Air Holidays & Breaks

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Australia, New Zealand & the Far East

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Discover the 'other side of the world'

Join us and see for yourself the temples of Bangkok, Thailand's floating markets and fabled Opera House. Catch your breath as you drive through stunning fjord scenery on New Zealand's South Island or stand before North Island's extraordinary bubbling geysers. Relax on Australia's 'Gold Coast', and enjoy all the colour and excitement of vibrant Hong Kong.

Day One

Fly from your chosen UK airports to Amsterdam, and connect with your overnight flight to Bangkok.

Day Two

Arrive in Bangkok and transfer to your hotel for a three-night stay. This afternoon, enjoy a guided introduction to this wonderful city, starting on the Royal Island where the Grand Palace adjoins the Wat Phra Kaew temple with its Emerald Buddha. Nearby, the less formal Wat Pho temple is home to the gigantic figure of the Reclining Buddha, while Chinatown's Wat Traimit houses a five-and-a-half-ton Golden Buddha.

Day Three

Rise early to join our optional excursion to the floating markets at Damnoen Saduak, where locals buy fresh produce, and to visit the 70-acre Rose Gardens where, in the surrounds of a traditional Thai village, you can witness displays of Thai Culture, Thai boxing, folk dancing and working elephants, and enjoy an included buffet lunch.

Day Four

Another day to enjoy Bangkok, although many will want to join our optional excursion north, through a fascinating countryside of rice fields and sugar-cane plantations, to explore the area forever associated with the events of WWII that surrounded the construction of the infamous 'Death Railway' and the 'Bridge over the River Kwai'.

This evening, join our optional traditional Thai Dinner with Dance excursion to celebrate your final night in this wonderful city.

Day Five

A free morning, perhaps for last-minute souvenir-hunting, before you transfer back to the airport this afternoon for your overnight flight to Sydney.

Day Six

Arriving in Sydney you'll get a sense of excitement as you fly in over the stunning harbour, perhaps catching a glimpse of the Bridge and the Opera House below. Transferring to your hotel for a three-night stay, the rest of the day is free for your own exploration. Head to the historic Rocks area, take a stroll through the gleaming Business District, or head into the Royal Botanic Gardens above Farm Cove for breathtaking views of the Opera House on the opposite shore.

Day Seven

Join today's wonderful optional guided city tour and really get to know what many Australians still regard as the country's 'true capital'. The excursion will include a harbour cruise - perhaps the very best way to see the city.

Day Eight

A final full day in this amazing city, perhaps to make that Harbour Bridge climb, or to join our optional excursion to the delightful Featherdale Wildlife Park, where many of Australia's unique animal species, including koala bears and kangaroo, can be seen up close and personal.

Day Nine

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island. Boarding your coach, you'll head through the Canterbury Plains - countryside familiar as 'The Shire' in the 'Lord of the Rings' movies. Continuing down the island's east coast you'll arrive this evening in the quaint city of Dunedin - home to the University of Otago and New Zealand's oldest botanical gardens.

Day 10

After a morning at leisure, journey south into New Zealand's stunning fjordland - the country's most remote and most spectacular region, and a UNESCO world heritage site. Te Anau, where you'll stay overnight, lies on the beautiful lake of the same name, a renowned centre for fishing, kayaking and sailing.

Day 11

Today we head through the Homer Tunnel into famous Milford Sound, one of the most stunning locations in the Southern Hemisphere. If the view from the shoreline - dominated by triangular Mitre Peak - is memorable, nothing prepares you for the sheer, rain-forested rock faces and plunging waterfalls you'll see on your cruise into this great natural fjord.

After your visit, you'll re-board the coach and head to Queenstown, the legendary resort set on the bank of Lake Wakatipu, for your overnight stay.

Day 12

Spend your morning relaxing in scenic Queenstown, which also has a worldwide reputation as a Mecca for adrenaline-junkies who flock to test their nerves on 'the world's highest bungee-jump', jet-boating' or 'white-water rafting'.

In the afternoon we'll journey to our next overnight stop, the mountain town of Twizel, gateway to Mount Cook, Australasia's highest peak.

Day 13

Journey past glacier-fed Lake Pukaki to snow-covered Mount Cook, or Aoraki. Weather-permitting, you can enjoy the experience of an optional ski-plane flight over the mountainous landscape, landing on the Tasman Glacier. Later you'll retrace your route, passing tranquil Lake Tekapo with its simple stone church on the shore, back across the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch. Here, you'll bid farewell to South Island, boarding your domestic flight to Auckland, the 'City of Sails'.

Day 14

Enjoy a brief guided tour of Auckland, the world's largest Polynesian settlement, with its neat suburbs, gleaming waterfront and its busy harbour. Later you'll journey south and across the Mamaku ranges to fabled Rotorua, New Zealand's premier tourism destination, where bubbling hot-springs, gushing geysers and the traditional Maori culture of the local Te Arawa people draw visitors from across the globe.

Visit the fascinating Agrodome for a display of sheep-shearing skills, see the traditional Maori village of Te Puia and the wondrous Thermal Reserve, with its boiling mud pools and geysers - including Pohutu the twenty-metre 'Big Splash - give Rotorua its nickname of 'Sulphur City'.

In the evening, you may like to join us for an optional visit to a traditional Maori hangi evening of songs, rituals and dance, accompanied by a feast cooked in an earth oven.

Day 15

Retrace your steps to Auckland and bid "E noho ra" to NZ, and board your flight to Brisbane, on Australia's Gold Coast. Upon arrival, you'll transfer to your hotel for two nights' stay in Australia's seaside playground.

Day 16

Today's optional excursion visits UNESCO World Heritage-listed Lamington National Park, an exquisite area of rainforest, rivers and ancient woodlands where the award-winning, eco-friendly O'Reilly's centre has been sharing its secrets with enthralled guests for nearly a century.

Enjoy the 'Gallery Walk' with its unique local shops, then feed native birds and stroll the 'Tree Top Walk' 15m above the rainforest floor. In the afternoon, visit Canungra Valley Vineyards for a wine-tasting, before returning to the hotel for your last night in 'Oz'.

Day 17

Bid "G'Day" to Queensland, transferring to the airport for your flight to Hong Kong where you'll arrive this evening for a three-night stay.

Day 18

Explore this amazing city alone, or join our optional guided tours, taking in the view of the city's forest of skyscrapers from Victoria Peak, exploring Hong Kong Island, the fishing town of Aberdeen and Stanley Market, or the mainland districts of Kowloon and the New Territories, across Victoria Harbour on the famous Star Ferry.

This evening, our optional Victoria Harbour Dinner Cruise offers fine food and live music against the astonishing background of Hong Kong's brightly lit skyscrapers.

Day 19

Experience a 'taste of China' on our optional excursion to Shekou, part of the Shenzhen 'Special Economic Zone' and the great city of Guangzhou, home to Cantonese cuisine, from where you'll travel back to Hong Kong by train.

Day 20

After a morning free for some last-minute shopping, transfer to the airport for your overnight flight to Amsterdam.

Day 21

Arrive in Amsterdam early this morning, and connect with your onward flight back to the UK, your marvellous round-the-world adventure at an end, but with thousands of memories to cherish for ever.

 
 

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