New Zealand & Australia - 8210

The city centre of Auckland is perfect for shopping, discovering New Zealand arts, culture and challenging your adventure side. Wander through The New Zealand Maritime Museum or Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki. Sky Tower is a must-do, where you can experience 360 degree views on the SkyWalk or go for it and attempt the SkyJump! View Auckland’s most iconic volcano! Read more about Auckland, New Zealand

Rotorua (Tauranga) is a centre of tourism and a place of extraordinary natural beauty. It is a smallish city on the shores of a lake of the same name, in the crater of an ancient volcano in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The entire area is thermally active, and the smell of sulphur, a 'rotten eggs’ smell that is never far, results in the nicknames 'Sulphur City' and 'Rottenrua'. The surrounding geothermal wonderland including 16 beautiful lakes and the lush green of the abundant native flora, soon causes one to get used to the odour. Read more about Rotorua (Tauranga), New Zealand

Nelson city of 50,000 is situated on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, at the very north of New Zealand’s South Island. It lies at the Geographical Centre of New Zealand (and there’s a monument to this overlooking the city). Nelson Harbour is protected by a natural 15 km long Boulder Bank, with a central cut to make the harbour entrance. Boulder Bank Lighthouse stands prominently on the Bank. Read more about Nelson, New Zealand

Wellington, New Zealand's capital city, is situated on the SW tip of the North Island, and is set on the edge of a stunning harbour surrounded by rolling hills. As the political centre of New Zealand, it houses Parliamentary buildings as well as the bulk of foreign diplomatic missions. However, it is also renowned for its cafe-culture, as there are more cafes per capita than in New York City, and they rival the world’s top culinary destinations for flavour and variety. The city’s world-class film industry attracts many visitors who are taken by expert tour operators to locations of several famous movies (e.g. Read more about Wellington, New Zealand

Just 85 kilometres from the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, is the quaint and beautiful French village of Akaroa. It is situated within Akaroa Harbour in the heart of an ancient volcano that is now the circular Banks Peninsula. French settlers arrived in 1840 just a few days after the peninsula was claimed for Britain. The French settlers were granted land, and their heritage is preserved in the town with its colonial architecture, quaint shops, craft stores, and cafes where beautiful gardens invite visitors to relax and enjoy delightful refreshments. Read more about Akaroa, New Zealand

Dunedin is the principal city of the Otago Region of New Zealand. It was founded in 1848 by Scottish migrants, and today the city still contains many Scottish relics, including a statue of the Scottish Bard Robbie Burns. Fine examples of working heritage include the Speight’s Brewery, the Gasworks Museum and the very popular Taieri Gorge Railway. Then there are the standout Victorian and Edwardian buildings like First Church and Dunedin Railway Station, as well as the stately homes such as Larnach Castle and Olveston. Read more about Dunedin, New Zealand

Stewart Island/Rakiura (pop. c. 380) is the third largest island of New Zealand and lies just 30 km S of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait from the port of Bluff. It was charted by Lt. Read more about Stewart Island, New Zealand

Milford Sound is a stunningly beautiful fjord in the SW of New Zealand's South Island and lying within a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Described by Rudyard Kipling as the 'eighth wonder of the world', it has been judged 'the world's top travel destination' in an international survey, and is acclaimed as New Zealand's most famous tourist destination. Milford Sound runs 15 km inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock faces, such as the Elephant and Lion Peaks that rise to 1200 m or more on either side. Lush rain forests cling precariously to these cliffs, and seals, penguins and dolphins frequent the waters, while whales are sometimes seen. Read more about Milford Sound, New Zealand

For those with a little more time to spend in Melbourne, there are many easy day trips to enjoy beyond the city limits by guided tour or with a hire car. Not even an hour from Melbourne, you’ll find Australia’s best-preserved steam train Puffing Billy - the historic railway puffs through the leafy Dandenong Ranges. The Mornington Peninsula offers first-rate wineries, local cuisine, and both bay and ocean beaches. To get up close with native fauna, a trip to Healesville Sanctuary will give you a fix - the beautiful, bushland-set sanctuary gives you the chance to cosy up with koalas, kangaroos and wombats as well as lesser-known Australian animals. Read more about Melbourne, Australia

Phillip Island is approximately 140 km SE of Melbourne, joined to the mainland by bridge, and is the home of the world famous Penguin Parade that can be viewed each evening at dusk when the fairy penguins stroll up the beach to their burrows. There's a great range of activities to enjoy that include surfing, snorkelling, and swimming in summer, kayaking, jet skiing, aqua biking and yachting. Add to this: bush walking on the many tracks and enjoying the many parks; bird watching; pelican feeding; and don’t miss out of visiting some of the wineries. But Phillip Island is synonymous with the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix held annually in October. Read more about Phillip Island, Australia

Eden is located at deep-water Twofold Bay on the Sapphire Coast, 476 km south of Sydney. The port berths ships to 325m. It is set in rugged beauty with golden sandy beaches and crystal waters to the east and forests and park lands to the west. Tourism and its related businesses are the mainstays of Eden. Read more about Eden, Australia

Getting around Sydney is easy and accessible. You can jump on a train from Sydney airport to Circular Quay in approx.18 minutes, ride the hop on hop off bus around the city that offers multiple stops including Sydney Tower, Botanic Gardens, Australian Powerhouse and Maritime Museums, Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge or the Bondi bus. If travelling on the water is more your style, catch a ferry to visit Sydney’s amusement park, Luna Park, visit the buzzing Manly Beach wharf which is linked to the Corso mall or cruise west of the city to join a Haunted History, Crooked Character or Convict Precinct tour at UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, Cockatoo Island. The best times to visit Sydney are September through November and from March to May as they offer the most comfortable temperatures, around mid 20°C. Read more about Sydney, Australia