12 Nights Australia

Australia's most illustrious city is the country's capital in everything but name. It possesses one of the most beautiful harbour settings in the world, and emanates with a intermingling of history, ruggedness and sophistication.

Here you can see where modern New Zealand was born. The Bay of Islands is located 140 miles north of Auckland, New Zealand, in the long finger-like stretch that runs from Auckland to Cape Reinga. Geographically speaking, the Bay of Islands is a "drowned river system" - an area where the sea has inundated a series of river valleys. The Bay of Islands is the finest Maritime Park in New Zealand, with secluded bays and an abundance of marine life. Ever since Captain Cook sailed into this bay containing nearly 150 islands, the region has become a sightseer and settler's delight. Every imaginable water sport is pursued with big game fishing a particular favorite. The Bay's three principal towns Waitangi, Paihia and Russell provide excellent tourist facilities while retaining many monuments to their lively histories.

The principal city of the Bay of Plenty is a popular Kiwi summer resort with notorious military and missionary legacies. Its legendary Waitomo Caves comprises a vast underground network of water-sculpted, cathedral-like limestone grottoes. Big-game fishing and scuba diving abounds.

The seaport tourist city of Napier located on Hawke Bay allows cruisers to marvel at the beautiful Pania of the Reef, an important figure of M?ori mythology. Thousands go here every February to attend the Tremains Art Deco Weekend event to celebrate the city's Art Deco inspired heritage.

Perched on the edge of a spectacular harbour and encircled by green, towering hills, Wellington is a stunning and compact city. Vibrant, exciting and cultured, New Zealand's capital combines the sophistication of a big city with the quirkiness of a charming village.

Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour, at the northwestern end of Banks Peninsula and close to Christchurch, on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand

Lying at the head of a fiord-like inlet surrounded by seven hills, this city was once the largest and wealthiest city in the country, thanks to its gold fields. It's said to be one of the most perfectly preserved Victorian cities in the world.

Also known as Tamatea, the largest of New Zealand's fjords is inundated with sparkling waters, verdant landscapes and tumbling waterfalls. Seals, bottlenose dolphins, wood pigeons and penguins make this remote southern area of New Zealand a slideshow of captivating wildlife.

Doubtful Sound / Patea is a fjord in Fiordland, in the far south west of New Zealand. It is located in the same region as the smaller but more famous and accessible Milford Sound. It took second place after Milford Sound as New Zealand's most famous tourism destination.

New Zealand's Milford Sound is one of the world's most beautiful fjords, and popular because of the towering Mitre Peak, surrounded by waterfalls and rainforests. Here, you'll find a unique flora and fauna, with fur seal colonies, penguins, and dolphins just around each corner. Visit the Milford Discovery Centre and Underwater Observatory to discover rare black corals and even more aquatic life.

Australia's most illustrious city is the country's capital in everything but name. It possesses one of the most beautiful harbour settings in the world, and emanates with a intermingling of history, ruggedness and sophistication.