Highlights of Australia & New Zealand Cruise 2025

Tour Includes

2 Countries

• Australia
• New Zealand

Sightseeing

• Auckland
• Tauranga (Rotorua)
• Napier
• Wellington
• Picton
• Lyttleton
• Dunedin (Port Chalmers)
• Fiordland National Park
• Hobart
• Melbourne
• Sydney

Cruise Accommodations

• 14 Nights
• Cruise aboard Holland America Line’s ms Westerdam

Hotel Accommodations

• 4 Nights
• Moderate hotels based on twin/double occupancy

Meals

• 4 Breakfasts and 1 Lunch on land portion. All meals and select drinks on the cruise

Service

• A professionally trained English-speaking local tour director who is knowledgeable about the area will provide you with a wealth of information. Their friendly service will make your trip a memorable experience.

Baggage Handling

• To and from your hotel room and cruise ship cabin throughout your tour for one piece of Checked Baggage per person.

Highlights of Australia & New Zealand Cruise 2025 - Northbound

Tour Starts:

Auckland

Tour Ends:

Sydney

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Days 1 & 2

Depart for Auckland, New Zealand

Take an overnight flight to Auckland.

Note: Depending on the departure time of your outbound flight, you may depart one day later.

Day 3

Arrive in Auckland, New Zealand

Welcome to Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. If you purchased airline tickets from YMT Vacations, a representative will welcome you at the airport and transport you to the hotel. Enjoy the evening on your own.

Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre or similar

Day 4

Auckland, New Zealand

Start the morning with a guided coach tour of Auckland. Travel along the waterfront of Tamaki Drive, with gorgeous ocean and city views. Visit the colonial-style Mission Bay, the fragrant Parnell Rose Gardens, and the magnificent Auckland Domain Park. Next, learn the story of New Zealand on a guided tour of the Auckland Museum. See natural history exhibits and Māori artifacts. Continue to Auckland’s 1,000-foot-tall Sky Tower, where you can see for up to 50 miles in every direction. Sit down at the revolving Orbit Restaurant for a lunch (included) with a side of the city’s best views. (B, L)

Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre or similar

Day 5

Embarkation in Auckland

You’ll have free time in Auckland, the ‘City of Sails’, before heading to board the ms Westerdam. (B, D)

Day 6

Tauranga (Rotorua), New Zealand

Discover Rotorua, known for its stunning natural beauty. Visit the Buried Village of Te Wairoa, a town that remains frozen in time after being devastated by a volcanic eruption in 1886. (B, L, D)

Day 7

Napier, New Zealand

The coastal city of Napier is set amid the renowned wine-producing region of Hawke’s Bay. Known for art deco landmarks including the zigzag patterned Daily Telegraph Building, the city feels like it is straight out of the 1930s in places. (B, L, D)

Day 8

Wellington, New Zealand

Welcome to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. Take the Wellington Cable Car from the central Lambton Quay to the hills of Kelburn, where you can enjoy the sprawling Botanical Gardens, the petite Wellington Cable Car Museum, and dazzling city views. (B, L, D)

Day 9

Picton, New Zealand

The gateway to South Island, Picton is perched at the edge of Queen Charlotte Sound. The picturesque town is also the perfect base to explore the Marlborough wine region, further inland. (B, L, D)

Day 10

Lyttleton (Christchurch), New Zealand

Spend a blissful day in Lyttelton, New Zealand’s only registered historic township. The seaside city built on the site of an extinct volcano is irresistibly charming. (B, L, D)

Day 11

Dunedin (Port Chalmers), New Zealand

This dramatic South Island coastal town offers a mix of unique natural beauty and fascinating history. Rare yellow-eyed penguins, fur seals, and the Royal Albatross all call Dunedin home. Larnach Castle sits high above the city, offering sweeping views from its gardens. (B, L, D)

Day 12

Cruise Fiordland National Park

Spend the day cruising Fiordland National Park, a stunning expanse of wilderness on one of the most remote parts of the pristine South Island. This UNESCO World Heritage site is a dazzlingly dramatic landscape, with volcanos, sprawling rainforests, and snow-topped mountains, as well as crystal-clear waters teeming with wildlife. (B, L, D)

Day 13 & 14

At Sea (B, L, D)

Day 15

Hobart, Australia

This beautiful waterfront city in Tasmania has a thriving art scene, and if time permits, a visit to MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) comes highly recommended. Wander the city’s scenic harbor, visit its eclectic markets and take in sweeping views of the wilderness all around. (B, L, D)

Day 16

At Sea (B, L, D)

Day 17

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne, known as Australia’s cultural capital, is a robust and dynamic city. Considered the most European of Australia’s major cities, Melbourne is a cultural melting pot with remarkable art and architecture, excellent shopping, and world-class dining. (B, L, D)

Day 18

At Sea (B, L, D)

Day 19

Disembarkation and Sydney Tour

After disembarking, enjoy a city tour which starts at The Rocks, Sydney’s birthplace. You’ll see the picturesque Botanic Gardens, and take in the view of the Sydney Opera House. Continue to Darling Harbour, Watson’s Bay, and Bondi Beach before enjoying the rest of the day at leisure. (B)

Novotel Sydney or similar

Day 20

Sydney Leisure Day

Enjoy one final day on your own in Sydney. (B)

Novotel Sydney or similar

Post-Tour Enhanced Option: Add 2 nights in Cairns, Australia (Novotel Oasis Resort or similar) with a Great Barrier Reef snorkeling experience. Call for pricing.

Day 21

Depart for Home (B)

Please note that this is a proposed itinerary; the actual itinerary may vary due to season, special events, or weather. Hotels may differ depending on date. Because our tour arrangements are often made a year or more in advance, YMT Vacations reserves the right to alter the itinerary. Itinerary changes are made to improve your vacation experience, as well as respond to any unforeseen circumstances that mandate alterations. By their nature, all tour vacations involve a certain level of physical activity. While YMT tours have been designed with our guests in mind and are not physically demanding, this tour does include walking and periods of standing during the sightseeing visits. You will also encounter steps and some uneven ground along the way, particularly at older, historical sights. Please ask your Travel Consultant for more information.

YMT Vacations itineraries may contain suggestions for activities for your leisure time; these suggestions do not constitute a recommendation nor an endorsement of any specific service provider and the decision to participate in any such activities should be made independently.

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