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Cruise for 12 nights aboard Sapphire Princess, while port-hopping, fiord viewing, and enjoying on-board activities, on this 21-day adventure to New Zealand and Australia. The New Zealand and Australia cruise is complemented by Tauck’s inclusive shore excursions, plus overnight stays in Auckland, Sydney, and Port Douglas. Highlights include geysers, wineries, a sheep farm, a 19th-century Tasmanian convict settlement, an Aboriginal performance, and a Sydney Harbour cruise. There’s a private flight to glacier-capped Aoraki/Mount Cook, and a sail to the Great Barrier Reef.
2008 Eastbound Itinerary
Eastbound: Departs Sydney, Australia
Click here for Westbound itinerary.
• Indicates day of cruising
Day 1: Tour Sydney Opera House & cruise Sydney Harbour
Tour begins: Four Seasons Hotel Sydney. A transfer is included from Sydney Airport to Four Seasons Hotel Sydney. Get a tour and a look behind the scenes of the famous Sydney Opera House, an architectural masterpiece with a billowing sail roof design. Then enjoy the welcome cocktail reception on a cruise in Sydney Harbour, followed by a waterfront dinner facing the impressive night skyline. Spend six nights in Sydney and Queensland before the start of your Australia and New Zealand cruise.
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Lodging: Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Australia
Day 2: Explore sophisticated Sydney and visit Taronga Zoo
Sightseeing in this cosmopolitan city includes historic districts, Sydney Harbour Bridge, and famed beaches. Then get acquainted with some of the more than 2,000 endangered or rare animals that reside at the award-winning Taronga Zoo.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Australia
Day 3: Discover Sydney at leisure
There's a lot to see and do within a short walk from your hotel in the heart of Sydney; spend a day exploring on your own.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Australia
Day 4: Journey to the Coral Sea
Fly to Cairns, and travel to Port Douglas at the edge of the Coral Sea. Enjoy your beachfront, five-star hotel with pools and saltwater lagoons for swimming for the next three nights prior to your return to Sydney for the start of your 12-night Australia and New Zealand cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort, Port Douglas, Australia
Day 5: Great Barrier Reef Cruise
Cruise to the Great Barrier Reef, the longest coral reef system in the world. Learn about the fragile coral ecosystem from a marine biologist, and observe it first-hand from a glass-bottom boat. Swim or snorkel over the underwater coral gardens.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort, Port Douglas, Australia
Day 6: Visit the Cairns Tropical Zoo
Kangaroos, koalas, wallabies and wombats are just a few of the Australian and non-Australian animals you'll meet on a visit to the Cairns Tropical Zoo this morning; spend the remainder of the day as you please at your resort.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort, Port Douglas, Australia
• Day 7: Embark on cruise ship
Fly to Sydney, and board the Sapphire Princess for the start of your Australia and New Zealand cruise. Set sail headed south for Melbourne. For dinner, select from a variety of cuisines, from Asian-fusion to Italian and American Southwest.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess
• Day 8: Australia / New Zealand cruise begins with coastal Australia
During this full day of cruising, choose from numerous on-board activities. Participate in the ScholarShip@Sea™ enrichment series, get pampered in the luxurious Lotus Spa®, or simply enjoy the four swimming pools and the views.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess
• Day 9: Magnificent Melbourne
Dock in Melbourne for a city tour, highlighted by the High Victorian architecture of Parliament House; the Gothic Revival architecture of St. Patrick’s Cathedral; and the varied collections of the Melbourne Museum.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess
• Day 10: Entertainment at sea
Enjoy on-board activities while continuing your Australia and New Zealand cruise to the island state of Tasmania. Visit the boutiques and art gallery, work out in the fitness center, or relax in the library. For evening entertainment, take in a Broadway musical, try your luck in the casino, see a first-run film, relax in the piano bar, or go dancing in a nightclub with an ocean view.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess
• Day 11: Tasmania’s charm and infamy
Dock in Hobart, and travel the Tasman Peninsula to the Port Arthur Historic Site, an infamous 19th-century penal colony. Gain insight into the harsh convict life, and dine in the Junior Officer’s home, with servers in period dress. Your New Zealand cruise begins tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess
• Day 12 & 13: New Zealand cruise across the Tasman Sea
While heading to New Zealand cruise the Tasman Sea. Spend two days aboard ship with endless on-board activities to choose from; learn new skills at a computer class, send messages home in the Internet Café, attend an art auction, or go to a wine tasting. Or you may want to test your knowledge in a quiz show, take a yoga class or head to the sports deck.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner on both days
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess
• Day 14: Fiordland National Park
Upon arrival in the waters of New Zealand cruise Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ice-age glaciers carved fiords flanked by steep mountains, making the area impenetrable except by water. There are snow-capped mountains, rivers gushing from ice floes, and plunging waterfalls. View Milford Sound, a highlight on any New Zealand cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess
• Day 15: Dunedin & Queenstown
Arrive in Dunedin, known for its rich Scottish heritage. Take a charter flight to Queenstown, set on the shores of Lake Wakatipu at the base of the Remarkables mountain range; explore the town, and return to the ship.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess
• Day 16: Christchurch plus Mount Cook flight
Tour the quintessentially English city of Christchurch, where sights include the Gothic Revival Christ Church Cathedral; the Botanic Gardens; and the Bridge of Remembrance. Board a private charter flight to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in the Southern Alps.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess
• Day 17: Activities at sea
Heading towards the North Island of New Zealand cruise the coast on a last full day at sea. Take the opportunity to indulge yourself with a spa treatment, a spin of the roulette wheel, a bidding number at the art auction, an interesting class, or a decadent dessert you’ve been denying yourself!
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess
• Day 18: Geysers and sheep
Your New Zealand cruise docks in Tauranga; take the Tauck private shore excursion to Rotorua. See geysers, mineral springs, and bubbling mud pools on a walking tour through Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve. Enjoy lunch at Longlands Farm, a working dairy farm, and visit the Agrodome, a working sheep and cattle farm.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Sapphire Princess
Day 19: Vineyards and wineries
Tauck's Australia and New Zealand cruise concludes when you disembark from the Sapphire Princess in Auckland – and land sightseeing continues! Take a ferry to Waiheke Island, hosting vineyards, olive groves, pristine beaches, and art studios. Tour boutique wineries, taste award-winning wines, and view artistic renderings of the picturesque landscape.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Lodging: Langham Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand
Day 20: Auckland agenda
Explore Auckland, highlighted by a visit to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Peruse collections of Pacific island artifacts, extinct wildlife, and interpretive history exhibits; attend a Maori music and dance performance. Share travel stories of your New Zealand cruise at the farewell reception and dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Langham Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand
Day 21: Homeward bound
Squeeze in a few additional Auckland sights prior to your departure. Tour ends: Auckland, New Zealand. A transfer is included from Langham Hotel, Auckland to Auckland Airport. Allow a minimum of 2 ½ hours for flight check-in.
Meals: Breakfast
Dates & Prices
Jan 3, 27
Feb 20
Mar 15
| 2008 Price Per Person | Land / Cruise Price | + | On-Tour Air (2 flights) | = | Total per Person |
| Category JJ – Caribe Deck: Interior, two lower beds | |||||
| Double | $7995 | + | $495 | = | $8490 |
| Single | $10,395 | + | $495 | = | $10,890 |
| Triple | $7215 | + | $495 | = | $7710 |
| Category EE – Plaza Deck: Oceanview, two lower beds | |||||
| Double | $8320 | + | $495 | = | $8815 |
| Single | $11,130 | + | $495 | = | $11,625 |
| Triple | $7430 | + | $495 | = | $7925 |
| Category BC – Baja Deck Oceanview with Balcony | |||||
| Double | $8545 | + | $495 | = | $9040 |
| Single | $12,450 | + | $495 | = | $12,945 |
| Triple | $7580 | + | $495 | = | $8075 |
| Category AB – Dolphin Deck Mini-suite with balcony | |||||
| Double | $9055 | + | $495 | = | $9550 |
| Single | $13,720 | + | $495 | = | $14,215 |
| Triple | $7920 | + | $495 | = | $8415 |
| Category VS – Dolphin, Emerald Decks Vista-suite with balcony | |||||
| Double | $10,885 | + | $495 | = | $11,380 |
| Single | $19,095 | + | $495 | = | $19,590 |
| Triple | $9,140 | + | $495 | = | $9635 |
| Penthouse Suite – Caribe Deck Penthouse suite with balcony | |||||
| Double | $11,585 | + | $495 | = | $12,080 |
| Single | $20,985 | + | $495 | = | $21,480 |
| Triple | $9610 | + | $495 | = | $10,105 |
52 meals included.
Land / cruise price includes private Tauck shore excursions, cruise fare, port charges, gratuities to ship staff, and a $240 credit for wine with dinner aboard Sapphire Princess.
International Airfare is additional. Call Tauck for special rates on international air, in coach or business, for travel originating in the U.S. (subject to availability).
Note: Due to the popularity of this journey, you may be traveling with a group of up to 80 Tauck guests. Larger group departures will be hosted by two Tauck Directors.
Please ask at time of booking about additional hotel nights before your cruise begins and about our comprehensive Cruise Protection Plan.
All prices are per person in U.S. dollars.
- 11448
- Ocean
- 01 Jan 00
- Australia & New Zealand
- 07 Jun 16
- Tauck Cruising
- Cruise Only
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Important Terms
- * This product is priced in USD (USD), AUD rates can fluctuate depending on exchange rates, final rates in AUD will be confirmed by your consultant at time of booking.
- Prices shown are fully inclusive of taxes unless otherwise stated.
- Advertised price includes any bonus nights, special offers or discounts listed in the inclusions.
- Surcharges may apply due to demand, Christmas & New Year's Eve, school or public holidays, trade shows, special events & other unforeseen circumstances.
- Prices may be based on Dynamic Rates and as such, may fluctuate at anytime without notice, due to matters outside our control, such as adverse currency fluctuations, fuel surcharges, taxes and airfare increases, or at the property's discretion.
Cruise Line
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For the second time in three years, Tauck has been named the “World’s Best River Cruise Line" by the readers of Travel + Leisure, one of the world’s most authoritative and respected publications for travellers. The World’s Best Awards from Travel + Leisure are selected by the magazine’s readers. Every year, T+L holds a survey for readers to fill out on their main website. The survey remains open until April.
Winners are announced in the August/September issues of Travel + Leisure. These awards are given in categories such as hotels, resorts, spas, cruises, airlines, travel companies, tour operators, cities, islands, family travel, and more.
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You’ll cruise aboard spacious riverboats that have been custom designed to meet American standards with well appointed outside facing cabins and suites, a choice of on-board dining venues, complimentary wine with dinner, fitness centers and attentive personal service from Tauck’s staff and the ship’s crew.
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