Custom New Zealand & Australia Tours

New Zealand

Our New Zealand journey highlights adventure, culture and breathtaking landscapes.  We will visit both the North and South Islands.  We will begin on the North Island, in Auckland on February 26, 2026. After exploring Auckland we will head to Rotorua known for its geothermal activity and Maori culture.  The next stop Napier, a coastal town not far from the renowned wine-producing region of Hawke's Bay.  We will continue our tour on the South Island in the town of Dunedin known for its Scottish and Maori heritage and adjoining the Otago Peninsula, home to colonies of albatross, sea lions and rare yellow-eyed penguins. We will then visit Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island which was originally settled by the Church of England.  We will tour the city then paddle a Waka.  In Christchurch we will board the TransAlpine train in their luxurious Scenic Plus class as we journey the town of Waiau from which we will be able to visit the Franz Josef Glacier.  Next, we will drive to Queenstown and will end our tour with a gondola ride to a mountain top overlooking Lake Wapatipu, then stargaze the night sky as we say farewell to New Zealand.  Guests doing both tours will fly to Melbourne on March 14, 2026 where we will begin our tour of Australia.  If you are not joining us in Australia your time in Queenstown can be extended. 

Australia

Why Book Our Tours?

Best Value - I developed the itinerary using the best ideas from several different tour operators with local expertise. I made sure all the hotels were of suitable quality and had good reviews.  The prices reflect a competitive bidding process.  I picked Goway because they offered the best value, booking terms and service.  This is the same tour operator we used in our successful South Africa trip, so I have confidence in their ability to deliver.  By booking now we avoid a possible price increase for 2026.  If the price goes down they guarantee us the lower pricing.  

Note that I’ve designed the tour to minimize the number of times you pack and unpack. Most stopovers are either 2, 3 or 4 nights in the same hotel; Queenstown is the only stop with a single night hotel stay.

Most Inclusions - I have included lots of activities that tour operators usually only offer as an extra expense.  I deliberately did not include many dinners because I know my guests like to explore the food scene when they travel.

Small Custom Group - I have designed this trip to include no more than 30-36 guests.  This makes it easier to travel and the smaller group provides a more enjoyable experience for all.

Fully Escorted - I will be accompanying you throughout the entire trip. Rest assured that I am here to handle any issues that may arise during our adventure. Past guests can attest to my commitment to ensuring that everything goes smoothly, and I will promptly address any issues to ensure your experience is up to our high standards.

Why book both tours? - It's a long and expensive flight to go to Australia and New Zealand. For the cost of the extra flight you can pay for the 2nd tour, especially if you plan on flying business class.

Our Tour Compared to Other Tours  - Trafalgar presents a compelling choice for exploring New Zealand, yet their itinerary is peppered with numerous optional add-ons which translates to additional costs for you. Unlike their approach, our tour includes many of these extras at no additional charge. Interestingly, they schedule the TranzAlpine train journey in the reverse direction to ours, which at that time of year means you'd miss half of the breathtaking views to dusk. For comparable dates, their package is $8,470 per person, that is almost $1,300 more per guest than our tour, and that's before tallying up all the extra excursions required to match our comprehensive experience. 

Our Tour Compared to a Cruise - A few of the 2026 cruises are available now.  None offer just Australia or Just New Zealand.  Most include parts of each country so you will get a taste of but you will spend a lot of time at sea and miss the true feel of each destination.  For example: Oceania (my favorite ocean cruise line) has a 14 night cruise that includes Sydney and Melbourne and parts of New Zealand but you spend 4 of the 14 days at sea.  Their inside cabin is about the same price as one of our 16 night tours.   And while meals are included when you are on the ship, it includes no excursions at all, which can get very expensive. Of course you could sail on a much larger ship such as the Celebrity Edge.  A 12 night cruise would include 3 days at sea.  You might save some money but you would be traveling with 4000+ other passengers. If this appeals to you, then our tour might not be the best option for you.  Feel free to call me and I would be happy to explore these other options in more detail.