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We only had one night in Queenstown, but we certainly made it count! Known as the "Adventure Capital of the World," this alpine town is a stunner, nestled right against the shores of Lake Wakatipu.

The absolute highlight of our quick stay was taking the Skyline Gondola up to Bob’s Peak. As the steepest cable car lift in the Southern Hemisphere, the ride up is an adventure in itself! Once we reached the top, we were treated to a spectacular 220-degree panorama. Looking out over the iconic Remarkables mountain range and the deep blue of the lake, it’s easy to see why this is one of the most photographed spots in New Zealand.

Off to Melbourne!

Sydney

Can you believe that this is our last city before we head home? Our complete tour was 35 days. Sydney did not disappoint. We started our day with a fantastic tour of the Sydney Opera House followed by a harbour cruise with lunch and a tour of the Rocks, cobblestone streets which are Australia’s oldest precinct and is located near the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

We stopped at Bondi Beach to pay our respects to those that lost their lives during the Hanukkah massacre. Not how we originally planned to visit but I'm glad we were able to stop.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, we found ourselves in the middle of the desert for the Sounds of Silence dinner. It is an experience that is hard to put into words. We began with canapés and sparkling wine on a dune top, watching the colors of Uluru shift from ochre to a deep, glowing violet.  

As darkness fell, we moved to our tables for a gourmet bush tucker-inspired feast. But the real magic happened after dessert. All the lights were extinguished, and we sat in total silence under a canopy of stars so bright they felt close enough to touch. Our "star talker" guided us through the Southern Cross and the Milky Way, pointing out constellations you simply can't see anywhere else. It was a night of profound peace and incredible food.  Although a cloudy night we did get to do some stargazing.

There are tons of flies- netting was a must

Our tour  of Uluru continues with a sunrise hike

Cairns, pronounced - Cans 

There are some travel experiences that truly live up to the hype, and spending a day on the Great Barrier Reef is at the very top of that list. For our group, the highlight was our day with Reef Magic at their exclusive Marine World platform.

We’ve touched down in South Australia! We started in Adelaide, often called the "20-minute city" because everything from the beach to the boutiques is just a quick hop away.  A few blocks from our hotel was the Adelaide Botanical Gardens.  A beautiful park with lots of interesting plants & flowers.  

The real adventure, however, was our journey to Kangaroo Island. We took the scenic route via bus and ferry to reach the island. While the elusive kangaroos decided to stay hidden during our visit, the Australian Sea Lions more than made up for it! We spent time watching them lounge on the beach with their adorable cubs—an incredibly rare and special sight. Before catching our flight back to Adelaide, we made a stop at Remarkable Rocks. These massive, wind-sculpted granite boulders perched over the ocean are a true geological masterpiece and offered some of the best photo ops of the trip so far!

The next morning we headed into the Barossa Valley, Australia’s legendary wine country. Sipping world-class Shiraz among vines that have been producing for over a century was a true highlight. 

We flew from Queenstown to Melbourne and it was an easy transfer to our hotel.  We hit the ground running with a city tour in the morning followed by a drive to Phillips Island with the highlight of the day our Premium Plus viewing of the Penguin Parade.  

Today we traded the coastal roads for the lush, deep greens of the West Coast rainforest. Rather than heading for the heights, we took a beautiful walk through the ancient forest that surrounds the Franz Josef Glacier valley.

Today we traveled through the beautiful countryside on our way from Christchurch to Franz Josef.  We took the Great Journeys of New Zealand TranzAlpine train in the Scenic Plus category which provided us with amazing meals as well as a private area in their open air viewing car.  Our driver met us at the station in Greymouth and drove us the rest of the way to Franz Josef It was a wonderful way to travel and we got some fantastic pictures of the stunning New Zealand landscape.

We had a nice leisurely morning today. We started with a Waka paddle on the Avon River. Our guides were wonderful. They talked about the Māori culture and the importance of the Waka. Afterwards we did a bus tour stopping at beautiful garden then driving around the city.  Our driver, John, pointed out some of his favorite spots as he is a resident of Christchurch.