored craters. Visit to the Maori Cultural Centre Visit the Maori Cultural Centre, a model native village, to learn about Maori legends and tribal customs. You'll receive the Maori Warrior Greeting and touch noses as a traditional gesture. Skyline Gondola ride Then ride the fabulous Skyline Gondola for an aerial excursion hundreds of feet up Mount Ngongotaha! Here you can enjoy a wonderful view of the lake and township of Rotorua. what its name suggests, also presents ballets, musicals, plays, films and jazz concerts, in addition to opera. Since its opening in 1973, the Opera House has become one of the busiest centers for performing arts in the world. Cruise of Sydney Harbour Board your boat for a scenic cruise through beautiful Sydney Harbour. You'll also visit Darling Harbour, where a complex of shops, gardens and museums opened for the 1988 bicentennial. Visit to Sydney Wildlife World Get up close and personal with exotic animals at the brand-new Sydney Wildlife World in Darling Harbour! Keep your eyes out for kangaroos, koalas, crocodiles and more.
Day 5 Rotorua Auckland
Visit to the Agrodome Visit the world-famous Agrodome for a sheep-shearing demonstration. New Zealand is home to over 55 million sheep! Transfer to Auckland Return to Auckland, New Zealand's and Polynesia's largest city. Located on a narrow isthmus between two harbors, Auckland is also built atop seven extinct volcanoes. Tour director-led sightseeing of Auckland Your tour director introduces you to the city's major landmarks: the Domain (a hilltop park), the bustling downtown area, the waterfront (with beautiful views of Rangitoto Island and the Harbour Bridge), Mount Eden and Victoria Park Market.
Day 6 Auckland Sydney
Transfer to Sydney Board your flight to Sydney and soar across the Tasman Sea to Australia's oldest and largest city. EF walking tour of the Rocks Enjoy a walking tour through the historic Rocks area, where Australia's first fleet of European settlers landed in 1788. Built upon a sandstone foundation from which the area gets its name, today the Rocks serves as a cultural and historical meeting place for Sydney locals and visitors alike. Stroll through the narrow, cobblestone streets to find galleries, restaurants and shops around every corner. If you're there on a Saturday or Sunday, explore the fabulous weekend streetmarket-a tented city block filled with handcrafts, art and local foods. Street performers treat onlookers with examples of their skill. Don't be surprised if you're asked to try out your lung power on one of the world's oldest instruments: the didgeridoo!
Day 7 Sydney
Sydney Tower Visit the observation deck of Sydney Tower. At 1,063 feet, it is the second-tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere! Visit to an opal factory Discover the national gemstone of Australia, the opal, on a visit to an opal factory. Opals make popular souvenirs for many tourists. Guided sightseeing of Sydney Learn about the city's early days as a land for exiled convicts during your Sydney sightseeing. Tour the famous Sydney Opera House. Free time in Sydney Alternatively, spend the day at your own pace in Sydney. You might choose to tour the interior of the Parliament House or browse amid the shops of Darling Harbour. Also consider visiting some of the city's acclaimed museums, including the Museum of Sydney, the Museum of Contemporary Art or the interactive Powerhouse Museum.
Day 8 Sydney
Optional excursion to the Blue Mountains Enjoy a full-day excursion to the spectacular Blue Mountains, named for the blue mist that rises from the area's eucalyptus trees. Travel west of Sydney, passing by the site of the 2000 Summer Olympics Games, to the Blue Mountains, once a seemingly impenetrable barrier to westward expansion. Attend a screening of The Edge, Australia's only giant-screen destination movie, which recounts how explorers conquered the Blue Mountains in 1813. While conducting research for the film, scientists made an extremely rare botanical discovery: the Wollebi Pine Grove, made up of ancient pine trees not found anywhere else on earth. So important was the discovery, in fact, that the film crew were blindfolded before before being led to the spot so that they could not reveal its location. Visit to a jade factory Discover New Zealand's exquisite green gemstone on a visit to a jade factory. Jade stones make popular souvenirs for many tourists.
Day 9 Sydney Cairns
Flight to Cairns Transfer to the airport, where you'll board your northbound flight to Cairns, the last major settlement in Far North Queensland.
Day 10 Great Barrier Reef
Barrier Reef Cruise Discover Australia's magnificent Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders of the world. Cruise from Cairns via speedy air-conditioned catamaran to Agincort Reef, which teems with a kaleidoscope of underwater life. Then you can opt to walk, swim, snorkel or take a semi-submersible or glass-bottomed boat ride to view the best of this incredible underwater scenery: the electric colors of tropical fish, swaying plants and exquisite corals. Morning tea and buffet lunch are included. (Scuba diving is available for an additional cost as well. Anyone under 18 years old interested in scuba must bring a signed parental release form with them.) The Great Barrier Reef extends for more than 1,200 miles along the Australian coast.
Day 11 Cairns
Optional Kuranda and the Rainforest Your excursion begins with a scenic train ride up to the lush Atherton Tablelands, a tropical rainforest home to crystal clear crater lakes, pristine waterfalls and dramatic mountain lookouts. The railway climbs to the quaint rainforest village of Kuranda. After time for browsing in the markets of Kuranda, descend via Skyrail-the first eco-tourism rail system in the world-back down the escarpment. From the Skyrail, you'll enjoy breathtaking aerial views of the rainforest canopy below, as rangers provide you with informative details about the rainforest. Upon reaching the foot of the valley, visit the Tjapukai Aboriginal Park and learn about traditional Aboriginal culture and customs through the interpretive exhibits there.
Day 12 Departure
Return home Transfer to Cairns airport for your return flight. You will arrive home on Day 12, after recrossing the International Date Line.
EXTENSION
Day 12 Cape Tribulation Cairns
Excursion to Cape Tribulation Alternatively, your group can plan to extend its stay an extra day. (Please note that the extension is available only between June and October because of climatic reasons.) Journey to Cape Tribulation, named by its founder Captain Cook, who ran his ship on to the Endeavour Reef in the 1700s. The four-hour trek each way will be well worth it as you marvel at the stunning beauty of Far North Queensland. While you're here, visit the Daintree Rainforest, where the rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef, the only place in the world where two World Heritage Sites sit alongside each other. Situated about 50 miles north of Cairns, Daintree comprises the largest virgin tract of
rainforest in Australia. See a few of the more than 150 species of trees, some of them more than 3,000 years old. Transfer to Cairns Return to Cairns, where you will spend your final night after enjoying a farewell dinner.
Day 13 Departure
Return home Your tour director assists with the transfer to the airport for your departure home. Cross the International Date Line once more and arrive home on Day 13.
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