YOUR O.A.T. ADVENTURE TRAVEL PLANNING GUIDE®

Enhanced! Pure New Zealand 2022

Small Groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! (average of 13)

Overseas Adventure Travel ® The Leader in Personalized Small Group Adventures on the Road Less Traveled 1 Dear Traveler,

At last, the world is opening up again for curious travel lovers like you and me. And the O.A.T. Pure New Zealand itinerary you’ve expressed interest in will be a wonderful way to resume the discoveries that bring us so much joy. You might soon be enjoying standout moments like these:

As I sailed along Milford Sound, I stood in wonder at its rugged beauty. Plunging cliffs rose vertically from the dark waters while raging waterfalls cascaded downwards from lofty peaks. You’ll witness this awe-inspiring beauty when you sail overnight in a fjord cruise ship. With a local naturalist guide, you’ll get intimate views of this unforgettable landscape. For me, it was easy to see how these wondrous vistas inspired generations of Maori to create a spiritual bond with the natural world.

You’ll see this reverence for nature and gain a deeper understanding of Maori traditions when you visit a local tribe in Murupara, a town rich in Maori history. You’ll experience a traditional welcome ceremony before prepping a Maori feast cooked underground, known as hangi. Later, you’ll sit down with the tribe to hear darker truths facing modern-day Maori: the poverty resulting from logging concessions. This community has seen a large erasure of jobs due to the advancement of technology in the industry. You’ll hear firsthand the hardships this community is handling and come away with a deeper knowledge and connection to the Maori culture.

The way we see it, you’ve come a long way to experience the true culture—not some fairytale version of it. So we keep our groups small, with only 8-16 travelers (average 13) to ensure that your encounters with local people are as intimate and authentic as possible. It’s also why your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader will be a resident “insider” who can show you the culture as only a local can.

To ensure that your adventure is truly unique, put your own personal stamp on it. You can arrive early and stay later, add a pre- or post-trip extension, spend time in a Stopover city, or combine two or more trips. Plus, your itinerary offers ample free time so you can pursue your own interests.

So until the day comes when you are off to enjoy your Pure New Zealand adventure, I hope you will relish the fun and anticipation that this O.A.T. Adventure Travel Planning Guide® will inspire. Should you have further questions, feel free to call our Regional Adventure Counselors at 1-800-955-1925.

Love and peace,

Harriet R. Lewis Vice Chairman, Overseas Adventure Travel

P.S. For further peace of mind, please know that we are EXTENDING our Risk-Free Booking Policy through 12/31/21. Learn more at www.oattravel.com/risk-free-booking.

USA Today “Best Tours” 10Best Readers’ Presented by Choice Awards Solo Traveler

2 CONTENTS

A Letter from Harriet Lewis ...... 2 The O.A.T. Difference...... 4 The Freedom to Personalize Your Experience ...... 6 Grand Circle Foundation...... 8 The Leader in Solo Travel ...... 9

PURE NEW ZEALAND ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: Your Adventure at a Glance: CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE Where You’re Going, What it Costs, New Zealand Culture ...... 82 and What’s Included ...... 10 Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Your Detailed Day-To-Day Itinerary ...... 12 Shipping & More ...... 86 Optional Tours ...... 34 Pre-Trip Extensions ...... 36 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY Post-Trip Extensions ...... 49 New Zealand ...... 90 Dates & Prices ...... 56 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 90 New Zealand: A Brief History ...... 91 ESSENTIAL TRAVEL INFORMATION Australia ...... 92 Travel Documents & Entry Requirements. . . 57 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 92 Visas Required ...... 57 Australia: A Brief History ...... 93 Flight Itinerary for Entry to New Zealand . . 59 Fiji ...... 95 Rigors, Vaccines & General Health ...... 60 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 95 Vaccines Required ...... 61 Fiji: A Brief History ...... 95 Money Matters: Local Currency & Tipping Guidelines...... 64 RESOURCES Air, Optional Tours & Staying in Touch ..... 68 Suggested Reading ...... 97 Optional Tours ...... 69 Suggested Film & Video ...... 99 Communicating with Home from Abroad . . 69 Packing: What to Bring & Luggage Limits . . . 71 Suggested Packing Lists ...... 73 Electricity Abroad ...... 75 Climate & Average Temperatures ...... 78

O.A.T. Health & Safety Measures...... 103 Notes...... 104 Map ...... 107

3 EXPERIENCE THE O.A.T. DIFFERENCE in New Zealand

This adventure not only showcases iconic sights, but takes you beyond them to experience the culture through unique activities, engagement with the natural world, and authentic encounters with local people. Since our founding in 1978, O.A.T. has become America’s leader in personalized small group journeys on the road less traveled. SMALL GROUPS: 8-16 TRAVELERS LOCAL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION (AVERAGE OF 13)—GUARANTEED To see the world like the locals, you should The world feels more intimate and engaging travel like one. Our small group size allows when your experience of it is also personal us to take the roads and waterways that are and genuine. That’s why our groups never less traveled, and we often follow them using exceed 16 travelers. This gives you access to the same unique modes of transportation people and places larger groups simply can’t that the locals use—be it a canoe, a camel reach. More authentic interactions. Deeper or a vintage cab. bonds with your travel mates. Personal service from your Trip Experience Leader. Smoother UNIQUE LODGINGS transitions. And a far more satisfying Our lodgings reflect the local character, experience than any traditional tour offers. from smaller family-run hotels and historic manors to comfy inns. Occasionally, larger THE BEST TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS hotels closer to city centers are used. Wherever Your English-speaking, O.A.T. Trip Experience you stay, you’re assured fine comfort and Leader is a resident of the region you are hospitality. visiting, so you will get a true insider’s perspective that brings each place alive— OUR WORLDWIDE OFFICES the stories, food, customs, hidden treasures With 36 regional offices around the world, and more. we are perfectly poised to leverage our local relationships to deliver an excellent experience AUTHENTIC CULTURAL CONNECTIONS and value. During this trip, you’ll be supported Engage with local people through visits to by our team in Sydney. farms, factories, markets, and artisans’ studios; school visits; Home-Hosted meals; and more.

Enjoy explorative hikes with your Trip Experience Leader Connect with locals during a Home-Hosted Dinner

4 THE PILLARS OF DISCOVERY En riching. Inspiring. Unforgettable. These features form the foundation of your Pure New Zealand adventure.

GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION (GCF) VISIT A DAY IN THE LIFE GCF was established in 1992 to help change Do you ever wonder, “What would it be like people’s lives in the world where we live, to live here?” when you visit new lands? work, and travel. To date, we have pledged or Let’s find out during your O.A.T. A Day in donated $200 million worldwide. the Life, an exclusive, immersive experience that places you in the heart of a community By investing in the places we explore— where you’ll meet various people where they including local schools, cooperatives, or arts live, work, and play; visit the neighborhood centers—we hope to give locals the skills and school; lend a hand with daily chores; and confidence they need to become leaders of break bread with our hosts. their generation and preserve their heritage for many years to come. We’re proud to play Perhaps you’ll join a local resident or a part in preserving precious locales like the community leader for a guided walk through Bryggen waterfront district of Bergen, a living the town, visit a market, or enjoy a unique example of the glory days of the Hanseatic opportunity to meet teachers and students League, and supporting villages like Harmi in at a local school if school is in session. Estonia, whose once-struggling school is now a center of community life. HOME-HOSTED EXPERIENCES Stories shared. Differences solved. Taste buds CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS engaged. Good will extended. It’s amazing Every culture has its joys and achievements, the things that can happen across a kitchen and we celebrate them all. But every place table, so we’ll break into groups of 4-5 to join also has its challenges, and to gloss over them a local family in their home for a snack or a would not do justice to those whose stories meal. This is a rare opportunity to witness need to be told—nor to you, as a traveler who family life, learn local customs, and taste deserves more than a sugar-coated version of some home-cooked fare. things. So our Trip Experience Leaders will For example, we’ll get a taste of Scottish lead frank discussions on controversial issues, hospitality and sample traditional flavors and introduce you to people whose stories will when we join a family for dinner in expand your understanding. Glasgow; we’ll observe life from a communal For example, we’ll learn about the poverty Russian apartment in St. Petersburg as we resulting from logging concessions in the share lunch with the residents; and share a Maori town of Murupara. The town was once meal with a Bosnian family who has lived well-known for its logging industry, but as along Sarajevo’s “Sniper Alley,” since before technology advanced, offshore owners turned the siege of the city. to state-of-the-art equipment to replace their workers and maximize profits. The erasure of these jobs led to a total economic collapse, one that the community continues to reel from.

5 You're in control with THE FREEDOM TO PERSONALIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE Exclusively with O.A.T. Your Choice. Your Adventure. Your Way.

It’s your adventure, so why not make it exactly what you want it to be? We offer an exclusive variety of options that let you tailor your adventure so it’s completely your own. In fact, O.A.T. is the only travel company to offer this level of flexibility and choice for a truly personalized experience.

PRE- OR POST-TRIP EXTENSIONS 2. Great value: All extensions include Every O.A.T. adventure offers at least one accommodations, daily breakfast, and optional pre-trip and one post-trip extension. airport transfers. Here’s why more than 55% of O.A.T. travelers 3. Continuity and camaraderie: You’ll usually choose to take a pre- or post-trip extension: travel with the same Trip Experience Leader who leads your main trip, enjoying more of 1. You’ll maximize your discoveries—often his or her insider expertise—and more time in an even smaller group than your main to bond with the group. adventure (on average, 6 travelers with a dedicated Trip Experience Leader)—and take advantage of your included airfare.

Optional Extensions offered with your New Zealand adventure

Australia: The Great Barrier Reef & NEW! New Zealand’s North & South Highlights of Sydney Islands: Wellington, Nelson & Abel Tasman 6 nights pre-trip from $2495 National Park 6 nights pre-trip from $2695

Great Barrier Reef, Australia Wellington, New Zealand

New Zealand's Bay of Islands NEW! Fiji’s Tropical Splendor & 3 nights post-trip from $1295 Captivating Culture 5 nights post-trip from $3095

Bay of Islands, New Zealand Yasawa Islands, Fiji

6 ARRIVE EARLY, STAY LATER • Bangkok or Denpasar: $945 per person Extending your time abroad—with us or • Hong Kong: $1095 per person on your own—is the best way to broaden • Seoul: $1145 per person your experience. It’s also a practical way to maximize the value of the international airfare Other O.A.T. Stopovers are available. If the city covered in your main itinerary. you’re interested in is not offered, our Regional Adventure Counselors can arrange your airfare. Expand Your Discoveries Before COMBINE ADVENTURES or After Your Adventure You’re already overseas. Why not see more and Arrive early in the first destination on your maximize your value by avoiding the cost and pre-trip extension or main adventure, or stay length of another international flight? Here’s later in the last city on your main adventure or why 2,250 O.A.T. travelers combined two or post-trip extension. By coming early, you can more adventures in 2019: rest after your flight and adjust—with time to explore. By staying later, you have extra time • Save a total of $600-$3000 per person when to relax, pack, or continue exploring. you combine two adventures compared to the cost of taking each trip separately. This option lets you take advantage of our • Apply the 5% or 6% Frequent Traveler Credit lower group rates, with prices from $100 per you earn on your first trip to your second trip. person per night—including accommodations, private airport transfer, and daily breakfast. • Sir Edmund Hillary Club members save an extra $250-$350 per person when booking • Arrive early in Auckland on your main trip multiple trips in a calendar year. for $100 per person, per night • Our Regional Adventure Counselors make all • Arrive early in Sydney on your Great Barrier the arrangements for a seamless experience. Reef & Sydney pre-trip extension for $100 per Combine this trip with our Ultimate Australia person, per night adventure—for a total cost of $9690-$12290 • Arrive early in Wellington on your New per person—and save $2100-$2900 per person Zealand’s North & South Islands pre-trip versus taking each trip separately. extension for $100 per person, per night AIR PREFERENCES • Conclude your main trip with more time 54% of our travelers customize their air in Queenstown for $125 per person, per night itineraries: • Spend more time in Port Denarau after your Fiji post-trip extension for $250 per person, • Choose your departure city and airline per night • Depart from one city and return to another Accommodations are at the same hotels where • Upgrade to Premium Economy or you begin or end the main trip and optional Business Class extensions, so transitions will be seamless. PERSONALIZED PRIVATE ADVENTURES NEW! Stopover in any major international city Travel on a private departure with as few as Travelers with O.A.T. airfare have the five travelers and your own Trip Experience opportunity to Stopover in popular cities. Leader. An additional cost will apply depending Your price includes 3 nights accommodations, on the number of travelers in your group. daily breakfasts, and roundtrip private airport transfers. Here are a few popular destinations:

7 GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION Changing people’s lives, one village, one school, one person at a time

GIVING BACK TO THE WORLD WE TRAVEL Dear Traveler, Since our inception in 1992, the Grand Circle In 1992 we established Grand Circle Foundation has pledged or donated more than Foundation, an entity of the Lewis Family $200 million to projects around the world. Foundation, as a means to give back to the world that had already given us so JOIN OUR GENEROUS TRAVELERS much. We’ve pledged or donated more We consider each and every one of our travelers than $200 million worldwide to support to be partners in our worldwide giving. the education of young people and the Some travelers, however, are so inspired by preservation of international treasures the schools and villages they visit, they are and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. compelled to give more. In fact, our travelers have donated more than $1 million in 2019 Of course, none of this would be possible alone. And because we have no administrative without your help. A portion of the costs, 100% of donations are used to help proceeds of every adventure is donated to change people’s lives. Grand Circle Foundation—so just as your life will be enriched by the discoveries BETTER OUR OWN COMMUNITIES— you’ll make on your journey, you’ll also ALL AROUND THE WORLD help to enrich the lives of the people you’ll In addition to the destinations where we travel, meet along the way. we strive to better the communities where Thank you for traveling with us, and for we work—from our headquarters in Boston helping to change people’s lives. to our 36 offices around the world. In Boston, more than 99% of our associates participate Love and peace, in community service each year. Worldwide, nearly all of our offices organize annual community service events of their own. Harriet R. Lewis Chair, Grand Circle Foundation How you can help To learn more about ongoing Foundation projects, you can sign up for our weekly e-newsletter, the Inside Scoop, at www.oattravel.com/community/the- inside-scoop. When you do, you’ll not only receive updates on Grand Circle Foundation, but the latest news and discoveries on all things Grand Circle and Overseas Adventure Travel.

SCAN ME See how Grand Circle Foundation is giving back in this video Open the camera feature on your mobile device, and hover the lens over this code to scan it. A pop-up notification will take you www.grandcirclefoundation.org directly to the video.

8 THE LEADER IN SOLO TRAVEL in New Zealand—and Around the World

ON THIS ADVENTURE …

FREE Single Supplements: We don’t charge The leader in solo-friendly a single supplement on this adventure travel for Americans— and optional trip extensions—a savings by the numbers of $1,100-$1,688 per person compared to other travel companies. But single spaces fill quickly, so early reservations are advised. More than 50% of all O.A.T. travelers are women who travel solo One of our most popular trips for solo travelers. More than 650 solo travelers joined us on this adventure in the past two In 2022, we’re offering 30,000 years—either independently or sharing singles spaces across all O.A.T. a room with a mother, daughter, sister, adventures. That’s 86% more than or friend. offered in 2019

High ratings: More than 76% of these solo of our 30,000 single spaces travelers rated their adventure excellent. 92% have FREE Single Supplements. The On average, half of your group will also remaining 8% have the lowest single be traveling independently, so it’s easy supplements in the industry. to forge special bonds as you experience unforgettable moments together. In 2022, we’re offering 25 exclusive women’s departures on some of our You’ll be in good hands, thanks to your most popular itineraries dedicated local Trip Experience Leader (a resident of New Zealand), and the expertise of our regional office team in Sydney. NEW! 101+ SCAN ME Increased Single Space: In 2022, we have Tips for Solo 75% more single spaces than in 2019, Women Travelers with up to 6 single spaces per departure. This complimentary, 96-page See available FREE single space at booklet is a comprehensive collection of savvy tips www.oattravel.com/nzo2022. specifically for seasoned women travelers going solo. Learn about safety for solos, packing like a pro, the best travel apps, self-care on the road, and more. Scan this code to view an online copy or to request one by mail.

9 Our best value in 4 years—up to $600 per person less than in 2019

Pure New Zealand Small Group Adventure New Zealand: Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch, Dunedin, Milford Sound, Queenstown

Countries: 1 | Cities : 5 | 1 Night Milford Sound Cruise

Small groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! It’s Included (average of 13)

Explore in a small group of 8-16 29 meals—14 breakfasts, 8 lunches, FROM PER DAY DAYS • • travelers (average group size of 13) and 7 dinners (including 1 Home- $ $ Hosted Dinner) 5595 330 17 • International airfare, airport transfers, government taxes, fees, and airline fuel • 14 small group activities Including international airfare surcharges unless you choose to make Services of a local O.A.T. Trip your own air arrangements • FREE Single Supplement Experience Leader All land transportation and • Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and 3 internal flights • luggage porters Maximize Your Accommodations for 14 nights • • 5 % Frequent Traveler Credit toward Discoveries & Value your next adventure—an average of $417

Optional extension s : SCAN ME Australia: The Great Barrier Reef & Watch our #1 most popular video Highlights of Sydney 6 nights pre-trip from $2495 for this adventure Travel from only $416 per night Open the camera feature on your mobile device, and hover the lens over this code to scan it. A pop-up notification will New! New Zealand’s North & South take you directly to the video. Islands: Wellington, Nelson & Abel Tasman National Park 6 nights pre-trip from $2695 Travel from only $450 per night New Zealand’s Bay of Islands 3 nights post-trip from $1295 Travel from only $432 per night New! Fiji’s Tropical Splendor & Captivating Culture 5 nights post-trip from $3095 Travel from only $619 per night PLUS, see Dates & Prices for Stopover city options

Milford Sound, New Zealand

Pure New Zealand

10 Itinerary Summary To/From U.S. PRE-TRIPG EXTENSIONS r Internal flight e a t Land route Palm Cove B a Coral Cairns r Cruise/ferry route ri Pre-trip extensions: 6 nights in Australia: er Sea 0300Miles Re ef Waiheke Island The Great Barrier Reef & Highlights of Tasman Auckland AUSTRALIA Sea Sydney OR New! 6 nights in New Zealand’s Tasman North Sea Rotorua POST-TRIP EXTENSIONS North & South Islands: Wellington, Nelson Island ToTo AucAuAuccklaklklaandnd Pacific Ocean Sydney Marupara Hole in the Rock & Abel Tasman National Park s of Island To/Too/o/froffrrom NEW Bay Tasman AucAuAucckklalandnd DAYS DESTINATION ABEL Sea ZEALAND Waitangi TASMAN N.P. NONORTRTH Russell Medlands Beach ISLSLANAND Paihia NEW ZEALAND 1-2 Fly to Auckland, New Zealand Kaiteriteri Picton South TTo/ToT/o/o/froffrroommA Auckucuckcklanlalanand N on E Nelson Wellingt Island Garden of the W Malolo ZE SOSOUTUTH Sleeping Giant 3-5 Auckland ALAND ISISLALANDND Lailai I. Rubicon Valley au Nadi Denar Christchurch Port FIJI 6-8 Rotorua • Waimangu n Pacific VITI LEVU a Milford Sound rrowtow ok A Sigat Queenstown Oamaru Ocean Volcanic Valley Moeraki Boulders Pacific Te Anau Ocean Sigatoka FJORDLAND Dunedin FFrFroroomAm Auckucuckcklanllaanand NATIONAL PARK 9-10 Fly to Christchurch

11-12 Overland to Dunedin

What to Expect 13 Milford Sound Overnight Cruise

14-16 Queenstown Pacing: 6 locations in 15 days with one 1-night stay; 1 internal flight of about 2 hours Physical Requirements: You must be able to walk 2-3 miles unassisted and participate 17 Return to U.S. in 4-6 hours of physical activities each day; 4 overland drives 2-8 hours long. Flight time: Travel time will be 19-27 hours and will most likely have one or two Post-trip extensions: 3 nights in connections New Zealand’s Bay of Islands OR New! 5 nights in Fiji’s Tropical Splendor & View all physical requirements at www.oattravel.com/nzo2022 Captivating Culture

Arrive Early, Stay Later New Zealand: The O.A.T. Difference Prices below include accommodations, daily breakfast, and private airport transfer. Our Best Value in 4 Years: Save up to $600 per person, and travel at the lowest • Arrive early in Auckland on your main price and per diems in the industry. trip for $100 per person, per night • Arrive early in Sydney on your Great People-to-People Experiences: Learn about the Controversial Topic of Barrier Reef & Sydney pre-trip extension the Maori in New Zealand—their traditions, history of oppression, and for $100 per person, per night contemporary issues they continue to face—on a walking tour, or Tamaki • Arrive early in Wellington on your New Hikoi, led by a local Maori guide. Plus, visit a working sheep farm and witness a Zealand's North & South Islands pre-trip shearing demonstration. extension for $100 per person, per night

O.A.T. Exclusives: J oin a local family in Christchurch for a Home-Hosted Dinner • Conclude your main trip with more time featuring typical Kiwi dishes seasoned with good conversation and cross- in Queenstown for $125 per person, per night cultural exchange. Plus, let a local share insight into New Zealand’s position as a nuclear-free zone. • Spend more time in Port Denarau after your Fiji post-trip extension for $250 per person, per night

Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www.oattravel.com/nzo2022

11 Pure New Zealand

YOUR DETAILED ITINERARY

BEGIN YOUR ADVENTURE WITH AN OPTIONAL PRE-TRIP EXTENSION 6 nights in Australia: The Great Barrier Reef & Highlights of Sydney

Day 1 Depart U.S. Day 7 Palm Cove • Great Barrier Reef cruise Day 2 Cross the International Date Line Day 8 Explore Palm Cove • Optional Day 3 Arrive in Sydney, Australia Kuku Yulangi Dreamtime Gorge Walk & Day 4 Explore Sydney • Optional Sydney Wildlife Habitat Harbour Cruise Day 9 Fly to Auckland, New Zealand via Day 5 Explore Sydney Sydney • Join main trip Day 6 Fly to Cairns • Controversial Topic: The future of the Great Barrier Reef • Palm Cove

OR 6 nights in New Zealand’s North & South Islands: Wellington, Nelson & Abel Tasman National Park

Day 1 Depart U.S. Day 6 Wellington • Ferry to South Island • Nelson Day 2 Cross International Date Line Day 7 Nelson • Hike in Abel Tasman Day 3 Arrive Auckland, New Zealand • Fly National Park • Torrent Bay to Wellington Day 8 Nelson • Explore kiwifruit orchard • Day 4 Wellington • Explore Te Visit Riuwaka Resurgence Papa Museum Day 9 Nelson • Fly to Auckland • Day 5 Wellington • Explore Matiu/Somes Join main trip island • Optional Zealandia by Night tour

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

12 Day 1 Depart U.S. the locals. You’ll find that Auckland is both a world-class city—with its Sky Tower, the Fly overnight from the U.S. to Auckland, tallest freestanding structure in the Southern New Zealand. Hemisphere, and a massive footprint extending inland for miles—and a casual destination, Day 2 Cross International Date Line where the beaches lure you to leisure and the pace of life is the speed of the wind in your sails. You continue your flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, losing one day en route as you cross Around 3:30pm our Trip Experience Leader the International Date Line. You regain this will acquaint us with our location during an day when you fly back to the U.S. at the end orientation walk and informative Welcome of the trip. Briefing. First, set off on a 30-minute orientation walk with our Trip Experience Day 3 Arrive Auckland, New Zealand Leader, who will explain the diagonal crosswalks and point out ATMs, the grocery • Destination: Auckland store, bus stops, and other helpful locations • Accommodations: Holiday Inn Auckland near the hotel. During this briefing, we will Airport or similar introduce ourselves and review our itinerary in Activity Note: Some groups may receive their more detail (including any changes that may Welcome Briefing on the morning of Day 4. need to occur). Our Trip Experience Leader will also discuss logistics, safety and emergency Morning: Most travelers will arrive in Auckland procedures, and answer any questions we early this morning, where you will be met at the may have. airport by an O.A.T. representative. It will take around one hour to transfer by motorcoach to Depending on when they arrive, our fellow our hotel, which is likely located in the central travelers who took our New Zealand’s North & business district. Around 8am, you will check in South Islands: Wellington, Nelson & Abel Tasman and receive your room assignments. We spend National Park pre-trip extension may join us for three nights in our Auckland hotel where you our walk and briefing. can take advantage of the hotel’s amenities. Dinner: On your own whenever you like. Your Depending on your hotel, they may include an Trip Experience Leader will be able to provide on-site restaurant, bar, and indoor swimming plenty of restaurant recommendations. Perhaps pool. Your air-conditioned room may include you’ll seek out fresh green-lipped mussels, wireless Internet, minibar, telephone, and a local shellfish specialty, or try out one of private bathroom. the many restaurants at Viaduct Harbor as Lunch: On your own whenever you like. Your Auckland’s city lights illuminate the night sky. Trip Experience Leader will gladly offer Evening: You have the freedom to spend your suggestions, such as traditional meat pie. evening as you wish. Perhaps you’ll take a stroll Afternoon: We have planned a more laid-back along Auckland’s waterfront, or just relax at the day today to give you time to rest after the long hotel for the evening. Our fellow travelers who flight here and before we begin exploring the took our optional pre-trip extension, Australia: city tomorrow. You can relax and make use of The Great Barrier Reef & Highlights of Sydney will the hotel’s amenities, use free time to visit local arrive at the hotel around 10:45pm. shops, or find your own ways to interact with

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

13 Freedom To Explore: During your three full situated on the remains of a dormant vol- days in Auckland, the “City of Sails,” you have cano. Plan to spend about 2 hours exploring the freedom to explore this vibrant city on the exhibits. your own during your free time. Below are a • How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute taxi few recommended options for independent ride, about $8 USD one way. explorations: • Hours: 9am-4pm, daily. • Cruise to Devonport: Just a 15- to 20-minute • Cost: About $15 USD. ferry ride from Auckland’s Central Business • Visit the Auckland City Art Gallery: Dive District, you can explore this relaxed seaside into New Zealand’s artistic world during an village. As home to New Zealand’s Naval Base, exploration of this world-renowned gallery. this village is steeped in maritime history. Boasting more than 17,000 pieces of artwork, For a fisthand look into the historic roots you can explore the nation’s past and present of the area, explore the Naval Museum and as you discover historical and contemporary North Head’s old bunkers and tunnels. You art dating from the 11th century to present can also peruse the many boutique shops, day. These pieces plot a visual history of New selling everything from designer jewelry to Zealand, beginning with the first contact Kiwi handicrafts, and glimpse the restored between Maori and European explorers in Victorian villas. After you’re done exploring, the 1600s. treat your taste buds in one of Devonport’s • How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute walk. many restaurants. The village is known for • Hours: 10am-5pm, daily. its café culture and specialty foods, like • Cost: About $13 USD. Devonport’s famous chocolatiers. • How to get there: A 15- to 20-minute ferry Day 4 Explore Auckland • Controversial ride, about $11 USD one way. Topic: The Treaty of Waitangi and Maori • Hours: 9am-4pm, daily. reparations with Dr. Susan Nemec • Maori • Cost: Free. welcome ceremony • Examine history and the sciences at the • Destination: Auckland Auckland Museum: The Auckland Museum • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner is one of New Zealand’s most prominent • Accommodations: Holiday Inn Auckland historical establishments, serving as both a Airport or similar museum and war memorial. The collections on display here fall into three principal areas: Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today we’ll learn documentary heritage, the natural sciences, about a Controversial Topic when we join and human history—namely war history of a local expert for a conversation about the the First and Second World Wars. There are Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding two ‘Halls of Memory’ within the museum, document. While most people now acknowledge which list the names of all known New that the Maori people suffered injustices as a Zealand soldiers killed in these conflicts, as result of key language differences between the well as others throughout the 20th century. English and Maori versions of the document, From an architectural standpoint, the muse- there is little consensus about how New um is one of the most iconic buildings in the Zealand’s modern-day government can capital, boasting a neo-classicist style and repair these historic harms and create a more

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

14 equitable relationship between the country’s with Television New Zealand, the country’s Maori and European population today. Read state-owned network. Although she is of more about this activity below. European descent herself, she has spent much of her career teaching in secondary schools with Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at predominant Maori, Pacific Islander, and other 6:30am, with hot and cold dishes available. migrant student bodies. She has also spent Morning: Our small group will meet in the her academic and media career researching hotel lobby at around 10am and walk about the issues that affect this marginalized 10 minutes to a local bus stop. We’ll then take community. With her personal connections public transportation to Bastion Point, where to New Zealand’s indigenous people, and her we visit Michael Joseph Savage Memorial scholarly research, she will be able to offer us Park. In this historic site where discussions a comprehensive and personal account of how surrounding the Maoris’ right to the land began the controversies over the treaty still divide the in the 19th century, we’ll be greeted by Prince, country’s population today. an elder Maori, who will perform a traditional In 1840, representatives of the British Crown welcome ceremony. The ceremony, performed and more than 500 Maori chiefs signed the in his native Maori language, will be our first Treaty of Waitangi, establishing the modern glimpse into the culture of New Zealand’s nation of New Zealand and establishing a legal original residents. relationship between the islands’ Maori and Lunch: Just after noon, we’ll have a picnic settler population. At the time of signing, the lunch in the park with Prince and his wife document was translated into English and Kathy, featuring regional dishes. Our small Maori, and for more than a century after its group allows us to get an intimate view into enactment, the English version was held to their lives and ask any questions we may have. represent the legal agreement between the By the end of our time together, we’ll come two parties. away with a deep knowledge and connection to In 1972, however, new research confirmed the Maori culture. key differences between the two translations’ Afternoon: At around 1:30pm, we will walk terms—most notably, the English version to the Trevor Davis Memorial Fountain in granted the British full sovereignty over the nearby Mission Bay, a waterfront suburb. Maori people, while the Maori translation Here, we’ll sit down for a conversation about did not. In the years after the document was a Controversial Topic: The legitimacy of the signed, hostilities broke out as many of the Treaty of Waitangi—New Zealand’s founding Maori signatories fought to preserve the rights document—and its discriminatory impact that their version of the treaty entitled them on the country’s Maori population, who now to. Meanwhile the British, taking the Maori’s experience disproportionate poverty compared unwillingness to accept the terms of the to their non-Maori counterparts. English translation as a breach of the treaty, labelled the resistant Maori as traitors and We’ll discuss this controversial issue with Dr. began the confiscation of their land—at first by Susan Nemec (or a similarly-qualified local purchasing it (often illegally), and in 1863, by expert if she is unavailable), an academic outright invasion. and media professional who specializes in indigenous studies and Maori programming

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15 As British soldiers took the Waikato region by public protest—including, famously, a 500-day force, the newly-formed settler government demonstration in Bastion Point in 1977, just passed legislation authorizing the confiscation a short distance away from where we’ll be of the Maori’s most productive and fertile discussing this subject with Dr. Nemec. She’ll land—including those belonging to tribes who share her knowledge and point of view with us had initially sided with the crown after the for about 20 minutes, and we’ll then have the early disputes over the treaty’s terms. Today, remainder of the hour to ask questions of our as a result of the loss of these ancestral lands, own to round out our understanding of this New Zealand’s Maori population is significantly complicated political subject. marginalized. Maori citizens have an average Around 2:30pm, we’ll say goodbye to Dr. Nemec seven year shorter life expectancy than their and return to the city center via public bus. European counterparts, while poverty is The remainder of the afternoon offers you widespread—Maori median wealth is 80% the freedom to choose your own discoveries. lower than that of the country’s European Perhaps you’ll visit the War Memorial population. Museum, which houses the largest collection In 1975, after the gravity of the Maori’s of Polynesian artifacts in the world, and a historical grievances became widely volcano exhibit that explores these wondrous understood, New Zealand established the landscapes that have existed for more than Waitangi Tribunal to hear retrospective or 250,000 years. Additionally, Auckland has historical claims. While most agree today that many beautiful parks, trendy restaurants, and the Maori were mistreated and are entitled a revitalized waterfront area that contains the to reparations (despite the insistence of America’s Cup Village for visitors to enjoy. some hardliners who insist that the past is Around 5:45pm, our small group will reconvene past and they are owed nothing), the process at the hotel lobby and drive about 15 minutes of adequately proving these grievances or aboard our private motorcoach to a nearby providing sufficient compensation for them has restaurant. been far more challenging and divisive. Dinner: Around 6pm, we’ll gather for a After generations of coexistence, many Maori Welcome Dinner in a local restaurant, featuring are now of mixed racial or tribal origins, New Zealand fare. making it difficult to determine to what extent they are entitled to reparations for Evening: We’ll return to our hotel by around their ancestors’ suffering. To complicate the 7:30pm. Then, enjoy a free evening in Auckland. matter further, much of the confiscated land Perhaps you’ll grab a drink with fellow travelers has been privately-owned for generations, at a local bar, or retire to your room to rest for while other properties have been utilized tomorrow’s discoveries. by the government for public use, making a simple return of the land logistically or legally impossible.

The issue of what reparations—if any—today’s Maori people deserve as a result of those historical grievances is a challenging one. This controversial topic is frequently the subject of

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16 Day 5 Auckland • Explore Waiheke Island • Afternoon: Following lunch around 1:30pm, Olive oil estate & winery visits we’ll conclude our tour and drive for about 30 minutes by private motorcoach back to the • Destination: Auckland ferry terminal, where we’ll board and make • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch the 40-minute return to Auckland. We’ll arrive • Accommodations: Holiday Inn Auckland back at our hotel at around 3pm, where you’ll Airport or similar have a little more than an hour of free time. Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning at Around 4pm, we’ll reconvene at the hotel for a 6:30am, with hot and cold options available. conversation with a local about New Zealand’s Morning: Around 9:30am, we’ll depart the nuclear free policy. For about an hour, we’ll hotel on foot for a 15-minute walk to the ferry delve into the country’s desire to keep their terminal. Here, we’ll board our ferry around environment clean and their disdain over the 9:45am for a transfer of about 45 minutes proliferation of nuclear weapons. We’ll come to Waiheke, New Zealand’s second-largest away with a deeper understanding of the values island. Upon arrival around 10:45am, we’ll of Kiwi society. We encourage travelers to transfer approximately 10 minutes by coach interact, ask questions, and learn more about to the Rangihoua Olive Oil Estate. Here, we’ll New Zealand’s culture. learn about the estate’s unique story in their Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience boutique Kiwi olive oil industry, take a look at Leader can share an insider’s perspective the olive mill machinery and find out all about on restaurants to seek out. You might try an the process of making oil. We’ll also tour the authentic crab shack or tuck into mezze at a estate to see how they harvest and process the casual bar. olives to make premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Evening: Enjoy free time to explore the “City After our tour, we’ll participate in an olive oil of Sails” on your last night in town, or perhaps tasting followed by time to ask any questions retire to your room to rest before our early start you may have. Then, around 12pm, we’ll board tomorrow morning. our private motorcoach and drive for about 5 minutes to Batch Winery, one of the 30 boutique wineries on the island. As Waiheke’s Day 6 Overland to Rotorua • Controversial Topic: highest winery, its grounds offer sweeping The environmental views and its decades-old vines produce quality cost of New Zealand’s dairy boom crafted batch wines. with Dorothy & Ray Higgins • Explore Hamilton Gardens We’ll descend to the wine cellars and learn • Destination: Rotorua about the inner workings of this small winery, as well as sample a selection of their • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner house-made wines. We’ll also learn how the • Accommodations: Distinction Rotorua Hotel craft selections are created. or similar Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: We’ll visit a farm Lunch: Enjoy a lunch of regional specialties today for a conversation about a Controversial around 12:30pm while overlooking the Topic: The rampant pollution caused by picturesque vineyard and sipping a glass of the rapid expansion of New Zealand’s dairy sparkling wine. industry. We’ll join two organic dairy farmers

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17 for a candid discussion of how industrial-scale Dorothy and Ray Higgins, who will welcome us dairy production has polluted the air and onto their farm and join us for an hour-long rendered the majority of New Zealand’s conversation about a Controversial Topic: lakes and rivers unswimmable, and learn The widespread pollution of New Zealand’s about the contentious debate over how this waterways that has been caused by the problem might be solved. Read more about this country’s rapidly-expanding dairy industry. activity below. New Zealand has long prided itself on its Activity Note: Today, we transfer overland to unparalleled natural beauty, embodied by a Rotorua, a drive of up to 4 hours. simple slogan: “100% Pure New Zealand.” In the past few decades, however, this pristine Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning aesthetic has been threatened by the explosive at 6:30am, featuring a selection of hot and growth of New Zealand’s dairy industry—with cold dishes. cattle pastures covering about half of the Morning: We will depart the hotel around landscape, the country is now the world’s 8:30am for a scenic 4-hour drive by leading dairy exporter. While this growth has motorcoach to Rotorua through lush green been a boon for the economy, the industrial pasturelands in the center of the North Island, farming techniques utilized to support this the epicenter of Maori life. It’s believed that expansion have been responsible for a surge of New Zealand’s Maori people settled on the water and air pollution. In fact, a 2019 report North Island about a thousand years ago, from New Zealand’s environment ministry and they have held on firmly to their identity revealed that two-thirds of the country’s rivers and traditions. Nearly a quarter of a million are now deemed unsafe for swimming, while indigenous Maori still maintain their unique three-fourths of its freshwater fish species lifestyle and culture, adding to the rich heritage are threatened with extinction. Today, many of New Zealand and accounting for 14% of its are now asking an existential question: How population. “pure” is New Zealand, and more importantly, what is the country going to do about it? We’ll make two stops along the way to break up our drive. The first, at about 10:15am, is to We’ll explore this difficult subject in depth with Hamilton Gardens, a public garden park on Dorothy and Ray Higgins, a married couple in the banks of the Waikato River complete with their 70s who have been farmers for their entire a lake, nursery, open lawns, and enclosed lives. Like many other New Zealand farmers, gardens. Each garden has its own theme, such the Higgins’ transitioned from raising sheep to as Italian Renaissance Garden and and herb dairy production in recent decades, in order to garden, which together tell the history of respond to changing economic conditions. They gardens and gardening around the world. We’ll are acutely aware, however, of the destructive spend about an hour here, allowing you ample potential that this form of agriculture can time to roam the grounds and, perhaps, stop to have on the environment and strive to utilize smell the roses. and promote organic, sustainable techniques to strike a compromise between productivity Next, at about 11:15am, we’ll head to our next and preservation of the landscape. During destination: The Higgins’ family dairy farm, our hour-long conversation with Dorothy about a 30-minute drive away in the town of and Ray, we’ll benefit from their lifetime of Cambridge. We’ll be greeted by the owners, experience, as well as their deep connections

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18 to New Zealand’s agricultural community, to Dorothy and Ray will spend about 20 minutes learn about how this environmental crisis came sharing their expertise and point of view with to be, and how local people on each side of the us, and we’ll then have the remainder of the controversy think the problem can be solved. hour to ask questions of our own to deepen our understanding of this difficult subject. After our New Zealand’s dairy boom began in the conversation, we’ll join our hosts for lunch at 1990s, quickly overtaking sheep farming as the farm. the country’s leading agricultural activity. There are now more than five million milking Lunch: Around 12:45pm at the Higgins Farm. cows in New Zealand, a 70% increase since We’ll enjoy farm fresh cuisine and more 1994. This new, lucrative form of agriculture, in-depth conversation with our hosts, as we get however, has come with a devastating price: a firsthand perspective about the daily life of Industrial-grade, nitrogen-rich fertilizer a New Zealand dairy farmer. After lunch, we’ll used to produce the rich green pastures most join Dorothy and Ray on a tour of the farm, suitable for grazing has spilled effluent into in which we’ll learn about its history, walk New Zealand’s lakes and rivers, creating through the gardens, see the milking shed, and a proliferation of toxic algae blooms and get a firsthand look at the organic methods that outbreaks of E. coli. Meanwhile, profit-focused they are trying to promote. farmers are incentivized to squeeze as many Afternoon: We’ll board our coach around heads of cattle onto their estates as possible, 1:45pm and continue on to Rotorua. Around causing an exponential growth of greenhouse 3pm, we arrive at Nest Egg Kiwi Conservation gases—more than 50% of New Zealand’s Project, where we learn from the staff about emissions are linked to agriculture, compared how the team breeds and raises baby kiwis, to the global average of 14%. and witness adult kiwis—the national bird—in While most Kiwis agree that water pollution a specially-created environment. Kiwi comes is the most urgent crisis facing New Zealand from the Maori language and means “hidden today, finding an acceptable solution to the bird.” The only birds with no tail feathers, they problem has been far more difficult. Prime are now nearly extinct in the wild, which is why Minister Jacinda Ardern has pledged to make the nation has doubled down on conservation New Zealand’s waterways swimmable again efforts, with nest egg teams across the islands. within a generation, but many are concerned We depart for the 15-minute ride to our hotel that not enough progress is being made, near Lake Rotorua around 4pm, arriving and urging strict limits and regulations to keep the checking in to our rooms in the late afternoon. dairy industry in check. Meanwhile, industry Depending on your hotel, you might enjoy representatives and profit-focused farmers are amenities including a restaurant, spa, and pushing back on these suggestions, arguing outdoor pool. Your room may feature coffee- that agriculture is now, and has always been, a and tea-making facilities, a safe, and private fundamental pillar of New Zealand’s economy bathroom. You’ll have about 2 hours of free and shouldn’t be unduly burdened by the time, an ideal opportunity to rest from our day government. Others, like the Higgins family, or freshen up before dinner. are attempting to seek a middle ground, deploying organic techniques and farming Dinner: Around 6:30pm, in the hotel restaurant responsibly so as to live in harmony with the featuring Pacific Rim cuisine. environment.

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19 Evening: Relax and enjoy the amenities of the comprehensive eco-focus, and every person hotel, or stroll near the hotel to soak in views who adventures here helps support forest of the lake. You may also wish to retire to your restoration. room to rest for the night. • How to get there: A 20- to 30-minute taxi Freedom To Explore: During your three days ride, about $20 USD one way. in Rotorua, you have the freedom to explore • Hours: 9:30am-4:30pm, daily. this lakeside city on your own during your free • Cost: About $100 USD. time. Below are a few recommended options for • Explore the Buried Village of Te Wairoa: Once independent explorations: a thriving European and Maori settlement on the shores of Lake Tarawera, the unexpected • Refresh at Polynesian Spa: Revitalize your volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886 mind and body at New Zealand’s original buried this village and ended more than one geothermal bathing spa. The spa’s geother- hundred lives. Today, this site showcases mal hot mineral waters are sourced from two stories and displays of the villagers, the erup- natural hot springs that supply 28 hot miner- tion, and the devastation left behind. Wander al pools. While here, you can take in sweeping through the Museum of Te Wairoa as you take views of Lake Rotorua while you relax in four in relics recovered from the eruption. Then, alkaline mineral hot pools, an acidic mineral get a first-hand glance at the effects of the hot pool, and a cold plunge pool for hot-cold explosion when you visit the archaeological hydrotherapy. The water typically stays site. And, you can explore the re-vegetated between 96.8° F and 106° F. Along the pools’ area surrounding the village as you stroll edges, you can find geothermally-heated pool lush pathways leading to the Wairere Falls. side recliners. Perhaps you’ll take the steps down to feel the • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute taxi cool spray of the cascading falls. ride, about $11 USD one-way. • How to get there: A 15- to 20-minute taxi Hours: 8am-11pm, daily. • ride, about $16 USD one way. Cost: About $53 USD. • • Hours: 9am-4:30pm, daily. • Go on an eco-adventure with Rotorua • Cost: About $22 USD. Canopy Tours: Journey deep into the ancient New Zealand forest on this unique 3-hour Day 7 Rotorua • Controversial Topic: adventure. Swing from bridges and zip-lines The economic collapse of Murupara with as you learn about local flora and fauna Nadine Toetoe • Maori Cultural Experience from a resident guide. Perhaps you’ll even • Destination: Rotorua hand feed native wild birds. Secluded in the • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch forest, your small group of no more than 10 people will experience a first generation • Accommodations: Distinction Rotorua Hotel native forest from the forest floor to high in or similar the canopy. Up an ancient rimu tree, you can Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today we’ll learn find the the highest platform—about 72 feet about a Controversial Topic when we travel to above the forest floor. This company has a the Maori logging town of Murupara and hear how the mechanization of the logging industry in the 1970s led to massive unemployment, sending the town into an economic spiral

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20 from which it has yet to recover. Our host for Lunch: Around noon, we’ll enjoy a traditional this conversation is a local resident and the hangi meal with our hosts—a typical proprietor of a lodge which aims to help the style of Maori cuisine in which the meal is town’s youth dream of a brighter future. Learn cooked underground for hours. We’ll enjoy more about this activity below. a variety of meats, vegetables, and local favorites—including fried bread—followed Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning by dessert as we talk with our hosts about at 7am, featuring a selection of hot and day-to-day Maori life. cold dishes. Afternoon: At around 12:30pm, while we’re Morning: Around 9:30am, we drive by enjoying lunch with our hosts, we’ll begin an private motorcoach to the lands of the hour-long conversation about a Controversial Ngati Manawa—one of New Zealand’s only Topic: The widespread poverty affecting landlocked Maori tribes. We’ll reach the tribal the people of Murupara ever since the border at around 10am, where we’ll meet mechanization of the logging industry in the our local Maori guide, who will greet us with 1970s decimated the local workforce. Where a traditional karakia (prayer), then join us Murupura was once a boom town, with a aboard the coach as we make our way deeper thriving population of industrious loggers, it into Maori lands for a guided tour and cultural is now a shell of its former self. Recent census experience. data places Murupara’s unemployment rate As we drive into Kaingaroa Forest, the largest at 27%, while substance abuse, gang activity, man-made forest in the Southern Hemisphere, and other consequences of intergenerational our local guide will share with us the poverty continue to hang over the town like a significance that these lands have for the Maori dark cloud. people, and offer us insights into the centuries We’ll explore this issue with Nadine Toetoe, the of history that occurred here long before proprietor of Kohutapu Lodge, who will speak European colonists arrived. At around 10:30am, candidly with us about this complicated subject, we’ll step off the coach for a short walk through and about the solutions that local people like the bush to Te Ana a Maru, where we’ll find her are working hard to implement. As a woman some of New Zealand’s most ancient Maori of Maori descent herself, and a resident of rock art. Entering these sacred grounds is a rare Murupara, Nadine is intimately familiar with privilege—outsiders typically aren’t allowed in the issues affecting her and the town’s other without the blessing of a member of the Ngati citizens, and can share her personal perspective Manawa tribe. of what it’s like to attempt to reverse a 50-year At around 11am, we’ll board our motorcoach long economic crisis. again and drive for about 30 minutes to We’ll learn about how through her work Murupara, a Maori town of about 2,000 people, at the lodge, Nadine and other locals are where we’ll head to Kohutapu Lodge, located on attempting to give the people of Murupara a the shores of Lake Aniwhenua. Here, we’ll meet brighter future. In addition to offering material the owner, Nadine Toetoe, and a Maori family relief to families in need, Kohutapu Lodge who we will soon share a meal with. works with Murupara’s youth to instill pride in Maori culture and inspire them to think about the endless possibilities tomorrow

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21 may hold. Through social and educational stomping, shouting, and animated facial programs, Nadine hopes to help Murupara’s expressions. The haka is commonly thought next generation form ambitious personal of as a war dance (it’s easy to see why after goals to work towards in order to avoid a life of experiencing it for yourself), but it has a dependence on government assistance, gang much broader role in Maori culture, which activity, and another turn around the cycle of our hosts will explain to us as we practice its poverty in which the town has been trapped steps. We’ll also learn about the art of raranga for so long. (flax weaving) and hear stories from the Maori culture’s long history, followed by the As someone whose family has lived through opportunity to ask questions of our own. the economic disaster of the 1970s, Nadine will also be able to offer us a personal, detailed After a memorable day of Maori cultural account of how Murupara found itself in its discovery, we’ll board our motorcoach at current condition. When the Kaingaroa Forest around 2:30pm and begin the drive back to our was planted in the 1930s, Murupara enjoyed an hotel, arriving around 3:30pm. economic boom as people flocked to the town in Upon arrival in Rotorua, you have the search of logging jobs—which at the time were remainder of the day free for your own bountiful. In the 1970s, however, everything discoveries. Take advantage of this extra time changed when the logging companies’ offshore here to do some exploring on your own. You owners transitioned to a modern, mechanized might use your free time to follow the lake edge workforce. Suddenly, half as many workers for an afternoon, or venture into town for a were needed to produce multiple times the little more hustle and bustle. output, and while profits soared, the workers who once relied on these lucrative logging jobs Dinner: On your own in Rotorua whenever you were cut loose and left to fend for themselves. like. Perhaps you’ll choose to eat at the hotel’s restaurant, or venture out to the restaurants The job losses sent the town spiraling into an and bars lining “Eat Street” to try some local economic depression that it has yet to recover hot spots. If you want to skip right to dessert, from. The community has made some efforts savor some ice cream at Lady Jane’s Ice Cream to address the issue—such as banning gang Parlour, a local favorite. insignias within town limits—while others like Nadine are working to address the root of the Evening: Your freedom to choose your own problem and break the cycle of poverty that discoveries continues this evening. Perhaps Murupara has been trapped in for generations. you’ll grab a drink with fellow travelers at a local bar, or retire to your room to rest up for Nadine will share her story with us for about tomorrow’s discoveries. 20 minutes, and then we’ll have the rest of the hour to ask questions of our own over lunch to get a sense of what life is like in Murupara, and what hopes its people have for the future.

Our conversation will end at about 1:30pm, when we’ll learn more about Maori culture during a series of interactive activities. First we’ll perform the haka—a traditional ceremonial dance that features rhythmic

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22 Day 8 Rotorua • Optional Waimangu Lunch: For those not on the optional tour, Volcanic Valley Tour lunch is on your own. For those on the optional tour, lunch will be included at a local restaurant • Destination: Rotorua in Waimangu around 12:45pm. • Included Meals: Breakfast • Accommodations: Distinction Rotorua Hotel Afternoon: Continue exploring on your own or similar for those staying in Rotorua. If you are on the optional tour, we will depart by coach around Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at 7am, 1:30pm to drive about 30 minutes back to with hot and cold options available. Rotorua, where the remainder of the afternoon Morning: Enjoy a free day in Rotorua for you is free for your own discoveries. to explore on your own. Or, join our optional Perhaps you’ll discover Maori and European Waimangu Volcanic Valley tour. Rotorua is history at the Buried Village of Te Wairoa, often called a thermal wonderland because or explore the treetops of Rotorua on a of its volcanic activity. The region is replete canopy tour. with bubbling mud pools, geothermal geysers, and steam vents—a place where it’s not at all Dinner: On your own. Perhaps you’ll take unusual to spot the occasional small vapor advantage of the hotel’s restaurant, or venture stream rising from a crack in the pavement. into town to discover a local restaurant. Here, on the Volcanic Plateau, it simply comes Evening: On your own. Maybe you’ll retire to with the territory. your room, or grab a drink with fellow travelers For those on the optional tour, we’ll depart by at the hotel bar to discuss today’s discoveries. coach from the hotel around 9am, to transfer about 30 minutes to the Waimangu Volcanic Day 9 Rotorua • Fly to Christchurch • Valley. This relatively young geothermal site Home-Hosted Dinner was created by nearby Mount Tarawera’s last • Destination: Christchurch eruption in 1886. We take a light 1-hour hike alongside a local guide who will provide us • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with their insider knowledge of the landscape • Accommodations: Rydges Latimer as we descend into the lush valley of green Christchurch or similar vegetation, pink silica terraces, and blue waters. Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today we’ll split We’ll discover the Inferno Crater, filled with into smaller groups of no more than 5 to enjoy brilliant turquoise water, and Frying Pan Lake, a Home-Hosted Dinner with local families in the world’s largest hot spring. Our small group Christchurch. Our small group size allows for will also embark on a 45-minute cruise of Lake intimate cultural connections as we converse Rotomahana, where our captain explains more with our hosts about daily life in New Zealand, about the history of Rotorua and shows us more and enjoy a hearty three-course meal of geothermal sites that aren’t accessible by land. traditional Kiwi cuisine. Read more about this activity below. Around noon, our cruise will end, and we’ll board our coach and drive about 30 minutes to Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning our lunch spot. at 7am, featuring a selection of hot and cold dishes.

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23 Morning: We’ll depart the hotel around 10am likely to enjoy local favorites such as roast for about a 30-minute drive to Rotorua Airport. lamb, seasonal vegetables like kumara (sweet Upon arrival, we’ll have just under two hours potato), and perhaps a taste of sweet pavlova here to prepare for our flight. for dessert—New Zealand’s iconic meringue confection. Lunch: On your own at the airport. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for suggestions. As we dine, we’ll also enjoy lively conversation about life in New Zealand, an intimate Afternoon: Our flight will take off around opportunity for cultural exchange made 12:15pm, and we’ll fly about 2 hours to possible only by O.A.T.’s small group size. As Christchurch. Upon arrival, we transfer about our hosts are likely to be fellow world travelers, 20-minutes by coach to our hotel in Cathedral we’re sure to have much to talk about, Square. Depending on which hotel we stay whether we’re sharing our favorite travel at, there may be a bar and restaurant. Each stories, or discussing issues that affect life in air-conditioned room may feature amenities Christchurch—like the earthquake that rocked such as a refrigerator, flat-screen TV, coffee- the city in 2011. and tea-making facilities, and private bath with hair dryer. We’ll end our meal at around 8pm and return to our hotel, arriving at around 8:30pm. You can enjoy the freedom to explore on your own this afternoon. Though devastating Evening: The rest of the evening is free to earthquakes set Christchurch back in 2010 and spend as you please. You might wish to head out 2011, this English-influenced beauty has been to discover the city’s nightlife, or retire to your on a re-building boom that has revitalized room to rest. the heart of the city and yielded plenty to see Freedom To Explore: During your two days in and do. You might choose a literal overview Christchurch, you have the freedom to explore with a ride by gondola up Mt. Cavendish. Or this coastal city on your own during your free stroll amid the colorful flower beds of the time. Below are a few recommended options for Botanical Gardens. Perhaps you’ll pop into the independent explorations: new Riverside Market where a variety of world cuisines compete for your attention. • Take a stroll through the Botanic Gardens: Located in the heart of the city, walk through Dinner: Around 6pm, we’ll break up into 21 acres of rock gardens, plants, and tree smaller groups of no more than 5 and wait at collections, and learn about New Zealand’s our hotel to be greeted by local families who flora, as well as flora from every continent. will drive us to their Christchurch residences Founded in 1863 with the planting of an for a Home-Hosted Dinner. Our hosts are likely English Oak tree, the gardens have grown to be retired middle- to upper-class citizens of to a well-loved site for locals and visitors. European descent who have spent their golden Discover over 3,500 species of plants, from years traveling the world and pursuing hobbies coniferous woody, deciduous woody, roses, such as sailing, theater, gardening, and golf. herbs, medicinal plants, and more. The Together we’ll share a traditional three-course gardens are also a wonderful place for peo- meal, composed of typical Kiwi cuisine that ple-watching and mingling with locals who local families would enjoy in their day-to-day lives. Our hosts will choose the menu, but we’re

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24 bring their families here to enjoy the flora, as Day 10 Christchurch • Controversial well as to picnic. Plan to spend approximately Topic: The aftermath of the Christchurch 2-3 hours here. earthquake and the long road to recovery • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute taxi with Ali Jones • Local farm visit ride, about $7 USD one way. • Destination: Christchurch • Hours: 7am-9pm, daily. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Cost: Free; 1.5-hour guided tour, $7 USD • Accommodations: Rydges Latimer per person. Christchurch or similar • Enjoy an afternoon of tranquility in a Punting on the Avon River: Punting on the Avon Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today we’ll learn River is an iconic Christchurch activity. These about a Controversial Topic: The aftermath of handcrafted, flat-bottomed boats are driven the devastating 2011 earthquake which reduced by Punters, who steer with a pole from the Christchurch to rubble, and the slow recovery rear end of the boat. As you glide along the process which has left thousands of the city’s water, admire the expansive Christchurch people still waiting for their homes to be Botanic Gardens or the busting city center. repaired. We’ll meet Ali Jones, a public relations Tours depart from the Antigua Boat Sheds professional who has spent the intervening and the Worcester Bridge (closed until 2021). years helping the earthquake’s survivors Please note that standard Punt rides are navigate the bureaucratic labyrinth that has shared and last 30 minutes. stood in the way of their restitution for the past decade. Read more about this activity below. • How to get there: A 10-minute walk. • Hours: 9am-5:30pm, daily. Winter hours Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning may apply. at 7am, featuring a selection of hot and • Cost: About $20 USD per person. cold dishes.

• Experience the Christchurch Tramway: Morning: We depart around 10am by Enjoy a day of sightseeing and stepping back motorcoach and set off on a 1-hour drive to in history as you ride fully restored heritage Rubicon Valley in the Southern Alps. There, trams. Your day ticket allows you to hop on we visit a working farm which is home to and hop off at leisure, offering a plethora more than 3,000 sheep. As we begin our back of stops en route, such as: the Canterbury country exploration of the farm, we’ll first Museum & Botanic Gardens, Turanga and have the opportunity to see the impressive Margaret Mahy Playground, The Terrace, teamwork of sheepdogs and sheep. Then, Cashel Street & Riverside Market, Arts Centre we’ll observe a sheep shearing demonstration and New Regent Street. and we’ll meet some of the farm’s other furry • How to get there: A 5-minute walk. residents, including alpaca. Throughout this • Hours: 9am-6pm, September-May; 10am- experience, our small group will gain a deeper 5pm, May-September. understanding of farm life and the importance • Cost: About $16 USD per person. of sheep in New Zealand when we speak to the farmers and ask them any questions we may have.

Lunch: Around noon, we’ll enjoy an included barbecue lunch at the Rubicon Farm.

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25 Afternoon: Around 1pm, we depart on a Despite the fact that thousands of homes were 1-hour drive back to Christchurch. Once we destroyed, and entire suburbs were rendered arrive, we’ll head to Cathedral Square, in the unlivable, local officials made the controversial heart of the city, where we’ll sit down for a decision to focus first on rebuilding the conversation about a Controversial Topic: The businesses and historic sites of the city center aftermath of the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake, to restore the city’s economy and public profile. and the contentious decision to prioritize the While much progress has been made in that reconstruction of the city center before the sector—as we’ll see for ourselves in bustling residences and outlying suburbs that were laid Cathedral Square—city residents who lost their to waste. Ten years later, thousands of citizens homes have received far less support. are still waiting for relief, forced to navigate Christchurch’s insurance companies found an overburdened bureaucratic labyrinth—an themselves woefully unprepared for the experience which many say has been more magnitude of claims that followed in the wake stressful than the quake itself. of the devastation, leaving locals to wait in a We’ll learn about this controversial issue in long line for relief, only to discover that the depth during our hour-long conversation damage to their homes often far exceeded the with Ali Jones, a Christchurch resident, as maximum of what their policy could cover. well as former city councilor and broadcaster, Meanwhile, many of those who managed to with a 20-year career in public relations. Ali receive repairs found them to be hasty and lived through the historic quakes, and was inadequate, leaving them with no choice but one of the thousands whose homes was badly to open another insurance claim and rejoin the damaged by the disaster. Like many of those queue of applicants, creating a bureaucratic affected, Ali found herself vexed by the city’s ouroboros that seems to show no sign slow relief for ordinary citizens, and now of slowing. uses her profile as public figure and years of During our hour with Ali, she’ll spend about experience to advocate for those still seeking 20 minutes sharing her story and experiences aid. As the chair of the Claimants Reference with us, and we’ll then have the remaining Group, and a member of the Homeowners 40 minutes to ask questions of our own about Advisory Group—organizations dedicated to how the earthquake turned life in Christchurch helping earthquake survivors get back on their upside down. Despite the setbacks, Ali is feet—Ali can offer a firsthand perspective on committed to helping her fellow people restore the trials and tribulations that Christchurch’s what was lost, and believes that Christchurch citizens have faced as they walk the long road to will one day be returned to its former glory. recovery, and share her own experiences about what it was like to live in Christchurch during Our conversation will end at around 3pm, those harrowing days ten years ago. and you’ll then have the freedom to explore on your own for the rest of the day. Perhaps The 6.3 magnitude earthquake which struck you’ll venture aboard the gleaming red Christchurch in 2011 was one of the worst trolley cars—a perfect way to see the many disasters that New Zealand has ever seen. faces of Christchurch, from the Avon River Already reeling from a previous 7.1-magnitude to the Canterbury Museum and bustling New earthquake and its aftershocks in 2010, the 2011 Regent Street. disaster devastated the city, killing 185 people and causing $25 billion in property damage.

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26 Dinner: On your own. Ask your Trip Experience We depart around 2pm to continue our transfer Leader for recommendations. by motorcoach to Dunedin. Around 2:45pm, we’ll stop to behold the Moeraki Boulders. Evening: The balance of the evening is free These oddly spherical stones are large and to relax in your room or discover the quaint scattered across the beach. As many things do charms of Christchurch on your own. Or in New Zealand, there is deep Maori legend perhaps have a cocktail at a bar just steps associated with these boulders. These boulders away in Cathedral Square, the epicenter of city originally started forming around 60 million nightlife. years ago through ancient sea floor sediments. The largest of the boulders are estimated to Day 11 Christchurch • Overland have taken about 4 million years to form. Due to Dunedin to shoreline erosion from coastal cliffs, these • Destination: Dunedin boulders, or concretions, have become more • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and more exposed. Our Trip Experience Leader will regale us with the history and legends • Accommodations: Distinction Dunedin Hotel behind them. We’ll stop here for about 30 or similar minutes to admire their mysteriously round Activity Note: Today, we transfer overland to shape, walk the beach, and take in the scenic Dunedin, a drive of up to 4 hours with stops coastal views. included along the way. Around 3:15pm, we’ll board our motorcoach Breakfast: Served at the hotel featuring hot and and finish the remaining transfer of a little cold dishes beginning at 6am. more than an hour to Dunedin. Around 4:30pm, we’ll arrive at our hotel in the heart of the Morning: Today, we depart the hotel by Warehouse precinct. We’ll receive our room motorcoach around 8:30am to head to the assignments, and depending on which hotel coastal city of Dunedin—a recently added we stay at, we may enjoy the hotel restaurant, destination for 2021. Our total transfer time bar, and gym. Each of the rooms may also have will be up to 4 hours with stops included along wireless Internet access, TV, telephone, coffee- the way. On our drive, we’ll get endless views and tea-making facilities, iron and ironing of the rugged beaches that dot the coast. board, and private bath with hair dryer. Our first stop around noon will bring us to historic Oamaru, a town steeped in Victorian After checking in, you’ll have the remainder architecture. of the day free for your own discoveries in Dunedin, known by many as the “Edinburgh Lunch: Around noon, we’ll stop for lunch of the South.” Brimming with dramatic hills at a local restaurant in Oamaru, featuring and cliffs and unlimited coastal views, the city regional cuisine. offers Scottish influences with a Victorian style. Afternoon: Following lunch, you will have Perhaps you’ll stroll the the narrow streets and free time to explore this quaint town on admire the Victorian architecture, or perhaps your own. Perhaps you’ll stroll through the you’ll rest in your room after the day’s transfer. Historic Precinct where you can peruse many Dinner: On your own this evening. Check with stores, handicrafts, museums, galleries, and your Trip Experience Leader for restaurant more. Or, ask your Trip Experience Leader for suggestions. suggestions.

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27 Evening: The remainder of your evening is free carver James York handcrafted an albatross to walk around the hotel premises, soaking to welcome visitors. Plan to spend 1 hour at in the last views of the day, or to relax in the museum. your room. • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute walk. Freedom To Explore: During your two days in • Hours: 10am-4pm, daily. Dunedin, you have the freedom to explore this • Cost: About $10 USD. Victorian-era city on your own during your free • Explore Olveston Historic Home: This 35- time. Below are a few recommended options for room Edwardian mansion is lavishly fur- independent explorations: nished with exotic artifacts, prized artworks, antique furniture, ceramics, and statues. • View distinct wildlife at the Royal Albatross Constructed in the early 1900s, this mansion Centre: During this 1-hour guided tour, was home to a prominent businessman and you will learn all about the Northern Royal philanthropist. In 1966, it was gifted to the Albatross. You’ll watch a short movie by people of Dunedin, and little has changed Natural History New Zealand that will since. You can explore this time capsule of a document this unique bird. Then, head to home during a 1-hour guided tour. the viewing observatory to see these birds up close. You’ll witness the entire breeding col- • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute taxi ony, including parents guarding their chicks, ride, about $6 USD one way. young birds playing, courtship proceedings, • Hours: 9am-5pm, daily. nest building, and so much more. Here, you • Cost: About $15 USD. can get an in-depth look into the social and family relationships within this bird species. Day 12 Dunedin • Explore Larnach Castle • Optional Larnach Castle Lunch & Nature’s • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute walk Wonders of Dunedin tour to Dunedin Information Center, where your included transfer will pick you up. • Destination: Dunedin • Hours: 10:30am, daily. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner • Cost: About $79 USD. • Accommodations: Distinction Dunedin Hotel • Trace the history of human settlement at or similar Toitu Otago Settlers Museum: Glean insight Breakfast: Served at the hotel, beginning into the history of settlement on the South at 6am and featuring regional and Island at New Zealand’s oldest history muse- Western options. um. This celebrated institution is composed of Maori and Victorian-era settlers exhibits, Morning: Around 10:30am, we’ll board our bus a collection of obsolete techonology, and a and drive about 30 minutes to Larnach Castle. re-created passenger-ship cabin (you can Boasted as “New Zealand’s only castle,” this even stretch out in a bunk). The entryway Scottish structure offers a deeper look into the or waharoa alone is worth a visit: master European history of New Zealand. A local guide will lead us on a private tour of a little over an hour to explore the castle and its gardens. The castle was built during the gold rush of the 19th century by a prominent financier and politician. Wandering through the rooms that have been restored to their late 19-century glory offers

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28 insight into the Larnachs’ wealth and at times Dinner: Around 6pm at local hangout Speight’s fraught family history. It’s also a chance to Brewery, featuring regional specialties. learn about the Barkers, who bought the castle Evening: You’ll have the freedom to explore on in 1967 and have spent the decades since your own this evening—whether wandering restoring to its former state. through the surrounding city, enjoying Following our visit around noon, you’ll have the atmosphere of the hotel, or retiring the option to drive 30 minutes back to Dunedin early to rest. and enjoy a free afternoon, or you may wish to join our optional tour, Larnach Castle Day 13 Dunedin • Milford Sound Lunch & Nature’s Wonders of Dunedin. This Overnight Cruise approximately 4-hour tour offers a charming • Destination: Milford Sound dining experience in 19th-century Larnach, followed by a premier wildlife experience in • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Dunedin, the wildlife capital of New Zealand. • Accommodations: Milford Mariner or similar Activity Note: Today’s transfer to Milford Lunch: On your own for those who do not Sound will be over the course of 7.5 hours with join the optional tour. Check with your Trip stops included along the way. Experience Leader for suggestions. For those who do join the tour, lunch is around noon at Breakfast: Served at the hotel featuring hot and Larnach Castle. cold dishes beginning at 7:30am.

Afternoon: Following lunch, you will have Morning: We depart around 8:30am by the remainder of the day free for your own motorcoach to Milford Sound—dubbed the discoveries if you do not join the optional tour. “Eighth Wonder of the World” by Rudyard Perhaps you’ll explore the Otago Museum, with Kipling—situated in the heart of Fiordland a collection of over 1.5 million objects, telling National Park. Our total transfer time, with stories of nature, culture and science from the stops included along the way, is up to 7.5 hours. surrounding area. A highlight for many here is Our journey will take us through dense forests, the Tropical Butterfly House, where colorful past Lake Te Anau, and through the Homer butterflies and lush flora abound. Tunnel, a three-quarter-mile engineering wonder drilled through pure rock. Around For those who do join the tour, we’ll depart 10:30am, we’ll take a 30-minute rest break. the castle around 1pm for a 30-minute drive to We’ll continue driving for about 2 hours before Nature’s Wonders, a private reservation located we stop for lunch. at the headland of the Otago Pennisula. Keep a look out for a diverse range of bird species, Lunch: We’ll stop en route to Milford Sound including yellow eyed-penguins, albatross around 12:45pm in Te Anau for lunch on your and New Zealand fur seals. Then around 3pm, own. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for local we’ll make the 1-hour drive back to the hotel, restaurant recommendations. where we’ll have almost 2 hours of free time to explore. Afternoon: Following lunch around 1:45pm, we’ll board our motorcoach and drive the Around 5:45pm, we’ll walk 15 minutes to a local remaining 2 hours to Milford Sound. Upon restaurant. arrival, our small group will arrive and board a fjord cruise ship for an unforgettable overnight

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29 cruise of Milford Sound, a NEW feature for Day 14 Milford Sound • Disembark ship • 2021. Our 60-passenger vessel features private Visit Te Anau Bird Sanctuary • Overland to cabins with twin beds or a double bed and Queenstown an ensuite bathroom. Onboard you can find • Destination: Queenstown spacious viewing decks, a dining saloon, bar, and observation lounge. Setting sail around • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 4:30pm, we’ll begin our overnight exploration. • Accommodations: Heritage Queenstown Accompanied by an expert naturalist guide, or similar we’ll marvel at towering cliffs and the perfect Activity Note: Our overland transfer to cone of Mitre Peak, and view thundering Queenstown will take about 7.5 hours, including waterfalls, beech forests, and unique flora and stops along the way. fauna as we cruise along the sound’s famous fjords. While we view the landscape, our Breakfast: Served in the ship’s saloon starting naturalist guide will explain the history and at 7am, with hot and cold options available. geology of the area and be on hand to answer Morning: Following breakfast, enjoy the any of your questions. passing scenery before we dock around 9:45am. Later this afternoon, we’ll anchor in a sheltered After we disembark the ship, we’ll board our cove. With our expert naturalist guide, we’ll coach and begin our drive to Queenstown. board zodiac tenders or kayaks to explore Our transfer will take up to 7 hours with stops the region’s landscape and wildlife up-close. included along the way. One of the things you We may have the opportunity to spot seals, may notice as we get closer to Queenstown dolphins, and penguins. Or, if you prefer to is the scenery of the South Island—from the relax, you can rest on the observation deck and town’s shoreline of Lake Wakatipu, to the soak in the landscape that surrounds you. If mountains in the distance which are aptly you’re feeling brave, there’s always the option named The Remarkables. The city has gained of a refreshing swim too. All activities are notoriety for being the “adventure capital of weather dependent. the world,” attracting skiers, white-water rafters, and other thrill-seekers who are drawn Dinner: A three-course buffet dinner will be to its rapids and peaks. Yet it can also be seen as served onboard in the ship’s saloon featuring a rejuvenating retreat for those in need of some regional and Western options. fresh mountain air.

Evening: Free for your own discoveries. Perhaps Lunch: We’ll stop around noon en route to you’ll grab a drink with fellow travelers at the Queenstown in Te Anau for an included lunch at ship’s bar to talk about today’s discoveries, a local café featuring regional cuisine. retire to your cabin to rest, or sit out on the observation deck and listen to the sound of the Afternoon: Following lunch around 12:45pm, water as the stars shine above you. we’ll make the 5- to 10-minute walk to the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary. Arriving around 1pm, we’ll meet with a Department of Conservation ranger for about an hour, where they will talk about the birdlife found on Milford Sound. You may have the opportunity to see the takahē, kākā (or forest parrot), and spotted owls called ruru. Following our visit around 2pm, we’ll

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30 board our coach and continue our transfer to • Board the TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak Queenstown. Upon arrival around 4:30pm, Station: Enjoy a cruise on a vintage twin we’ll check in to our hotel and receive our room screw steamship—the only remaining of its assignments. Our hotel may be nestled between kind in the Southern Hemisphere—which the mountains and Lake Wakatipu. The hotel departs the mainland every two hours. You may feature a bar, restaurant, and outdoor can relax and take in the dramatic scenery pool. Room amenities may include coffee- and surrounding the lake as you cruise to the tea-making facilities, minibar, TV, and private Walter Peak Sheep Station, where you’ll meet bath with hair dryer. Around 6:15pm, we’ll local Kiwis and learn about life on the sheep reconvene in the hotel lobby and drive by coach station. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of about 10 minutes to dinner. the area’s pioneering women and men who carved a life for themselves in the mountains. Dinner: Around 6:30pm at a local restaurant featuring Kiwi fare. • How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute taxi ride, about $10 USD one way. Evening: Following dinner around 8pm, we’ll • Hours: 9am-4pm, daily. walk drive about 10 minutes back to the hotel. • Cost: About $67 USD. Tonight, you might ask your Trip Experience • Relax and rejuvenate after the day’s adven- Leader for recommendations in bustling tures at Onsen Hot Pools: Treat yourself to Queenstown, perhaps stop by one of the a soak in one of these traditional Japanese- restaurants offering live music, or simply linger style, cedar-lined tubs and enjoy a soothing at the hotel for a restful night in. experience for both the mind and body. Each Freedom To Explore: During your three days in indoor tub offers spectacular views of the Queenstown, you have the freedom to explore Shotover River and the mountains beyond. this scenic city on your own during your free Complimentary snacks and beverages are time. Below are a few recommended options for provided. You may also wish to indulge in independent explorations: one of the many treatments offered by the onsite spa. • Join the Queenstown Garden and Gallery • How to get there: A 10-minute compli- Tour: Winding along the shores of Lake mentary shuttle bus from the hotel, please Wakatipu, you can find numerous garden call ahead to reserve and galleries. Stroll the lakeside and admire • Hours: Daily; 9am to 11pm. local and international artworks against • Cost: From $87.50 USD for daytime visits the dramatic backdrop of The Remarkables. and $107.50 USD for evening visits. Along meandering walking trails you will find numerous sculptures made from stone or metal that accent the rugged landscape surrounding you. You can plan to spend about 2 hours exploring here. • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute taxi ride, about $10 USD one way. • Hours: 9:30am-4:30pm, daily. • Cost: Free.

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31 Day 15 Queenstown • Optional Dart River walk through the forest and board our jet-boat. Jet-Boat Ride The Dart River wends within a historic valley that has fascinated explorers for centuries, and • Destination: Queenstown as we head upstream, we’ll enjoy views in an • Included Meals: Breakfast area so remote that few ever get a chance to • Accommodations: Heritage Queenstown experience it. On the downriver journey, our or similar driver will demonstrate the maneuverability of Activity Note: Today’s Optional Tour the New Zealand-designed jet boat and show includes a jet boat ride, which will include you how this unique craft can spin and turn. quick maneuvers that may result in travelers After returning to Glenorchy, we’ll drive for one getting wet. hour drive back to Queenstown, arriving at the Breakfast: Served at the hotel from hotel around 6pm. 6:30am-10:30am, featuring a selection of hot Dinner: On your own, after 6pm. Ask your Trip and cold dishes. Experience Leader for recommendations. Morning: Let Queenstown truly awaken your Evening: This evening, you are free to explore sense of adventure when you spend the day Queenstown’s quaint streets—perhaps meeting enjoying the freedom to choose your own some local people along the way. discoveries. Perhaps you’ll choose to venture up the narrow roads of Skippers Canyon in a four-wheel-drive vehicle to take in views of the Day 16 Explore Queenstown • Shotover River and learn about the importance Discover Arrowtown of this landscape to gold miners in the 19th • Destination: Queenstown century. Thrill seekers may want to push • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner themselves even further by taking advantage of • Accommodations: Heritage Queenstown the city’s many activities, including zip-lining or similar and bungee jumping. Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning at 7am Lunch: On your own at whatever time you featuring regional dishes. decide. You may ask your Trip Experience Morning: Around 10am, we will depart on Leader for their recommendations for New a 30-minute walk to a gondola lift, where Zealand specialties, such as lamb cutlets. our small group will take a scenic 10-minute Afternoon: Continue exploring Queenstown ride to the top. This panoramic vantage point on your own. Or consider joining a half-day offers sweeping views of Coronet Peak, The Optional Tour for a jet-boat ride on the Dart Remarkables, Walter and Cecil Peak and, of River. Around 12:30pm, we depart for a 1-hour course, the city. You will have about 2 hours drive overland along the shores of Lake of free time once we reach the top. Maybe Wakatipu to Glenorchy, a frontier town at you will have a hot chocolate, and take in the the base of the Southern Alps. Here we board views, or go for a stroll on the many walking a mini-coach for about a 30-minute journey trails. Around noon, we will reconvene for through forests with huge snow-capped a 30-minute drive to Arrowtown by public mountain backdrops made internationally bus. An old gold rush town, this charming famous by movies such as The Lord of the Rings. destination offers streets laden in gold mining When the road comes to an end, we take a short history and quaint shops. Upon arrival around

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32 12:30pm, our Trip Experience Leader will bring Evening: Following dinner around 8:30pm, us on a brief walking tour, and then, we will we’ll drive about 10 minutes back to the hotel have about 2 hours to explore the shops or where the remainder of the evening is free for discover local history on your own. you to explore on your own. Relax and retire to your room, or join fellow travelers at the hotel Lunch: On your own in Arrowtown. Ask bar to recap your day’s discoveries. your Trip Experience Leader for restaurant recommendations. Day 17 Return to U.S. or begin Afternoon: Around 3pm, we will board our bus post-trip extension to Queenstown, arriving back around 3:30pm. • Included Meals: Breakfast Upon arrival, you will have about 2.5 hours of free time to discover more of Queenstown. Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning Around 6pm, we’ll reconvene in the hotel lobby at 6:30am. and drive about 10 minutes to a local restaurant Morning: Board a bus with your luggage and for dinner. take a 20-minute drive to the airport for your Dinner: Around 6:30pm, we savor a memorable return flight home. Or, fly to Paihia or Fiji to Farewell Dinner of regional specialties and raise begin your New! New Zealand’s Bay of Islands a toast to our shared adventure. or Fiji’s Tropical Splendor & Captivating Culture post-trip extensions.

END YOUR ADVENTURE WITH AN OPTIONAL POST-TRIP EXTENSION 3 nights in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands

Day 1 Arrive Paihia Day 3 Tour Waitangi Treaty House Day 2 Catamaran Cruise to Bay of Islands Day 4 Bay of Islands to Auckland • Return to U.S.

OR 5 nights in Fiji’s Tropical Splendor & Captivating Culture

Day 1 Queenstown • Fly to Nadi, Fiji via Day 4 Coral Coast • Visit the Garden Auckland • Transfer to the Coral Coast of the Sleeping Giant • Ferry to Malolo Lailai Island Day 2 Coral Coast • Visit a Fijian Village • Home-Hosted Lunch Day 5 Malolo Lailai Island Day 3 Coral Coast • Visit Kula Eco Park Day 6 Malolo Lailai Island • Ferry to Port Denarau • Return to U.S.

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33 OPTIONAL TOURS

During your trip you will be able to book optional tours directly with your Trip Experience Leader. He or she will ask you to confirm the payment for these tours by filling out a payment form. Optional tours can only be purchased with a credit or debit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards. We also accept Visa and MasterCard debit cards, but it must be a debit card that allows you to sign for purchases.

In order to correctly process these charges, there can be a delay of 2-3 months from the date of your return for the charges to be posted to your account. Therefore we ask that you use a card that will not expire in the 2-3 months following your return.

Please note: Optional tour prices are listed in U.S. dollar estimates determined at the time of publication and are subject to change. Optional tours may vary.

Waimangu Volcanic Valley Tour at the headland of the Otago Pennisula. It’s (Day 8 $95 per person) home to a diversity of birds and other wildlife, including yellow-eyed penguins, albatross and Today, we explore Waimangu Volcanic Valley. New Zealand fur seals. Experience up-close This relatively young geothermal site was animal encounters, observe breeding habitats, created by nearby Mount Tarawera’s last and have the opportunity to take the 8-wheeler eruption in 1886. We take a light 1-hour hike Argo tour (not included in optional, ask your alongside a local guide who will provide us Trip Experience Leader to arrange this). with their insider knowledge of the landscape as we descend into the lush valley of green vegetation, pink silica terraces, and blue waters. Dart River Jet-boat Safari We’ll discover the Inferno Crater, filled with (Day 15 $145 per person) brilliant turquoise water, and Frying Pan Lake, the world’s largest hot spring. Our small group On this half-day optional excursion, we’ll will also embark on a 45-minute cruise of Lake explore the Dart River on an unforgettable Rotomahana, where our captain explains more jet-boat adventure in Mount Aspiring National about the history of Rotorua and shows us more Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We travel geothermal sites that aren’t accessible by land. overland along Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy, Lunch is included. a frontier town at the base of the Southern Alps where we board a mini-coach for a journey through forests with huge snowcapped Larnach Castle Lunch & Nature’s mountain backdrops made famous by movies Wonders of Dunedin such as The Lord of the Rings. When the road (Day 12 $75 per person) ends, we walk through the forest to board our jet-boat and ride upstream on the Dart River, Enjoy lunch at 19th-century Larnach Castle, riding through an area so remote that few ever followed by a premier wildlife experience in get a chance to experience it. On the return Dunedin, known as the wildlife capital of New trip to Glenorchy, our driver will demonstrate Zealand. This private reservation is nestled how the jet-ski can make high-speed precision

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34 turns and 360-degree spins. Jet-boats were invented in New Zealand for shallow rivers like the Dart, and this is a thrilling way to view spectacular alpine scenery. From Glenorchy, we ride back to Queenstown.

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35 PRE-TRIP Australia: The Great Barrier Reef & Highlights of Sydney

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Accommodations for 3 nights in Sydney » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip at Rydges Sydney Central or similar and 3 Experience Leader nights in Palm Cove at Peppers Beach Club » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and or similar luggage porters » 9 meals—6 breakfasts, 1 lunch, » All transfers and 2 dinners » 3 small group activities

PRE-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

A visit “Down Under” isn’t complete without the natural splendors of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the gems of cosmopolitan Sydney. Revel in the myriad colors and vibrant life of the Great Barrier Reef … Stroll along iconic Sydney Harbour and discover its fascinating history … This trip combines the best of both worlds.

Day 1 Depart U.S. we stay, hotel amenities may include a pool, fitness center, bar, and restaurant. Typically, You depart today on your flight to Sydney, each air-conditioned room features coffee- and Australia. tea-making facilities, wireless Internet access, and a private bathroom. Day 2 Cross the International Date Line Lunch: On your own. Our Trip Experience You continue your flight to Sydney, losing one Leader will be happy to provide you with day en route as you cross the International Date restaurant recommendations. You may choose Line. You regain this day when you fly back to to set off to find a local restaurant that serves the U.S. at the end of the trip. regional specialties like emu or balmain bugs—which are similar to lobsters. Day 3 Arrive in Sydney, Australia Afternoon: Enjoy some free time this afternoon • Destination: Sydney to relax and settle in at the hotel, or you may • Included Meals: Dinner venture to the Gunners’ Barracks to sip on • Accommodations: Rydges Sydney Central afternoon tea and enjoy a variety of pastries or similar and finger sandwiches. Then, around 4:30pm, we’ll gather at the hotel for a Welcome Morning: Arrive in Sydney just after 8am. Briefing. During this briefing, we will introduce An O.A.T. representative will meet you at the ourselves and review our itinerary in more airport and assist with your 30-minute transfer detail (including any changes that may need by bus to your hotel. Depending on where

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

36 to occur). Our Trip Experience Leader will Classes occur at a number of locations in- also discuss logistics, safety and emergency cluding Bronte Beach, Tamarama Beach, and procedures, and answer any questions we Bondi Icebergs. may have. After around 5:30pm, we’ll set off • How to get there: A 30- to 40-minute taxi on an orientation walk to acquaint ourselves ride, about $40 USD one way. with the area around our hotel. During this • Hours: Schedule varies by day and location. walk, our Trip Experience Leader will point out • Cost: About $25 USD. restaurant recommendations for meals on your • Enjoy morning or high tea at the Gunners’ own, sites to visit during your free time, and Barracks: Gaze out at harbor views while ATMs. Our walk will end at a local restaurant. you sip your morning tea and snack on Dinner: Around 6:30pm at a local restaurant, freshly baked scones with clotted cream and featuring traditional cuisine. preserves, cut sandwiches, and cakes at this historic establishment. Nestled within bush- Evening: The remainder of the evening is free land of Georges Heights and constructed in for your own discoveries. You may choose to set 1873, Gunners’ Barracks is considered a pris- off on an evening stroll, or retire to your room tine example of nineteenth-century fortified to get some rest. architecture, featuring locally-quarried stone. Freedom To Explore: During your three days The barracks were dug into the cliff side and in Sydney, you have the freedom to explore this linked by tunnels to adjacent fortifications world-class city on your own during your free that were established to protect Sydney. time. Below are a few recommended options for • How to get there: A 25- to 30-minute taxi independent explorations: ride, about $30 USD one way. • Hours: Beginning at 10am-12pm daily, • Go behind the scenes at the Sydney Fish ending midday (varies). Market: Let trained guides give you an • Cost: About $35 USD. insider’s view of Sydney’s fish market and the Dutch auction system which makes it possible Day 4 Explore Sydney • Optional Sydney to sell 55 tons of seafood each day. This is Harbour Cruise the largest market of its kind in the southern hemisphere and the world’s second-largest • Destination: Sydney seafood market in terms of variety (second • Included Meals: Breakfast only to Japan). In addition to fresh caught • Accommodations: Rydges Sydney Central seafood, you’ll also find deli items, wine, or similar baked goods, and full-service restaurants in Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel the market. beginning at 6:30am, with hot and cold items. • How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute taxi ride, about $20 USD one way. Morning: Around 8:45am, we begin our • Hours: 7am-8:30am Monday-Friday. 4-hour exploration of Sydney. We’ll walk • Cost: About $45 USD. from our hotel to a train station located about 10 minutes away, and ride to Circular Quay, • Practice Yoga by the Sea: Take part in a yoga where we’ll walk another 10 minutes to the class, relaxing your mind and body as you world-famous Sydney Opera House, whose enjoy picturesque views of Sydney’s seascape. distinctive architecture has made it the city’s signature attraction. This visually spectacular

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37 performance facility boasts four auditoriums Upon return to Circular Quay around 4:15pm, that host symphony concerts, theater we’ll board our bus and make the 15-minute productions, and operas. We will enjoy a guided drive back to the hotel. The remainder of the tour of the opera house starting at around day is free for your own discoveries. 9:30am, admiring its intricately decorated Dinner: On your own tonight. Your Trip interior and exterior for about 1.5 hours. Experience Leader can help you seek out At around 11am, our tour continues as we authentic Aussie delights (fish and chips, walk for about 30 minutes toward The Rocks. meat pies, and pavlovas), restaurants Today, The Rocks is a popular neighborhood perfecting the latest trends (recently including that invites visitors to stroll its cobblestone charcoal and insects as ingredients, and lanes and take refreshment in its tearooms. It fermentation as a technique), or outposts of is now one of the city’s hippest neighborhoods, world-renowned chefs. where stylish Sydneysiders seek out the latest Evening: The evening is free for your cocktails, attend theatrical events, and keep up discoveries. You might choose to relax at the with trends in food and fashion. We continue hotel, or explore Sydney’s busy nightlife scene to Sydney’s eastern suburbs, a modern fashion which has something for everyone—live music, center boasting 19th-century architecture, and dance, and cinema. Or soak up the illuminated Bondi Beach, long known as the “playground of city from Darling Harbor. the Pacific” and the center of Australia’s robust surfing culture. Day 5 Explore Sydney Our tour will end at around 12:30pm; we’ll then • Destination: Sydney take a 15-minute walk to another nearby rail • Included Meals: Breakfast station, and return to our hotel. • Accommodations: Rydges Sydney Central Lunch: On your own. Ask your Trip Experience or similar Leader for recommendations in the Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel neighborhood around our hotel. starting at 6:30am, with hot and cold options. Afternoon: This afternoon, enjoy free time to Morning: Today is free for you to explore discover the city at your own pace or join us the city. You might want to start by strolling for an optional Sydney Harbor Cruise. Around through Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden, a 2pm, we begin at Circular Quay, at the hub of beautiful park that showcases the flora of Sydney Harbor, where we’ll board our vessel the South Pacific. Founded in 1816 as the and cruise for over two hours. Throughout the “First Farm” of colonial times, it is a humble ride, we’ll enjoy views of the city skyline and vegetable plot still maintained here as a piece of its iconic bridge, the largest steel arch bridge living history. There is one site near the gardens in the world. As we blend into the perpetual that offers such scenic views that the former bustle of water-borne activity—15 million ferry governor Macquarie had a seat built here for his crossings per year—we also discover that it wife, and it is now known as Mrs. Macquarie’s remains a natural wonder: the harbor is home Chair. Enjoy the scenery from her special to 586 species of fish, boasts its own submerged vantage point. coral reef, and contains water safe enough for swimming.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

38 Alternatively, perhaps you’d like to return to Evening: You may wish to finish your packing the historic Rocks district. The Rocks boasts and rest up before we travel to Palm Cove some of the oldest buildings in Sydney. Some tomorrow, or stroll through Sydney’s thriving of the original European settlers camped Chinatown, with its characteristic street here amid the rocks of the sandstone ridges, lanterns and graceful archways. hence the area’s name. Because many of the first Europeans to arrive were exiled convicts, Day 6 Fly to Cairns • Controversial Topic: the history of this part of town is unusually The future of the Great Barrier Reef colorful. Imagine a Wild West-like collection • Palm Cove of bars and houses of ill repute where drunken brawls were common. • Destination: Palm Cove • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Lunch: On your own whenever you’d like. • Accommodations: Peppers Beach Club Seafood is, of course, always a wonderful or similar option for those that enjoy it. Check with your Trip Experience Leader for restaurant Breakfast: Served buffet-style beginning recommendations. around 6:30am at the hotel, with hot and cold options. Afternoon: You are free to continue exploring independently this afternoon. Perhaps you’ll Morning: We depart shortly before 7am for continue your discoveries at Circular Quay in our approximately 30-minute transfer to the the heart of Sydney’s waterfront. Circular Quay airport. Our 2-hour flight to Cairns departs is a hub of activity where a constant flow of around 9am. ferries and water taxis transport commuters Lunch: On your own upon arrival in Palm Cove. and day-trippers to their destinations all After checking in at our hotel, you may want around the harbor. If the weather isn’t to seek out a restaurant that serves traditional conducive to outdoor exploration, a visit to dishes like an Aussie-style hamburger, which is the Museum of Contemporary Arts is a great similar to a western-style burger except locals way to spend your time. Located directly on add beetroots as a topping. the harbor in an art deco-inspired building, the museum contains over 4,000 works in its Afternoon: Around noon, we’ll transfer for collections. It also boasts a rooftop restaurant 45 minutes to our hotel in Palm Cove where and sculpture terrace offering expansive views we’ll check in and receive room assignments. of the harbor. However you spend your day, Depending on which hotel we stay at, it may you’re sure to find your own ways to mingle include a restaurant and it may be steps from with “Sydneysiders,” who are not known for the ocean. Your room may feature wireless being shy. Internet access, a TV, a kitchenette, balcony, and private bath. At around 2pm, our Trip Dinner: On your own. Ask your Trip Experience Experience Leader will join us for a 30-minute Leader about the city’s classic Aussie fare, such orientation walk to help us familiarize as meat pies, to try on your own tonight. ourselves with the neighborhood surrounding our hotel.

At around 4pm, we’ll join a local marine conservationist for a conversation about a Controversial Topic: the future of Australia’s

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

39 Great Barrier Reef, and conflicting reports But there is hope for the Great Barrier Reef and about the mass coral bleaching events that ecosystems like it. As you’ll learn, a bleached have damaged the natural wonder over the past coral doesn’t necessarily mean a dead coral. In few decades. fact, if only mildly or moderately bleached, it’s likely the coral can bounce back. And there are It’s hard to think of the crystalline waters off steps locals can take—especially in terms of the Queensland coast without thinking of the agricultural practices—to ensure that happens. bright-colored Great Barrier Reef. One of the Our guest expert will outline some sustainable most complex natural phenomena on Earth, practices in terms of how locals might help the reef makes up about 10% of all the world’s preserve Great Barrier Reef, from conserving coral ecosystems, comprised of nearly 3,000 water, to preventing overfishing, and beyond. individual corals. The radiant reef brings We’ll also learn how Australia has implemented travelers from around the world to witness its a system of sustainable tourism. Through a beauty, making it integral to the Australian system of Environmental Management Charges economy—the Marine Park brings in over $6 (often known as the “reef tax”), the country billion every year and employs around 64,000 has ensured that guests who come to visit this Australians. natural wonder will do no harm to it—in fact, But the danger of climate change and human each visitor helps to fund its maintenance impact has become increasingly apparent. and repair. Overfishing has resulted in a decrease in After the presentation, we’ll have about 40 water quality; coastal development projects minutes to ask any questions we may have, have introduced noise pollution; and extreme such as the conflicting reports in the media weather—like cyclones and flooding—has about the health of the Great Barrier Reef created lasting damage. These are just a few of and the difficulties convincing people of the the threats experienced by this once thriving reality of climate change. We’ll wrap up our ecosystem. conversation by 5pm. During our conversation with our conservation Dinner: Included at the hotel at around 6pm. specialist, we’ll get a sense of the growing bleaching problem—and its potential Evening: You are free to spend the evening as solutions—through an approximate 20-minute you wish. You can enjoy a night on your own presentation. In the last 30 years, Great Barrier at the hotel. Or perhaps you’ll check out the Reef has experienced ten significant coral southern night sky with a visit to the Sydney bleaching events, with some locations suffering Observatory. severe damage of up to 90% coral mortality. Freedom To Explore: During your three days As you’ll discover, mass coral bleaching is in Palm Cove, you have the freedom to explore caused by overheated ocean water destroying the place where the rainforest meets the reef. the algae that covers the coral. These colorful Below are a few recommended options for algae are the source of up to 90% of the coral’s independent explorations: energy, and thus, when they break down, the coral is reduced to a pale white color and begins • Visit the Karunda Rainforest Markets: Get an to starve. eyeful of rainforest culture and nature alike, exploring the crafts and food offerings of these vibrant and quirky markets featuring

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

40 local textiles and colorful artwork. Peruse in- Day 7 Palm Cove • Great Barrier digenous artifacts, handmade leather goods, Reef cruise wood and jewelry, and enjoy mingling with • Destination: Palm Cove vendors as well as observing entertainment by roaming performers. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Accommodations: Peppers Beach Club • How to get there: A 20- to 30-minute or similar shuttle ride, about $15 USD one way. • Hours: 9am-3pm, daily. Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel • Cost: Free. beginning at 6:30am, with hot and cold dishes. • Invigorate yourself with Hartig Yoga Classes: Morning: Around 6:45am, we will take a Anyone can enjoy a relaxing mind-body 45-minute drive before we begin a full-day workout at Hartig; the only decision to make excursion to the Great Barrier Reef, arriving at is which beautiful setting: poolside, rooftop, the cruise terminal around 7:30am. Possibly or on the beach? These classes are suited to the best description of the Great Barrier Reef yoga practitioners of all skill levels. Classes comes down to five simple words: “the world’s offered can focus on relaxation, invigoration, largest living thing.” Its nomination for World or strength. But no matter what class you Heritage status stated, “The Reef supports take, you’ll be sure to soak in the tropical the most diverse ecosystem known to man ... atmosphere from a unique vantage point. an ecosystem which has evolved over millions • How to get there: About a 5- to 10-minute of years.” At about 7:45am, we will board our walk. boat and enjoy complimentary tea and coffee • Hours: Various hours between sunrise and before we depart at 8:30am. We will cruise sunset, daily. to Michaelmas Cay, a low-lying vegetated • Cost: About $11 USD. coral reef island that is also a national park and protected sanctuary for migratory birds. • Explore the tropical north on a Discover We arrive at the Cay at about 9:30am. Before Cairns Guided Tour: Enjoy a 5-hour exploring Michaelmas Cay, we will enjoy a sightseeing excursion including Flecker presentation given by a local marine biologist Botanical Gardens, St. Monica’s Cathedral, about the area at around 10am. and the Cairns waterfront. Enjoy a delicious Devonshire afternoon tea, while taking in There’s no one “right” way to explore the Reef, the views from the jetty at Palm Cove, before so we’ll be given a choice. You can swim or taking a short hike through Barron Gorge snorkel among the fish and wide array of corals, National Park. or, if you wish to observe this spectacular • How to get there: A 30- to 45-minute underwater world without getting wet, you can shuttle ride, about $30 USD. view parts of the reef from a semi-submersible • Hours: 8am-6:30pm, daily. sub or enjoy a fish feeding presentation. An • Cost: About $70 USD. experienced guide will point out the tropical fish and giant clams here. However you do it, you are in a prime spot to experience the nature of the largest coral reef in the world.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

41 Lunch: We’ll enjoy an included lunch buffet Mossman Gorge, arriving around 11am. Here, onboard our vessel around noon, featuring we learn about Dreamtime, the ancient “golden Australian specialties. age” of the indigenous people’s ancestors, during a 1.5-hour walk. Afternoon: You’re free to choose more time in the water or to revel in the views aboard the Lunch: On your own in Palm Cove. Ask your glass-bottom boat this afternoon, pausing to Trip Experience Leader for suggestions. enjoy afternoon tea onboard around 2:30pm if Naturally, the seafood here is Palm Cove’s you wish. We depart the reef around 3:15pm for calling card. Those on the optional tour will our 1.5-hour return to the hotel. enjoy an included lunch at Mossman Gorge around 12:30pm. Dinner: On your own. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations on where to go, Afternoon: For those not on the optional tour, perhaps trying some local seafood in a nearby you might choose to try your skills snorkeling restaurant. in the placid waters, or ascend above the treetops on a Skyrail Rainforest Cableway ride Evening: You may wish to pamper yourself at that glides over the canopy and offers views of one of Palm Cove’s many spas after our full the hills and the sea. Return from your ascent day’s excursion. Or perhaps visit the local shops by Scenic Rail for a different perspective. to seek out postcards of some of the sea life you’ve seen. If you chose to take the Optional Tour, around 1:15pm we drive to the nearby Rainforest Day 8 Explore Palm Cove • Optional Habitat for an hour-long guided visit, where Kuku Yulangi Dreamtime Gorge Walk & we witness Aussie wildlife, including koalas. We Wildlife Habitat will depart the habitat around 2:45pm for the 45-minute drive back to Palm Cove, rejoining • Destination: Palm Cove the group around 3:30pm at our hotel. • Included Meals: Breakfast • Accommodations: Peppers Beach Club Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience or similar Leader can recommend a restaurant.

Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel from Evening: You are free this evening to watch 7am-10:30am, with hot and cold options. the last light of day dip into the sea on a nearby beach, or grab a drink in a pub with the locals. Morning: Today, you might take the morning easy by lingering at the hotel or enjoy the Day 9 Fly to Auckland, New Zealand via freedom to explore this tropical seaside setting Sydney • Join main trip on your own. Palm Cove is best-known for its beaches, where swimmers and kayakers ply the • Included Meals: Breakfast water. But it’s second-biggest attraction is its Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel collection of spas, where you can pamper your starting around 6:30am, with hot and body and relax your mind. cold options. Or you may choose to join us for an optional Morning: At around 10am, we’ll depart for Kuku Yulangi Dreamtime Walk with a local the airport in Cairns, where we’ll begin our air guide at Mossman Gorge. Around 10am, we journey to Auckland, New Zealand. will depart from our hotel by motorcoach to

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42 Lunch: On your own—your Trip Experience Dinner: On your own. You may choose to grab Leader can help you find options. something to eat at the airport in Sydney before your flight to Auckland. Afternoon: Around 12pm, we board our flight for the first leg of our journey to Sydney, Evening: We arrive in Auckland this evening landing at around 4pm. At around 5pm, we’ll and transfer to our hotel to begin our Pure New board our flight to Auckland, and arrive in New Zealand adventure. Zealand at around 10:45pm.

OPTIONAL TOURS

Sydney Harbour Cruise (Day 4 $33 per person) We board our vessel at the hub of Sydney Harbour, Circular Quay, and cruise for over two hours, getting striking views of the memorable city skyline as we blend into the perpetual bustle of water-borne activity.

Kuku Yalanji Dreamtime Gorge Walk & Wildlife Habitat (Day 8 $147 per person) Mossman Gorge, part of Daintree National Park, was originally inhabited by the Kuku Yalanji—known as the “Rainforest People.” The Gorge consists largely of steep mountain ranges, which maintain the rainforest environment by trapping moisture from the Coral Sea. Here, you’ll interact with Australia’s Indigenous population, who will explain the history and significance of Dreamtime stories. During your explorations, you’ll take in crystal-clear water and tropical plants. You’ll also enjoy lunch and a guided wildlife tour, where you’ll get the chance to spot species that can only be found in the rainforests of northern Australia—including musky rat-kangaroos and Boyd’s forest dragons.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

43 PRE-TRIP New Zealand’s North & South Islands: Wellington, Nelson & Abel Tasman National Park

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Accommodations for 3 nights in Wellington » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip at James Cook Grand Chancellor or similar Experience Leader and 3 nights in Nelson at Grand Mercure » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and Nelson Monaco or similar luggage porters » 11 meals—6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, » All transfers and 2 dinners » 6 small group activities

PRE-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Day 1 Depart U.S. Compact, creative, and ringed by rolling hills, New Zealand’s under-the-radar capital Depart today on your flight to New Zealand. abounds with Kiwi culture and natural wonders. Called “the coolest little capital in Day 2 Cross International Date Line the world” by Lonely Planet, Wellington boasts world-class culinary and craft beer scenes, You continue your flight to Auckland, losing ample outdoor activities, and a plethora of one day en route as you cross the International theaters and museums—all just a stone’s throw Date Line. You regain this day when you fly back from the seaside promenade. to the U.S. at the end of the trip. Lunch: On your own. We’ll arrive in Wellington Day 3 Arrive Auckland, New Zealand • Fly around lunchtime, so you may want to pick up a to Wellington sandwich or snack at the airport to enjoy as we transfer to our hotel. • Destination: Wellington • Accommodations: James Cook Hotel Grand Afternoon: You’ll check in to your hotel and Chancellor or similar receive your room assignments early this afternoon. Depending on where we stay, our Morning: After arriving in Auckland early this hotel may be situated in the bustling business morning, you’ll have a brief layover before your and entertainment district downtown, just a flight to Wellington. An O.A.T. representative few minutes from the cable car. Its amenities will be waiting to greet you at the airport in may include a fitness club and spa onsite, Wellington and assist with your transfer to along with a restaurant and cocktail bar. Room our hotel. amenities may offer satellite TV, a refrigerator,

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

44 and private bath with hair dryer. After spending Afternoon: The afternoon is free for your own a few hours settling in, we’ll join our Trip discoveries—ask your Trip Experience Leader Experience Leader for an orientation walk to get for recommendations. Late this afternoon, acquainted with the neighborhood surrounding we’ll meet in the lobby of the hotel to transfer the hotel. to dinner.

Dinner: On your own. Ask your Trip Experience Dinner: Tonight, we’ll enjoy dinner at a local Leader to point out restaurant options during theater, where we’ll learn about the history of our orientation walk. cinema in New Zealand.

Evening: At leisure. You may want to venture Evening: Free for your own discoveries. out for a stroll around Wellington or return to Perhaps you’ll grab a drink with fellow travelers your room to rest. at the hotel bar and discuss your impressions of New Zealand’s entertainment industry. Day 4 Wellington • Explore Te Papa Museum Day 5 Wellington • Explore Matiu/Somes • Destination: Wellington island • Optional Zealandia by Night tour • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner • Destination: Wellington • Accommodations: James Cook Hotel Grand • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Chancellor or similar • Accommodations: James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor or similar Breakfast: At the hotel. Breakfast: At the hotel. Morning: Our discoveries in Wellington begin with a guided tour through Te Papa, New Morning: Today we’ll explore Matiu/Somes Zealand’s national museum, which is renowned island, the former penal island turned wildlife for innovative exhibitions on Maori culture, sanctuary. To get there, we’ll first set out from art, history, and the country’s diverse natural our hotel on a short walk to the Queen’s Wharf, environment. With a focus on the bicultural and then board a ferry across Wellington influences of the Maori and Europeans, the Harbor to the island. When we arrive, we’ll take museum plays an active role in educating a guided nature walk to observe the island’s people on New Zealand’s diverse society. As a wildlife. local expert leads us through Te Papa, they’ll The largest of the northern Wellington Harbor provide us with insider knowledge about the islands, Matiu/Somes has a long and rich local culture and offer historical insight into the history. Originally named after Matiu, daughter region. While our small group explores, we can of a famous Polynesian explorer, the island ask our guide any questions we may have. was acquired by the colonial New Zealand After our tour concludes, our Trip Experience Company in 1840 and renamed Somes. Since Leader will guide us back to our hotel on foot. then, the island has served many purposes: It If you wish to remain at the museum, however, has been a prison, a military defense, site of you are welcome to do so. New Zealand’s first harbor light house (built in 1966), a quarantine island for diseased Lunch: On your own around noon—ask your humans and animals, and a detention center Trip Experience Leader for local restaurant for foreigners during the World Wars. Today, recommendations. Matiu/Somes’s purpose is largely scientific. A

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

45 predator-free island, native flora and fauna Day 6 Wellington • Ferry to South (many of which are endangered) are being Island • Nelson re-introduced for ecological preservation • Destination: Nelson and study. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner During our time on the island, we’ll enjoy • Accommodations: Grand Mercure Monaco a walk along the scenic trails that line the or similar island’s coast while our guide regales us with Breakfast: Enjoy a boxed breakfast prepared by stories of Matiu/Somes’s past. Keep your eyes our hotel en route to the ferry terminal. peeled for indigenous creatures, especially of the winged variety. We’ll also make a stop at the Morning: This morning we’ll begin our journey visitor center and have time to admire the views to Nelson, located on the northern crest of of downtown Wellington. the South Island along Tasman Bay. We’ll travel like locals when we take a leisurely Later, we’ll board the return ferry for ferry ride to Picton that lasts approximately Wellington, arriving at Queens Wharf about 30 three-and-a-half hours, plenty of time to minutes later. relax while admiring the natural scenery Lunch: At a local restaurant in downtown that passes us by along the way. We’ll pass Wellington, featuring typical Kiwi cuisine. through the Queen Charlotte Sound where we’ll soak up the views of verdant mountains and Afternoon: You have the freedom to spend turquoise waters. your afternoon as you wish. Visit one of the city’s many excellent museums, or go for a Lunch: Upon arrival in Picton, you’ll enjoy stroll along the harbor to admire the sailboats lunch on your own. bobbing off shore. Afternoon: Following lunch on our own, we’ll Dinner: On your own, whenever you’d like. board a motorcoach and drive for two hours Asian dining options abound in Wellington—if to Nelson. you’re in the mood, ask your Trip Experience We arrive in Nelson later this afternoon and Leader for suggestions on where to find the best we’ll check into our hotel. Our hotel may sushi or stir fry. feature a health club and spa, as well as an Evening: Free. Perhaps you’ll join us on our outdoor pool, and a small library. Room optional Zealandia by Night tour. We’ll take a amenities may offer satellite TV, wireless short drive to the nearby Zealandia Sanctuary, Internet, coffee- and tea-making facilities, and where your guide will lead you on a nighttime private bath. search (complete with flashlights) of some of Known for being the sunniest region in New the more distinctive sights and sounds of New Zealand, Nelson boasts a landscape of lush Zealand’s native forest. Experience many of forests, rugged mountains, and sandy beaches. New Zealand’s rare and endangered nocturnal With an ideal climate for hops, Nelson produces species, such as wētā, glow worms, and tuatara. all of New Zealand’s commercial hops, making it the country’s craft brewing capital. Also, as a center for creativity, artists have flocked to this city to establish studios and galleries.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

46 Dinner: At the hotel. Afternoon: Free for independent activities in Torrent Bay. You may choose to take a nature Evening: You have the freedom to spend the walk or go for a swim in the calm azure water. rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Trip We’ll take a ferry back to Kaiteriteri and return Experience Leader for recommendations. to our hotel late this afternoon.

Day 7 Nelson • Hike in Abel Tasman Dinner: On your own. National Park • Torrent Bay Evening: At leisure. Ask your Trip Experience • Destination: Nelson Leader for recommendations. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Accommodations: Grand Mercure Monaco Day 8 Nelson • Explore kiwifruit orchard • or similar Visit Riuwaka Resurgence Breakfast: At the hotel. • Destination: Nelson • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Morning: This morning we’ll set out for Abel • Accommodations: Grand Mercure Monaco Tasman National Park by way of the resort or similar town, Kaiteriteri. A natural wonderland of golden beaches, lush forests, and granite Breakfast: At the hotel. rock formations, New Zealand’s smallest Morning: We’ll begin our day’s discoveries national park is home to world-famous coastal with a short drive to a nearby kiwifruit orchard. hiking trails. Kiwifruit (known to most Americans as simply From Kaiteriteri, we’ll travel by boat to “kiwi”) are small green fruits with fuzzy skins. Medlands Beach to begin our hike through Despite their name, these fruits are not actually Abel Tasman to Torrent Bay. The route we’ll native to New Zealand—they hail from China follow is one (of nine) of New Zealand’s Great and were introduced to New Zealand in 1904 as Walks, which the Department of Conservation “Chinese gooseberries.” has designated as a premier walking track with During our time at the orchard, we’ll learn awe-inspiring landscapes. Our 2-3 hour hike how kiwifruit is grown and harvested, in which will take us through secluded turquoise bays, climates they thrive, and about the many across mossy valleys, and up tree-lined ridges varieties of the fruit in existence today. We’ll that give way to spectacular panoramic vistas. also tour the orchard and, of course, have the Depending on the season, we may be fortunate chance to sample these nutrient-rich fruits for enough to discover some of the diverse wildlife ourselves. that inhabit the park, such as dolphins, fur seals, geckos, tui, bellbirds, and the rare little Next, we’ll drive to the Riuwaka Resurgence. blue penguin. This naturally-forming resurgence occurs where the Riuwaka River goes underground and Lunch: We’ll arrive in Torrent Bay in time for a then emerges again from Takaka Hill. Known seafood barbecue lunch at a lodge by the beach. as Te Puna o Riuwaka in Maori, the Riuwaka Resurgence is considered a wahi tapu (sacred place) by the people of Te Ātiawa and Ngāti

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

47 Rārua. We’ll follow a short walkway through Day 9 Nelson • Fly to Auckland • mossy native bush to reach the resurgence’s Join main trip crystal-clear pool. • Destination: Auckland Lunch: At a local restaurant back in Nelson, • Included Meals: Breakfast featuring regional Kiwi dishes. Breakfast: At the hotel. Afternoon: Free to do as you’d like, whether Morning: We’ll make our way to the airport in that’s continuing to explore Nelson at your own Nelson late this morning for our 1.5-hour flight pace or relaxing at the hotel with a good book. to Auckland. Check with your Trip Experience Leader for suggestions. Lunch: On your own. We’ll be en route to Auckland at lunchtime, so you may want to Dinner: On your own. You might like to seek purchase something to enjoy during our flight. out roast lamb—with its abundance of sheep, New Zealand is known for its high-quality Afternoon: Upon arrival in Auckland this lamb dishes. afternoon, we’ll transfer to our hotel to begin our Pure New Zealand adventure. Evening: You have the freedom to spend your evening as you wish. Perhaps you’ll join fellow travelers for a Kiwi craft beer at a local pub.

OPTIONAL TOUR

Zealandia by night (Day 5 $115 per person) Explore Zealandia Sanctuary, Wellington’s nature preserve and the first completely fenced ecosanctuary, on this optional tour. In the evening, we’ll take a short drive from our Wellington hotel to Zealandia, where your guide will lead on a nighttime search (complete with flashlights) of some of the more distinctive sights and sounds of New Zealand’s native forest. Experience many of New Zealand’s rare and endangered nocturnal species, such as wētā, glow worms, and tuatara.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

48 POST-TRIP New Zealand’s Bay of Islands

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Accommodations for 3 nights in the Bay of » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Islands at Copthorne Hotel & Resort Bay of Experience Leader Islands or similar » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and » 5 meals—3 breakfasts and 2 dinners luggage porters » 3 small group activities » All transfers

POST-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Whet your appetite for New Zealand travel in the exotic Bay of Islands: the historical crossroads of European and Maori cultures. Explore one of New Zealand’s most unique ecosystems in this subtropical archipelago of nearly 150 islands. Revel in the pristine natural environment and stunning coastal scenery as we cruise along crystal-clear turquoise waters, keeping watch for whales, dolphins, marlins, and penguins.

Day 1 Arrive Paihia Afternoon: At about 1pm, we will depart for the remaining 4.5-hour drive to Paihia with • Destination: Paihia some quick stops along the way, such as the • Included Meals: Dinner Hundertwasser Toilets, a public toilet and • Accommodations: Copthorne Hotel & Resort international work of art. We will arrive at our Bay of Islands or similar destination at around 5:30pm and check in to Morning: After bidding farewell to the rest of our hotel. Depending on which hotel you stay our group, we’ll depart by bus for the airport at, your amenities may include outdoor dining, around 7:45am to begin our journey to Paihia, a swimming pool, and an herb garden. Typical in the Bay of Islands. Our approximately 2-hour rooms include air-conditioning, satellite flight departs around 9:30am and arrives TV, wireless Internet, a safe, coffee- and around 11:30am. From the airport, we’ll drive 30 tea-making facilities, and a private bath. minutes to Parry Kauri Park where we will walk Our Trip Experience Leader will then lead on boardwalks under the shade of the mighty a short orientation walk around 5:45pm to kauri tree, one of the world’s largest and oldest introduce us to this quaint coastal town. trees. We will continue our bus tour and arrive in Whangarei after about 1.5 hours, where we’ll Dinner: At around 6pm, we gather for a enjoy lunch on our own. Welcome Dinner, where you’ll learn how to cook your own dinner on a “hot rock” Lunch: Around noon, your Trip Experience and—weather permitting—enjoy your meal at Leader can recommend some interesting local the pool. restaurants for lunch on your own.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

49 Evening: The evening is free for you to explore. • Cruise the seas with R. Tucker Thompson From our hotel you can take a short stroll to the Tall Ship Sailing: Enjoy sailing the Bay of beach and a brief walk will take you right into Islands aboard a working tall ship, the R. the town center of Paihia. Tucker Thompson. Built in the traditional ways of a 100-year-old Northland schooner, Freedom To Explore: During your three days this ship features a lofty rig of oregon spars, in Paihia, you have the freedom to explore decks, and bulwarks accented in brass. this city on your own during your free time. During your cruise of a little over 30 minutes, Below are a few recommended options for perhaps you’ll hoist the sails, climb the independent explorations: rigging, swim in a sheltered bay, or simply • Visit Pompellier Mission: Discover the world sun yourself on deck. Onboard, enjoy morning of 19th-century printing and bookbinding at tea and a barbecue lunch. the Pompellier Mission Printery, the oldest • How to get there: A free 30- to 45-minute industrial building in New Zealand and its ferry ride. earliest rammed-earth structure. Although • Hours: 10am-4pm, daily from April to distinctly French in style, the building was October. constructed using local materials, including • Cost: About $100 USD. sand, rock, and timber. Originally, the build- ing was used to translate church texts into Day 2 Catamaran Cruise to Bay of Islands the Maori language. A guided tour through • Destination: Paihia the building includes glimpses into its unique • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner architectural features and an in-depth look • Accommodations: Copthorne Hotel & Resort into the 19th-century printing and book- Bay of Islands or similar binding process. Perhaps you’ll try your hand at this centuries-old technique on the fully Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel from restored printing press. 7:30am-9:30am.

• How to get there: A 30- to 45-minute ferry Morning: You’re free to explore the Bay of ride, about $8 USD one way. Islands on your own this morning. • Hours: 10am-4pm, daily. • Cost: About $7 USD. Lunch: On your own. Consider asking your Trip Experience Leader for lunch recommendations. • Witness Hararu Falls: This natural wonder is of great historical importance to the Maori Afternoon: At around 1:30pm, we will leave people. See it for yourself during a 2-hour Paihia and explore the beauty of the Bay walk from Paihia along the Haruru River. of Islands aboard a catamaran. Weather Along the way, you’ll pass through native permitting, we make a passage through the bush and local flora. Don’t miss out on paus- naturally sculpted Hole in the Rock. We may ing at the educational signboards dotting the spot local marine wildlife including dolphins, trail. Each one will introduce the flora, fauna, which inhabit these waters year-round, as well and cultural heritage of the region. as seals, penguins, and even whales. How to get there: A 20- to 30-minute taxi • At approximately 4:15pm, our cruise will end at ride, about $8 USD one way. the peninsula town of Russell, New Zealand’s Hours: 6:30am-6:30pm, daily. • first capital. Russell, a community with early Cost: Free. • ties to Europe, boasts many historic buildings

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

50 such as the Christ Church, which is the oldest Afternoon: You have the afternoon free to church in New Zealand. We’ll explore on continue exploring this delightful seaside area. foot through the town and eventually stop You can choose to visit a museum, browse a for dinner. bookstore, or just savor the quiet nature of a local walk. Outdoor activities include kayaking, Dinner: At about 6pm, we’ll have dinner at a snorkeling, golf, and swimming in the surf on local restaurant before returning to the ferry. one of the spectacular beaches. You can also Evening: Around 7:30pm, we’ll take the quick follow one of the many enticing walking trails ferry ride back to Paihia, and then board our that lead you to views that will encourage you bus around 7:45pm for a 15-minute drive to to linger. the hotel. The remainder of the evening is free Dinner: On your own. Check with your Trip for your own discoveries. Check with your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations. Experience Leader for ideas. Evening: You’re free to unwind after the day’s Day 3 Tour Waitangi Treaty House activities, or relax with your fellow travelers in the common areas. • Destination: Paihia • Included Meals: Breakfast Day 4 Bay of Islands to Auckland • • Accommodations: Copthorne Hotel & Resort Return to U.S. Bay of Islands or similar • Destination: Paihia Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel, • Included Meals: Breakfast beginning at 7:30am. Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel, Morning: At around 8:45am, we will take a beginning at 7:30am. short ride to the grounds of the Waitangi Treaty House where we will tour this historic site at Morning: Around 9:30am, we’ll begin our around 9am. The house was originally built almost 4-hour drive to Auckland. as a simple four-room cottage in 1834 but has Lunch: Around noon we’ll stop for lunch, which been restored and altered several times since is on your own. Check with your Trip Experience then. It was here that representatives of the Leader for ideas. British Crown and many leading Maori chiefs of the North and South islands signed the Afternoon: We’ll resume driving around Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. The Treaty is seen 1:30pm, arriving at the Auckland airport as the founding document that transformed around 3pm. the homeland the Maori called Aotearoa into the nation of New Zealand. The Treaty Grounds Dinner: On your own at the airport. include period homes and a war canoe so large Evening: Your flight home departs this evening, it is capable of carrying more than 80 warriors. depending on individual flight times. We will depart for the 15-minute drive back to the hotel around 12:15pm.

Lunch: On your own around 12:30pm. You are free to find a spot yourself or ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

51 POST-TRIP Fiji’s Tropical Splendor & Captivating Culture

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Accommodations for 3 nights on Yanuca » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Island at Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort or Experience Leader similar, and 2 nights on Malolo Lailai Island » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and at Musket Cove Island Resort or similar luggage porters » 11 meals—5 breakfasts, 3 lunches, » All transfers and 3 dinners » 4 small group activities

POST-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Day 1 Queenstown • Fly to Nadi, Fiji via spa/salon. Your air-conditioned room will Auckland • Transfer to the Coral Coast likely feature satellite/cable TV, direct-dial telephone, minibar, private bath with hair • Destination: Coral Coast dryer, and a private balcony/terrace with • Accommodations: Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort ocean views. or similar

Morning: After bidding farewell to our fellow The remainder of the day is yours to explore travelers, we’ll make our way to the airport in independently or relax in your hotel room. Queenstown for our 3-hour flight to Nadi, Fiji Dinner: On your own. Ask you Trip Experience via Auckland. Leader for restaurant recommendations.

Lunch: On your own. We’ll be at the airport Evening: Free for you to explore. Perhaps you’ll preparing for our flight around lunchtime, so take a stroll along the waterfront and watch the you may want to pick something up to enjoy en sun set into the sea. route to Fiji.

Afternoon: After our plane lands in Nadi late Day 2 Coral Coast • Visit a Fijian Village • this afternoon, we’ll transfer to our resort on Home-Hosted Lunch Fiji’s sun-soaked Coral Coast, approximately • Destination: Coral Coast 90 minutes from the airport. Upon arrival, we’ll • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch check in and receive our room assignments. • Accommodations: Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort Depending on where we stay, our resort may or similar include three outdoor swimming pools, a lighted tennis court, a 9-hole golf course, Breakfast: At the resort. six restaurants, three bars, and a full-service

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

52 Morning: We’ll delve into everyday life and Day 3 Coral Coast • Visit Kula Eco Park culture in Fiji today with a half-day visit to • Destination: Coral Coast Nayawa village. En route, we’ll stop in the • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner small town of Sigatoka, home to a local market frequented by islanders from all along the • Accommodations: Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort Coral Coast. The market abounds with produce or similar from the nearby Sigatoka Valley (known as the Breakfast: At the resort. “Salad Bowl”) including pineapple, eggplant, and bok choy. We’ll seek out kava, a green, leafy Morning: Our visit to Kula Eco Park this plant whose roots are used in traditional Fijian morning will acquaint us with Fiji’s myriad ceremonies. ecological wonders. Home to just one naturally occurring land mammal (the Flying Fox, It’s customary for guests to gift kava root to or fruit bat), Fiji boasts a dazzling variety village leaders—and upon arrival at Nayawa of reptile, bird, and insect species. Kula we’ll do just that. In return, we’ll be invited Eco Park is dedicated to the preservation of to participate in a kava ceremony, wherein Fiji’s wildlife, which has been threatened by the villagers extract the kava juice from the pollution, deforestation, and the introduction root, mix it with water, and share the resulting of non-endemic species. beverage among the group. We’ll also witness handicrafts produced by some of the villagers, You’ll see wildlife in its natural habitat, such as shell jewelry and wood carvings. thanks to walk-through aviaries and a wooden walkway through forest vegetation. Plus, you’ll Lunch: We’ll join a family for a Home-Hosted have the exclusive chance to ask questions of Lunch featuring sandwiches and homemade the experts with behind-the-scenes looks at dishes prepared with local produce. It’s the incubation center, and more. We’ll return to customary to sit on the floor for meals in Fiji, so our resort after our visit concludes. we’ll dine like the locals do as we discuss island life with our hosts. Lunch: On your own—your Trip Experience Leader would be happy to recommend options Afternoon: After our lunch concludes, we’ll based on your preferences. make our way back to our resort, with the remainder of the afternoon free to independent Afternoon: Free for independent discoveries. activities. Perhaps you’ll want to spend the afternoon on the beach or relaxing at the resort. Dinner: On your own—your Trip Experience Leader would be happy to recommend Dinner: Included at the resort. dining options. Evening: At leisure. Ask your Trip Experience Evening: At leisure. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations. Leader for recommendations.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

53 Day 4 Coral Coast • Visit the Garden of feature rustic Fijian décor, complimentary the Sleeping Giant • Ferry to Malolo wireless Internet access, a safe, and a private Lailai Island bathroom with a shower. • Destination: Malolo Lailai Island The remainder of the afternoon is yours to get • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner settled or explore the grounds. • Accommodations: Musket Cove Island Resort Dinner: At the resort. or similar Evening: On your own. You may want to visit Breakfast: At the hotel. the hotel bar for a nightcap or take a leisurely Morning: After breakfast this morning, we’ll stroll along the beach. make our way to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, which is home to more than 2,000 orchid Day 5 Malolo Lailai Island varieties. Once privately owned by American • Destination: Malolo Lailai Island actor Raymond Burr, the garden is now open • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner to the public. We’ll learn more about the collection of orchids and other local flora before • Accommodations: Musket Cove Island Resort embarking on a 1-hour rainforest walk where or similar we’ll get a glimpse of the tropical island’s Breakfast: At the resort. native plants on a larger scale. Then, we’ll transfer to the port at Denarau, gateway to the Morning: The morning is yours to do as you Yasawa and Mamanuca islands, to prepare for please. You may choose to explore the bay on our ferry ride to Malolo Lailai. a kayak or snorkel among the coral reefs that surround the island. Your Trip Experience Lunch: Denarau’s scenic marina is full of Leader can also help arrange a guided nature restaurant options; you’re free to seek out the walk if that is your preference. one that most appeals to you. Lunch: At the resort. Afternoon: Our ferry to Malolo Lailai sets sail early this afternoon. Also known as Plantation Afternoon: Continue pursuing your own Island, Malolo Lailai is the second-largest interests this afternoon. You may opt to learn island in the Mamanuca chain. Surrounded by more about the sustainability efforts the resort nearly 500 acres of coral reefs and bounded by is undertaking—including planting tropical miles of white-sand beaches and crystal-clear fruit in their organic farm and fostering a clam waters, it’s no wonder this tropical paradise is habitat and mangrove regeneration to product one of Fiji’s most popular resort destinations. the coral reef. Or, simply relax on the beach under a rustling coconut palm. Upon arrival at our resort, we’ll be welcomed by the friendly staff, who will assist with Dinner: We’ll gather at one of the resort’s check in and give us our room assignments. restaurants for a Farewell Dinner with our Depending on where we stay, our resort will fellow travelers. likely be surrounded by tropical gardens and Evening: On your own. You may want to go for a crisscrossed by serene walking trails. Hotel final nature walk or simply retire to your room amenities will likely include two outdoor to prepare for your flight tomorrow. swimming rooms, a restaurant, two bars, and a day spa. Your comfortable room will likely

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

54 Day 6 Malolo Lailai Island • Ferry to Port Denarau • Return to U.S. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Activity Note: Our resort offers late check-out so that we may remain in our rooms and enjoy the on-site amenities throughout the day prior to our late flight this evening.

Breakfast: At the resort.

Morning: The morning is yours to do as you please. You may opt to go for a final walk along the beach before we bid farewell to Fiji.

Lunch: At the resort.

Afternoon: We’ll catch the ferry back to Port Denarau late this afternoon, then transfer to the airport in Nadi for our flight home.

Dinner: On your own. We’ll arrive at the airport around dinner time, so you’ll likely want to seek out a meal or a snack before you board.

Evening: Your flight to the U.S. departs late this evening.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

55 Pure New Zealand OUR SMALL GROUP ADVENTURE COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY To ensure the safety of all of our travelers, we are requiring that all travelers joining us on one of our Small Group Adventures must be fully vaccinated 2022 Dates & Prices against COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure of their adventure— and provide proof of their vaccination on-site. For more details, please visit www.oattravel.com/covid-update.

M A R C H ; OCTOBER- SEPTEMBER; DEPART FROM J A N U A R Y F E B R U A R Y NOVEMBER APRIL DEC 1-10 DEC 12-21

Los Angeles, San Francisco $ 6495 $ 6195 $ 5995 $ 5595 $ 5795 $ 6095

Houston $ 6695 $6395 $6195 $5795 $5995 $6295

Phoenix, San Diego $ 6795 $ 6495 $ 6295 $ 5895 $ 6095 $ 6395

Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Portland, $ 6895 $6595 $6395 $5995 $6195 $6495 Seattle

Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, $ 6995 $6695 $6495 $6095 $6295 $6595 Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Tampa, Washington, DC

Additional departure cities are available. Upgrade to Business Class may be available for the international portion of your flight. Call for details.

FEB 4-15; MARCH; APRIL; O C T O B E R ; JAN 2-11 JAN 13-31 NOVEMBER FEB 17-28 SEPTEMBER DEC 1-10 DEC 12-21 Without international airfare $ 4095 $ 4695 $ 4395 $ 4595 $ 3995 $ 4195 $ 3695

NZO2022

NEW! STOPOVERS RISK-FREE BOOKING POLICY: RESERVE WITH CONFIDENCE— All O.A.T. Stopovers include 3 nights in a centrally- NOW THROUGH 12/31/21 located hotel, daily breakfasts, and roundtrip We will waive any change fees if you transfer to another departure date for any private airport transfers. reason—up until 24 hours prior to departure. See details at www.oattravel.com/ Bangkok or Denpasar : $ 945 per person riskfree-booking. Hong Kong : $ 1095 per person Prices are per person. Airfare prices include government taxes, fees, and airline fuel Seoul: $ 1145 per person surcharges. All prices and availability are effective as of the date of this publication, and are Other O.A.T. Stopovers are available. If a city you subject to change without notice. Standard Terms & Conditions apply, please visit our website: are interested in is not offered, we can arrange www.oattravel.com/tc. Every effort has been made to produce this information accurately. We your airfare for that, too. reserve the right to correct errors. Call your Regional Adventure Counselor for full A visa is required for entry into Australia on the post-trip extension. You will receive details at 1-800-955-1925. application information after you reserve.

For specific departure dates, current availability, and detailed pricing, visit www.oattravel.com/nzo2022 pricing

SAVE UP TO 10% WITH FREE SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS SHARE YOUR LOVE OF TRAVEL OUR GOOD BUY PLAN We offer FREE Single Supplements on all New travelers you refer will instantly save The earlier you reserve your departure of our adventures and pre- and post-trip $100, and you’ll earn increasing rewards— and pay in full, the more you’ll save—up extensions. up to a FREE trip! to 10%—plus, you’ll lock in your price. Each departure has limited solo space For details, visit www.oattravel.com/va For details, visit www.oattravel.com/gbd available—call today to reserve.

Publication Date 6/3/21

Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www.oattravel.com/nzo2022

56 TRAVEL DOCUMENTS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Your Passport • Must be in good condition

• Must be valid for at least 6 months after your scheduled return to the U.S.

• Must have the required number of blank pages (details below)

• The blank pages must be labeled “Visas” at the top. Pages labeled “Amendments and Endorsements” are not acceptable

Need to Renew Your Passport? Contact the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) at 1-877-487-2778, or visit their website at www.travel.state.gov for information on obtaining a new passport or renewing your existing passport. You may also contact our recommended visa service company, PVS International, at 1-800-556-9990 for help with your passport

Recommended Blank Pages Please confirm that your passport has enough blank pages for this vacation.

• Main trip only: You will need 2 blank passport pages

• Pre-trip extension in Australia: You will need an additional blank page, for a total of 3.

• Pre-trip extension in New Zealand: No additional pages are needed.

• Post-trip extension to New Zealand’s Bay of Islands: No additional pages required.

• Post-trip extension to Fiji: You will need an additional blank page, for a total of 3.

• Both a pre- and a post-trip extension: You will need a total of 4 blank pages.

• Stopover in Bangkok: You will need to add 2 additional pages to the applicable total listed above.

• Stopover in Denpasar, Hong Kong, Seoul, or Tokyo: You will need to add an additional page to the applicable total listed above.

Visas Required We’ll be sending you a detailed Visa Packet with instructions, application forms, and fees about 90 days prior to your departure. In the meantime, we’re providing the information below as a guideline on what to expect. This info is for U.S. citizens only. All visas and fees are subject to change.

57 • New Zealand: A New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) is required. Note that this is a digital process only—you must apply online or via an app (we will send instructions), and you will not receive a visa sticker in your passport. In addition, all travelers should bring an extra copy of their air itinerary on the trip in case local officials ask for it at Passport Control.

• Australia (pre-trip extension): An Australian Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) is required. Unlike New Zealand, the process for Australia is handled free of charge through our computer system at Overseas Adventure Travel. However, we will still need you to confirm the necessary information, so please fill out and return your visa forms once you receive them.

• Fiji (post-trip extension): No visa required. A visa is not required for U.S. citizens for stays of 4 months or less.

• South Korea (optional stopover only): An Electronic Travel Authorization is required. Note that this is a digital process only and you must apply online or via an app (we will send instructions). You will not receive a visa sticker for this ETA in your passport.

• Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Japan (optional stopovers only): No visas required. A visa is not required for U.S. citizens for stays of 30 days or less.

Traveling Without a U.S. Passport? If you are not a U.S. citizen, or if your passport is from any country other than the U.S., it is your responsibility to check with your local consulate, embassy, or a visa services company about visa requirements. We recommend the services of PVS International, a national visa service located in Washington D.C.; they can be reached at 1-800-556-9990 or www.pvsinternational.org.

Traveling With a Minor? Some governments may require certain documentation for minors to enter and depart the country or to obtain a visa (if applicable). For further detail on the required documentation, please contact your local embassy or consulate.

Emergency Photocopies of Key Documents We recommend you carry color photocopies of key documents including the photo page of your passport plus any applicable visas, air itinerary, credit cards (front and back), and an alternative form of ID. Add emergency phone numbers like your credit card company and the number for your travel protection plan. Store copies separate from the originals.

If you plan to email this information to yourself, please keep in mind that email is not always secure; consider using password protection or encryption. Also email is not always available worldwide. As an alternative, you could load these documents onto a flash drive instead, which can do double-duty as a place to backup photos during your trip.

58 Overseas Taxes & Fees This tour may have taxes and fees that cannot be included in your airline ticket price because you are required to pay them in person onsite. All taxes are subject to change without notice and can be paid in cash (either U.S. or local currency). If applicable, you will receive a list of these fees with your Final Documents.

Flight Itinerary for Entry to New Zealand You will need to bring an extra copy of your flight itinerary for New Zealand in case local officials ask for it at Passport Control.

• If you purchased airfare as part of your trip, we will give you an extra copy of your flight itinerary in your Final Documents booklet for this purpose.

• If you made your own international air arrangements, you’ll need to bring your own copy of your air itinerary and ticket numbers with you on the trip.

59 RIGORS, VACCINES & GENERAL HEALTH

Is This Adventure Right for You? Please review the information below prior to departing on this adventure. We reserve the right for our Trip Experience Leaders to modify participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their condition would adversely affect the health, safety, or enjoyment of themselves or of other travelers.

PACING • 6 locations in 15 days with one 1-night stay; 1 internal flight of about 2 hours; 4 drives of 2-8 hours

• International flights from Los Angeles to Auckland depart around midnight, losing one day en route as you cross the International Date Line, regained on the return trip, and internal flight requires early wake up

• Airport transfers in Auckland and Wellington take approximately 1 hour

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS • Not appropriate for travelers using wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility aids

• You must be able to walk 2-3 miles unassisted and participate in 4-6 hours of physical activities each day

• Agility and balance are required for embarking boats in Milford Sound

• We reserve the right for Trip Experience Leaders to restrict participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their limitations impact the group’s experience

CLIMATE • Daytime temperatures range from 40-80°F depending on time of year

• New Zealand’s climate is mostly temperate: December-February are the warmest months, May-September are the coolest months; weather conditions can change quickly

TERRAIN & TRANSPORTATION • We’ll travel over city streets on foot, with occasional uphill walks along uneven glacial and rocky mountain terrain

• Travel by 19-passenger coach and 20-150 passenger boats

• 4 overland drives 2-8 hours long; 1 internal flight

• 2 cruises of 45 minutes-2 hours

60 ACCOMMODATIONS & FACILITIES • Hotel rooms are smaller than those in the U.S. and offer simple amenities

• All accommodations feature private bathrooms

Steps to Take Before Your Trip Before you leave on this adventure, we recommend the following:

• Check with the CDC for their recommendations for the countries you’ll be visiting. You can contact them online at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel or by phone at 1-800-232-4636.

• Have a medical checkup with your doctor at least 6 weeks before your trip.

• Pick up any necessary medications, both prescription and over-the-counter.

• Have a dental and/or eye checkup. (Recommended, but less urgent)

Vaccines Required

COVID-19 Overseas Adventure Travel requires that all travelers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are able provide proof of their vaccination upon arrival at their destination. A full vaccination is defined as having been inoculated at least 14 days prior to departure by an approved vaccine. This requirement is not contingent on the countries the tour visits, but a strict company policy due to the nature of the pandemic.

Other Vaccines Please note, New Zealand’s Ministry of Health is currently advising those with travel plans to Auckland to make sure they have been vaccinated against measles prior to commencing travel (although this is not a requirement for entry). You very likely have already had this vaccine in the past, but we recommend confirming this with your doctor. Should your doctor recommend you get the vaccine, please be aware that it takes two weeks to become effective.

Medication Suggestions • An antibiotic medication for gastrointestinal illness

• Motion sickness medication (if you are susceptible)

Traveling with Medications • Pack medications in your carry-on bag to avoid loss and to have them handy.

• Keep medicines in their original, labeled containers for a quicker security screen at the airport and a better experience if you get stopped by customs while overseas.

61 • Bring copies of your prescriptions, written using the generic drug name rather than a brand name to be prepared for any unforeseen loss of your medications.

We recommend checking with the State Department for medication restrictions by country: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel- Country-Information-Pages.html. (Pick the country and then follow the links to “Local Laws & Special Circumstances”; if you don’t see any medications specifically mentioned, then you can presume major U.S. brands should be OK).

Staying Healthy on Your Trip Jet Lag Tips

• Start your trip well-rested.

• Begin a gradual transition to your new time zone before you leave or switch to your destination time zone when you get on the plane.

• Attempt to sleep and eat according to the new schedule.

• Avoid heavy eating and drinking caffeine or alcoholic beverages right before–and during– your flight.

• Drink plenty of water and/or fruit juice while flying

• Stretch your legs, neck, and back periodically while seated on the plane.

• After arrival, avoid the temptation to nap.

• Don’t push yourself to see a lot on your first day.

• Try to stay awake your first day until after dinner.

Allergies

If you have any serious allergies or dietary restrictions, we advise you to notify us at least 30 days prior to your departure. Please call our Traveler Support team at 1-800-221-0814, and we will communicate them to our regional office. Every effort will be made to accommodate you.

Water • New Zealand and Australia are healthy places, but it still pays to take care in what you eat and drink.

• Tap water is safe to drink but always beware of natural stream water.

• Take a reusable bottle of water with you on outdoor excursions to stay hydrated.

Food • Food in New Zealand and Australia should not really cause any health problems—salads, fruit, and dairy products are fine.

62 • Be careful with food that has been cooked and left to go cold, which might happen in some self-service places.

Sun Exposure & Insects The sun is stronger in New Zealand and Australia than it is in most of the U.S., so the effect of intense sunlight is an important health consideration. Be prepared with sunblock (SPF 50 or higher), sunglasses, a hat or other head covering, and lightweight loose-fitting clothing for covering up even when it is warm. Using insect repellent is advisable while you are out in the bush during the warmer months (November through April), especially in tropical northern Australia, or in southern New Zealand.

63 MONEY MATTERS: LOCAL CURRENCY & TIPPING GUIDELINES

Top Three Tips • Carry a mix of different types of payments, such as local currency, an ATM card, and a credit card.

• Traveler’s checks are not recommended. They can be difficult to exchange and are rarely accepted in shops and restaurants.

• You will not be able to pay with U.S. dollars on this trip; you will need local currency.

Local Currency For current exchange rates, please refer to an online converter tool like www.xe.com/ currencyconverter, your bank, or the financial section of your newspaper.

New Zealand The official currency of New Zealand is the dollar, though its value differs from the U.S. dollar. The New Zealand dollar is divided into cents. Banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollars

• Coins: 10, 20, and 50 cents; 1 and 2 dollars

U.S. dollars are not legal currency in New Zealand and are not accepted for payment.

Australia The official currency of Australia is the dollar, though its value differs from the U.S. dollar and the New Zealand dollar. The Australian dollar is divided into cents. Banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollars

• Coins: 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents; 1 and 2 dollars

U.S. dollars are not legal currency in Australia and are not accepted for payment.

Fiji The Fijian dollar is the official currency, although its value differs from the U.S. dollar so you will have to calculate the applicable exchange rate. Fiji’s dollar is divided into cents. Banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollars

• Coins: 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents; 1 and 2 dollars

64 How to Exchange Money If you want to exchange money before your trip, you can usually do so through your bank or at an exchange office. Your departure airport in the U.S., a travel agent, or an AAA office are also possible outlets. Or you can wait and change money on the trip instead—but it might be helpful to arrive with some local currency in case you run into a bank holiday or an “out of order” ATM.

On your trip, the easiest way is to withdraw funds from a local ATM. The ATM will give you local money and your bank at home will convert that into U.S. dollars.

You can also exchange cash at some hotels, large post offices, and money exchange offices. To exchange cash, you’ll usually need your passport and bills in good condition (not worn, torn, or dirty). New bills (post 2004) are best. Never exchange money on the street. All exchange methods involve fees, which may be built into the conversion rate; ask beforehand.

ATMs When using the ATM, keep in mind that it may only accept cards from local banks, and may not allow cash advances on credit cards; you might need to try more than one ATM or more than one card.

Many banks charge a fee of $1-$10 each time you use a foreign ATM. Others may charge you a percentage of the amount you withdraw. We recommend that you check with your bank before you depart.

Lastly, don’t forget to memorize the actual digits of your card’s PIN number (many keypads at foreign ATMs do not include letters on their keys—they only display numbers.)

New Zealand: ATMs are widely available throughout large cities and small towns in New Zealand.

Australia: ATMs are widely available throughout large cities and small towns in Australia.

Fiji: ATMs are widely available throughout large cities in Fiji, but we recommend that you bring some cash to cover expenses when visiting rural areas.

Credit & Debit Cards Even if you don’t plan on using a credit card during your trip, we still suggest that you bring one or two as a backup, especially if you are planning a large purchase (artwork, jewelry). We also suggest that you bring more than one brand of card (i.e. Visa, MasterCard, American Express) if possible, because not every shop will take every card. For example, although the Discover card is accepted in some countries outside the U.S., it is not widely adopted, so other brands will work at a much larger range of stores, restaurants, etc.

New Zealand: Credit and debit cards are widely accepted throughout New Zealand, though American Express and Diners Club may be more limited than some of the other majors credit card providers (such as MasterCard or Visa). Some hotels may charge additional fees for credit card

65 payments on supplementary charges (such as bar bills, room service, etc.). New Zealand shops and banks use a PIN-based credit card systems. Depending on your credit card provider, you may or may not need a PIN to use your card. Please consult your credit card provider for more details.

Australia: Credit and debit cards are widely accepted throughout Australia. Some hotels may charge additional fees for credit card payments on supplementary charges (such as bar bills, room service, etc.). Australian shops and banks use a PIN-based credit card systems. You may be able to authorize a payment by signature if your card was issued by an overseas provider, but this is becoming rare. A PIN is usually required so keeping varied payment options available makes sense.

Fiji: Credit and debit cards are widely accepted throughout Fiji. Some hotels may charge additional fees for credit card payments on supplementary charges (such as bar bills, room service, etc.). Shops and banks in Fiji are moving to PIN-based credit card systems. You should still be able to authorize a payment by signature if your card was issued by an overseas provider. However, a PIN may be required in some instances, depending on the payment terminal and bank. Keeping varied payment options available makes sense.

Notify Card Providers of Upcoming Travel Many credit card companies and banks have fraud alert departments that will freeze your card if they see suspicious charges—such as charges or withdrawals from another country. To avoid an accidental security block, it is a good idea to notify your credit card company and/or bank you will be using your cards abroad. You can do this by calling their customer service number a week or two before your departure. Some banks or credit card companies will also let you do this online.

You should also double-check what phone number you could call if you have a problem with a card while you are abroad. Don’t assume you can use the 1-800 number printed on the back of your card—most 1 800 numbers don’t work outside of the U.S.!

Tipping Guidelines Of course, whether you tip, and how much, is always at your own discretion. But for those of you who have asked for tipping suggestions, we offer these guidelines.

• O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader: It is customary to express a personal “thank you” to your Trip Experience Leader at the end of your trip. As a guideline, many travelers give $8-$12 USD (or equivalent in local currency) per person for each day their Trip Experience Leader is with them. Please note that these tips can only be in cash. If you are taking any of the optional extensions, your Trip Experience Leader during the extension(s) may not be the same as the one on your main trip.

• Waiters: Restaurants do not generally add a service charge. In New Zealand, it is not customary to tip but you may choose to leave a 10% tip if you have outstanding service. It is common practice in Australia to tip approximately 10% of the bill for good service. However, this is at your discretion, and not expected by the staff.

66 • Taxi drivers: If you are taking a taxi by yourself, keep in mind tipping is not common practice, but many people simply let the driver keep the change by rounding up the fare to the next whole number.

• Included in Your Trip Price: Gratuities are included for local guides, drivers, and luggage porters on your main trip, extensions, and all optional tours.

Please note: Tips are quoted in U.S. dollars for budgeting purposes; tips can be converted and paid in local currency (this is strongly preferred in New Zealand and Australia) or in U.S. dollars. Please do not use personal or traveler’s checks for tips.

67 AIR, OPTIONAL TOURS & STAYING IN TOUCH

Land Only Travelers & Personalized Air Quick Definitions

• Land Only: You will be booking your own international flights. Airport transfers are not included.

• Air-Inclusive: You booked international air with us. Airport transfers are included as long as you didn’t customize your trip’s dates (see next bullet).

• Personalized Air: You booked international air with us, and have customized it in some way. If you have customized your trip’s dates to arrive early, stay longer, or stop on your own in a connecting city, airport transfers will NOT be included. You must also arrange your own accommodations for any additional nights. For your convenience, a preliminary list of your included hotels is available on your My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount under “My Reservations”.

Airport Transfers Can Be Purchased For eligible flights, airport transfers may be purchased separately as an optional add-on, subject to availability. To be eligible, your flight(s) must meet the following requirements:

• You must fly into or fly home from the same airport as O.A.T. travelers who purchased included airfare.

• Your flight(s) must arrive/depart on the same day that the group arrives or departs.

Airport transfers can be purchased up to 45 days prior to your departure; they are not available for purchase onsite. To learn more, or purchase airport transfers, please call our Traveler Support team at 1-800-221-0814.

If you don’t meet the requirements above, you’ll need to make your own transfer arrangements. We suggest the Rome to Rio website as a handy resource: www.rome2rio.com.

Bay of Islands Departure Due to the unusually long drive from the hotel in the Bay of Islands to the Auckland airport, travelers on this post-trip extension who have made their own international air arrangements will be allowed to join the group transfer to Auckland. Because our group flights can depart anytime between 5pm and 9pm, travelers who made their own air arrangements are advised to book flights for 7pm or later, just to be safe. Please note that this means you may end up waiting at the airport for longer than usual.

68 Optional Tours Optional tours are additional add-on tours that allow you to personalize your adventure by tailoring it to your tastes and needs. And if you decide not to join an optional tour? Then you’ll have free time to relax or explore on your own—it’s about options, not obligations.

What You Need to Know • All optional tours are subject to change and availability.

• Optional tours that are reserved with your Trip Experience Leader can be paid for using credit/debit cards only. We accept MasterCard, Visa, and Discover credit cards; we can also take MasterCard or Visa debit cards as long as the card allows you to sign for purchases. (You won’t be able to enter a PIN.)

• To ensure that you are charged in U.S. dollars, your payment will be processed by our U.S. headquarters in Boston. This process can take up to three months, so we ask that you only use a card that will still be valid three months after your trip is over. The charge may appear on your credit card statement as being from Boston, MA or may be labeled as “OPT Boston”.

• Your Trip Experience Leader will give you details on the optional tours while you’re on the trip. But if you’d like to look over descriptions of them earlier, you can do so at any time by referring to your Day-to-Day Itinerary (available online by signing into My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount).

Communicating with Home from Abroad

Cell Phones If you want to use your cell phone on the trip, check with your phone provider to see if your phone and service will work outside of the U.S. It may turn out to be cheaper to rent an international phone or buy a SIM card onsite. If you want to use a local SIM, just make certain your phone can accept one.

Calling Apps Another option is to use a smartphone app like Skype or FaceTime. These services are usually less expensive than making a traditional call, but you’ll need a Wi-Fi connection and the calls may count towards your phone plan’s data allowance. Many smartphones—and some tablets or laptops—come with one of these apps pre-installed or you can download them for free from the appropriate apps store.

Calling Cards and 1-800 Numbers When calling the U.S. from a foreign country, a prepaid calling card can be useful because it circumvents unexpected charges from the hotel. Calling cards purchased locally are typically the best (less expensive, more likely to work with the local phones, etc.).

69 One reminder: Do not call U.S. 1-800 numbers outside the continental United States. This can result in costly long distance fees, since 1-800 numbers do not work outside the country.

Internet In New Zealand, Internet speeds are comparable to the U.S. but hotels may charge for a high- speed connection. Many hotels in Australia will offer some sort of complimentary WiFi, while others will charge approx $20-25 AUD for 24 hours. Keep in mind that many places limit the amount of usage, even if you pay extra for internet access, so you may not be able to stream videos or other high-usage content. But generally travelers report that they have enough WiFi to keep in touch with folks back at home without having to buy an expensive package from their service provider.

How to Call Overseas When calling overseas from the U.S., dial 011 for international exchange, then the country code (indicated by a plus sign: +), and then the number. Note that foreign phone numbers may not have the same number of digits as U.S. numbers; even within a country the number of digits can vary depending on the city and if the phone is a land line or cell phone.

New Zealand: +64 Fiji: +679

Australia: +61

70 PACKING: WHAT TO BRING & LUGGAGE LIMITS

Luggage Limits

MAIN TRIP LIMITS

Pieces per person One checked bag and one carry-on per person.

Weight restrictions Varies by airline. The current standard is 50 lbs for checked bags and 15 lbs for carry-ons.

Size Restrictions Varies by airline. Measured in linear inches (length+width+depth). Generally, 62 linear inches is the checked bag limit; carry-on limit is 45 linear inches. These sizes are OK if the weight limit is followed.

Luggage Type A soft-sided suitcase is preferred.

TRIP EXTENSION(S) LIMITS

Same as main trip.

REMARKS/SUGGESTIONS

Luggage rules: Luggage rules and limits are set by governmental and airline policy. Enforcement of the rules may include spot checks or may be inconsistent. However one thing is the same across the board: If you are found to have oversized or overweight luggage, you will be subject to additional fees, to be assessed by—and paid to—the airline in question.

TIP from our regional office: Our staff in the South Pacific have found that the airlines in New Zealand and Australia can be surprisingly strict about enforcing weight limits. There have been incidences of travelers being asked to re-pack their suitcase at the airport. While you might be able “to get away with” more, we encourage you to stay within the limit whenever possible.

Luggage handling: On arrival, you must pass through immigration/passport control and then take your luggage off the baggage carousel and load it onto a complimentary cart, which you then move through customs. When you exit customs, your driver will load your luggage onto your coach. You will need to handle your own luggage at all airports, but your Trip Experience Leader will pay for a baggage cart. Porterage at all hotels is provided for one bag per person.

71 Don’t Forget: • These luggage limits may change. If the airline(s) notify us of any changes, we will include an update in your Final Documents booklet.

• It’s a good idea to reconfirm baggage restrictions and fees directly with the airline a week or so prior to departure. For your convenience, we maintain a list of the toll-free numbers for the most common airlines on our website in the FAQ section.

• Baggage fees are not included in your trip price; they are payable directly to the airlines.

• The luggage limits above are based on your regional flights, which may be less than your international flights. Even if your international airline offers a larger weight limit, you will need to pack according to the lower restrictions.

Your Luggage • Checked Luggage: One soft-sided suitcase. Look for one with heavy nylon fabric, wrap-around handles, built-in wheels, and a heavy duty lockable zipper. Due to loading procedures, we prefer soft-sided suitcases.

• Carry-on Bag: You are allowed one carry-on bag per person. We suggest a tote or small backpack that can be used as both a carry-on bag for your flight and to carry your daily necessities—water bottle, camera, etc—during your daily activities.

• Locks: For flights that originate in the U.S., you can either use a TSA-approved lock or leave your luggage unlocked. Outside of the U.S. we strongly recommend locking your luggage as a theft-prevention measure.

Clothing Suggestions: Functional Tips As you will experience a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions, we suggest several layers of clothing. If you like to hand-wash your clothes, look for fabrics that will dry out overnight. You can buy clothing designed especially for travel, with features like wrinkle- resistant fabric or built-in sun protection.

• Warm clothes for the year-round volatile weather in the South Island: “Be prepared” is the best maxim for travel to the South Island, where every kind of weather imaginable is possible—all within one day! Cold, wet weather is more likely to occur near the island’s Southern Alps, where there may even be some snow. Winter lasts from May through September, but all the elements of that season—ice, hail, snow, sleet—can happen any time of year. An insulated jacket with hood (preferably waterproof), fleece pullover or wool sweater, gloves, and waterproof shoes are recommended for your comfort. Your outer jacket should be roomy enough to comfortably fit over your sweater or fleece top. Since spurts of very warm weather are equally common, dress in layers so you can easily adjust to any sudden temperature shifts.

72 • Footwear: You’ll be on your feet a lot during the trip, and walking over some rough and slippery surfaces. Look for shoes with excellent ventilation as well as arch and ankle support. Sport sandals, boating shoes, or beach footwear are useful in some locations like Sydney beaches.

Style Hints • New Zealand and Australia are essentially sportswear countries, with dress on our trip being functional and casual.

• Don’t forget a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses for protection against the sun. Good walking shoes are a must.

• Smart casual clothing is accepted wear for Sydney Opera House performances.

Suggested Packing Lists We have included suggestions from Trip Experience Leaders and former travelers to help you pack. These lists are only jumping-off points—they offer recommendations based on experience, but not requirements. You may also want to consult the “Climate” chapter of this handbook.

And don’t forget a reusable water bottle—you’ll need it to take advantage of any refills we offer as we are working to eliminate single-use plastic bottles on all of our trips.

Recommended Clothing ‰Shirts: A mixture of short and long-sleeved shirts in a breathable fabric, like cotton or cotton-blend. Polo shirts are more versatile than T-shirts.

‰Trousers and/or jeans: Comfortable and loose fitting is best. ‰Include one or two changes of smart casual clothing for restaurant dining ‰Walking shorts for summer (summer in the Southern hemisphere is winter in the U.S) ‰Shoes and socks: Comfortable walking/ running shoes or low-cut hiking shoes, with arch support.

‰Wide-brim sun hat or visor for sun protection ‰Warm rain jacket or lined windbreaker with hood ‰Light cotton or wool sweater, as motor coach air conditioning can be cold ‰Warm clothing for the South Island – see “Functional Tips” for details ‰Underwear and sleepwear

73 ‰Swimsuit

Essential Items ‰Daily essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, hairbrush or comb, shaving items, deodorant, etc. Our hotels will provide the basics like soap and shampoo, but if you are sensitive to fragrances or new products, you may wish to bring your preferred brands.

‰Spare eyeglasses/contact lenses ‰Sunglasses ‰Sunscreen, SPF 50 or stronger ‰Insect repellent with DEET (35% strength) – can also be purchased in Australia or New Zealand

‰Light folding umbrella ‰Moisturizer and sun-blocking lip balm ‰Pocket-size tissues ‰Moist towelettes and/or anti-bacterial hand cleanser ‰Flashlight ‰Electrical transformer & plug adapters ‰Camera gear with extra batteries or battery charger

Medicines & First Aid Gear ‰Your own prescription medicines ‰Travel first aid kit: Band-Aids, headache and pain relief, laxatives and anti-diarrhea tablets, something for upset stomach. Maybe a cold remedy, moleskin foot pads, antibiotic cream, or allergy medication.

‰An antibiotic medication for gastrointestinal illness ‰Optional: A strong prescription pain medication for rare emergency purposes

Optional Gear ‰Travel alarm clock

74 ‰Lightweight binoculars (essential if birding) ‰Hanging toiletry bag ‰Hand-wash laundry soap and possibly plastic hang-up clothespins ‰Reading materials ‰Travel journal/note pad and pens ‰Home address book ‰Small gift for Home-Hosted visit ‰Folding walking staff, sold in most camping stores ‰Calculator for currency conversion

TIP: If you forget something, or run out of space, many of the basics listed above—daily toiletries, insect repellent, moisturizer, lip balm, moist towelettes—can be purchased in New Zealand or Australia. So can many of the over-the counter medicines that follow.

Home-Hosted Visits Many of our adventures feature a visit with a local family, often as part of the A Day in the Life experience. It is customary, though not necessary, to return your hosts’ generosity with a small gift. If you do bring a gift, we recommend that you bring something the whole family can enjoy, or something that represents your region, state, or hometown. Get creative and keep it small—peach jelly from Georgia, maple sugar candy from New England, orange blossom soap from California; something that can be used or used up is best. When choosing a gift, be certain to consider the local culture as well. For example, we do not recommend alcohol in Muslim countries because it is forbidden in Islam, and your hosts may be religious. Not all O.A.T. adventures include a Home-Hosted Visit; please check your final itinerary before you depart.

Electricity Abroad When traveling overseas, the voltage is usually different and the plugs might not be the same shape.

Voltage Electricity at hotels in New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji is 230-240 volts. In the U.S. it is 110 volts. Most of the things a traveler will want to plug in—battery chargers, MP3 players, tablets or computers—can run off both 110 and 220-240. But you should check the item or the owner’s guide first to confirm this before you plug it in. Plugging a 110V U.S. appliance into 220/240V

75 50/60Hz service will ruin the motor. If you have something that needs 110 volts—like a shaver or a hairdryer—you can bring a transformer to change the current. (But transformers tend to burn out, so it might be better to leave whatever it is at home.)

Plugs The shape of plugs will vary from country to country, and sometimes even within a country depending on when that building was built. To plug something from the U.S. into a local socket you’ll need an adapter that fits between the plug and the socket. Although you will only need one type of plug on this trip, it may be easier to purchase an all-in-one, universal adapter/converter combo. Versatile and lightweight, these can usually be found at your local electronics goods or hardware stores. Sometimes you can buy them at large retailers too, like Target or Walmart. If you forget to bring an adapter, you might also find them for sale at the airport when you arrive at your destination.

Different plug shapes are named by letters of the alphabet. Standard U.S. plugs are Type A and Type B. Here is the list of plugs for the countries on this trip:

New Zealand: I (some may not have a grounding pin)

Australia: I (some may not have a grounding pin)

Fiji: I

Type I

76 Availability Barring the occasional and unpredictable power outage, electricity is as readily available on this adventure as it is in the U.S.

77 CLIMATE & AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

New Zealand: The winter season runs from May to September, but since weather in New Zealand is changeable throughout the year, especially in the South Island, all types of weather conditions can occur during any season. All months are at least moderately wet; though extended periods of settled, sunny weather can occur at any time of the year. Overall, the country has more sunshine than might be expected in such a variable climate. Weather conditions on the milder North Island differ from those on the tempestuous South Island.

• North Island: The northern region of New Zealand and its eastern coast tend to be sunnier and drier than the southern half of the country. While snow can occur almost anywhere at sea level in New Zealand, it is very rare in the extreme north of the North Island. Here the climate is almost subtropical with gentle winters and warm, humid summers. Rain is quite frequent in the northern part of the North Island and you should come prepared with adequate rain gear. Temperatures become cooler as you move south toward New Zealand’s second major island.

• South Island: Known as the South Pacific’s “Gateway to Antarctica,” the South Island is equally famous for its unpredictable weather shifts. At any time of year, it’s not unusual for a day to start with bright sunlight, turn to wind-driven rain, intensify to snow and sleet, and then miraculously go back to dazzling sunshine. Temperatures may soar into the 80s and 90s, then plummet into the 40s and 30s, all within a few hours.

Sydney, Australia: Sydney is in the temperate zone. As a result, temperatures are generally in the 50s-70s throughout the year, although highs in the 80s are common in summer and lows in the 40s are normal in the winter. Occasionally, heat waves will spike the highs up even more—to as much as 100 degrees—but this is the exception, rather than the rule. Compared to other cities in this climate zone Sydney gets the more rainfall, meaning that rain can happen at any time of year.

Fiji: This island has a tropical climate, with sunny skies and warm temperatures year-round. The weather is most pleasant April through October, when there is less humidity and sea breezes are constant. Fiji does experience a wet season (November to April), but much of the Fiji’s rain falls in heavy, brief local showers.

NOTE: If you are taking one of our optional stopovers before or after your OAT adventure, please be aware the climate and temperatures might be different from what you experienced during your tour. To prepare for weather differences and pack appropriate clothing, we recommend the following world weather sites:

• www.intellicast.com

• www.weather.com

• www.wunderground.com

78 Climate Averages & Online Forecast The following charts reflect the average climate as opposed to exact weather conditions. This means they serve only as general indicators of what can reasonably be expected. An extreme heat wave or cold snap could fall outside these ranges. As your departure approaches, we encourage you to go online to www.oattravel.com/myaccount for your 10-day forecast.

Average Daily High/Low Temperatures (°F), Humidity & Monthly Rainfall

MONTH AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) Humidity (am) (inches) JAN 75 to 61 77 to 62 2.8 73 to 55 78 4.4 FEB 75 to 62 80 to 63 3.4 73 to 55 81 4.2 MAR 73 to 59 81 to 66 3.1 70 to 52 81 3.6 APR 68 to 55 83 to 69 3.8 64 to 47 83 4.5 MAY 63 to 51 86 to 73 4.5 59 to 43 86 5.5 JUN 59 to 47 88 to 76 5.0 55 to 40 87 5.3 JUL 58 to 46 88 to 76 5.2 54 to 38 86 5.0 AUG 59 to 47 86 to 74 4.4 55 to 39 85 5.2 SEP 62 to 50 82 to 72 3.7 58 to 42 81 4.9 OCT 64 to 52 79 to 71 3.7 62 to 46 79 5.0 NOV 67 to 55 77 to 67 3.2 66 to 49 77 4.2 DEC 71 to 59 77 to 65 3.1 69 to 53 79 3.8

79 MONTH CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) Humidity (avg) (inches) JAN 73 to 53 -- 2.1 71 to 49 66 3.2 FEB 71 to 53 -- 1.8 70 to 48 70 2.9 MAR 69 to 49 -- 2.1 67 to 46 72 3.0 APR 63 to 44 -- 2 59 to 40 77 2.9 MAY 58 to 39 -- 2.7 52 to 35 80 2.6 JUN 53 to 34 -- 2.6 46 to 30 81 2.2 JUL 52 to 33 -- 2.6 46 to 29 82 2.2 AUG 54 to 36 -- 2.1 50 to 32 77 2.5 SEP 59 to 39 -- 1.8 55 to 36 70 2.6 OCT 62 to 43 -- 1.8 59 to 40 68 3.0 NOV 66 to 46 -- 1.9 64 to 43 66 2.5 DEC 70 to 51 -- 2.2 68 to 47 65 2.4

MONTH SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (avg) (inches) Humidity (am-pm) (inches) JAN 79 to 65 83 to 62 4.0 65 to 58 -- 2 FEB 79 to 66 85 to 64 4.5 65 to 58 -- 1 MAR 77 to 63 85 to 61 5.2 64 to 57 -- 1 APR 73 to 57 84 to 59 4.2 60 to 53 -- 1 MAY 68 to 51 83 to 57 3.9 57 to 51 -- 1 JUN 63 to 47 83 to 58 5.2 54 to 47 -- 1 JUL 62 to 44 80 to 52 2.5 52 to 46 -- 1 AUG 64 to 46 79 to 50 3.2 53 to 46 -- 1 SEP 68 to 50 79 to 52 2.2 55 to 48 -- 1 OCT 72 to 55 79 to 55 3.1 58 to 50 -- 2 NOV 75 to 59 78 to 56 3.4 60 to 52 -- 2 DEC 78 to 63 82 to 61 3.1 64 to 56 -- 2

80 MONTH BAY OF ISLANDS (WAITANGI), NZ NADI, FIJI

Temp. High-Low % Relative Average # of Days Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (avg) with Rainfall Humidity (avg) (inches) JAN 78 to 61 -- 12 89 to 72 80 12.7 FEB 75 to 60 -- 18 88 to 72 80 10.0 MAR 74 to 59 -- 17 88 to 73 83 15.1 APR 67 to 54 -- 20 88 to 71 82 6.8 MAY 65 to 53 -- 23 86 to 68 78 5.3 JUN 59 to 48 -- 24 83 to 65 78 4.3 JUL 59 to 47 -- 25 83 to 64 74 0.5 AUG 58 to 46 -- 27 85 to 66 73 1.4 SEP 60 to 45 -- 22 85 to 67 73 3.7 OCT 64 to 48 -- 21 86 to 68 75 5.5 NOV 72 to 52 -- 13 86 to 69 73 2.8 DEC 73 to 59 -- 19 87 to 71 78 4.7

81 ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE

O.A.T. Trip Experience Leaders: A World of Difference During your adventure you’ll be accompanied by one of our local, expert Trip Experience Leaders. All are fluent in English and possess the skills, certification, and experience necessary to ensure an enriching adventure. As locals of the regions you’ll explore with them, our Trip Experience Leaders provide the kind of firsthand knowledge and insight that make local history, culture, and wildlife come alive. Coupled with their unbridled enthusiasm, caring personalities, and ability to bring diverse groups of travelers together, our Trip Experience Leaders ensure that your experience with O.A.T. is one you’ll remember for a lifetime.

New Zealand Culture New Zealand sits on two tectonic plates—the Pacific and the Australian plates—resulting in a fantastic display of natural contrasts across the North and South Islands. The shifting plates produce an unlikely mix of glaciers, geysers, beaches, and fjords in one nation. As these tectonic plates continue to shift, the landscape of New Zealand does as well, but one thing remains—the islands’ warm and gracious locals.

New Zealand’s cultural fabric is as diverse as the landscape around it, which is sewn together by European, Polynesian, and Maori origins. The Maoris descended from Polynesian settlers who arrived in New Zealand in the 14th century. The new inhabitants of the islands introduced new crops to the land and brought with them a foundation of traditions that has carried over into modern day.

Settlers began to arrive after James Cook mapped the country in 1770. Maori traditions began to die out as settlers tried to assimilate them to European culture, including converting the Maori to Christianity. Maori culture suffered greatly in the years of colonization and into the 20th century. Many were torn between the pressure to assimilate and the desire to preserve their own culture.

Since the 1950s, there has been a cultural revival and preservation of Maori traditions. First held in 1972, the biennial Te Matatini festival celebrates Maori culture and history, especially the tribal dance and song performances—known as kapa haka. The festival is held over several days and culminates in the national kapa haka championship. Maori waiata (songs) and dances have become increasingly popular in recent years.

While 67% of Kiwis are of European descent, waves of immigrants have brought a mix of cultures that are celebrated in New Zealand. Among 19th-century settlers were Scandinavians, Chinese, Italians, and Indians. Today, there are large communities of Pacific Islanders and Asians. These cultures are celebrated in a variety of ways, including the Lunar New Year, the Lantern Festival, and Diwali.

82 One of the major holidays in New Zealand is Waitangi Day (February 6), where the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi is remembered. The treaty promised Maori ownership of their land and rights as British citizens. Celebrations of this day include Maori ceremonies, sporting events, music, and parades. Waitangi Day is also used as a day of reflection on the historical effects of European settlement on Maori tribes.

New Zealanders have a strong egalitarian streak and believe in a “fair go.” There is also a strong individualistic attitude among Kiwis, which is believed to stem from their relative isolation in the South Pacific and the rugged terrain that surrounds them.

Christianity is the largest religion in New Zealand. However, in the 2018 census almost half of New Zealanders reported they had “no religion,” which is the first time the number of people who are religiously unaffiliated exceeded the number of Christians in the country.

Laundry Services Previous travelers suggest packing fewer clothes and using laundry services along the way. Many hotels offer laundry services for a fee; please check individual hotel websites for more information about the availability of these services.

New Zealander Cuisine Major cities in New Zealand offer cosmopolitan dining and a wide range of restaurants that serve every choice of international cuisine and are renowned for their excellent quality. In rural areas, menus often still reflect the traditional English-style of cooking—a meat and two vegetables. New Zealand specialties include:

• Lamb: This is one of the country’s major exports and not to be missed if you like red meat

• Venison: New Zealand claims to be the first country to farm deer, and as a result, you’ll find venison on the menu at both high-end restaurants and burger joints (often humorously referred to as a “Bambi burger”)

• Hangi: A traditional Maori dish of meat and vegetables slow-cooked in an underground oven or fire pit (a bit like a luau). Some restaurants recreate the dish by cooking the same ingredients in a clay pot.

• Kumara: A type of sweet potato that is often used in hangi

• Green-lipped mussels: Served European-style as steamed mussels in broth, these larger- than-average mussels are native to New Zealand’s waters

• Oysters: Pacific oysters served on the half shell are a popular starter, especially the succulent, white-shelled Bluff oysters, available from March to about July

• “Lobster”: Actually crayfish, but just as tasty! You may see this on the menu as crayfish, rock lobster, or spiny lobster.

• Whitebait fritters: Deep-fried patties or balls of batter made with small whitebait fish

83 • Hokey Pokey: Whenever a dessert includes caramelized honeycomb on top, it can be referred to as “hokey pokey flavor”—ice cream and cakes are the most common

• Manuka honey: A product on NZ that is renowned for its medical properties. It can be eaten or used in skincare products.

• Lemon & Paeroa: A lemon soda similar to—but stronger than—Sprite

• Wines: New Zealand produces some excellent wines, and is particularly known for its citrusy Sauvignon Blanc (white), dense Pinot Noir (red), and some light and refreshing rosés

Australian Cuisine Two of the most popular cooking styles in sunny Australia are Mediterranean and Southeast Asian, though every type of cuisine can be found in its plethora of fine city restaurants, including Indian, Japanese, American, and French. The fresh local seafood is especially good, and the colorful regional vegetables are cooked up a hundred tasty ways to accompany traditional game dishes made with duck, beef, lamb, or kangaroo. Other items to be on the lookout for include:

• Meat pies: A relic from their English heritage, Aussies love a good meat pie, which is a savory pie with meat, vegetables, and gravy inside (similar to a chicken pot pie, but usually made with beef or lamb)

• Mushy peas: Peas that have been boiled and then lightly mashed—goes great with a meat pie

• Sausage roll: Think an oversized “pig in a blanket”, and you’re not far off

• Chicken Parmigiana: Yes, this dish has Italian roots, but it is well-loved throughout Australia (as is other Italian-Aussie cooking) and you’ll find it in many pubs

• Fish and chips: Fried fish with a side of French fries

• Barramundi: A type of sea bass that is often served grilled or pan-seared; a healthy alternative to fish and chips

• Beetroot: A popular vegetable that is often put in sandwiches and burgers

• Vegemite: This one’s an acquired taste, but while you’re in Australia you may wish to try this savory spread made from yeast extract, which is typically spread as a thin layer on toast

• Pavlova: A much-loved dessert made with layers of meringue, fruit, and whipped cream.

• Lamingtons: Quite possibly Australia’s national dessert, a lamington is a square of cake dipped in chocolate and then rolled in coconut flakes

• Cherry ripe: A candy bar only sold in Australia—cherry and coconuts in dark chocolate

• Drinks: Australia has both a vibrant wine industry and a plethora of brew houses. Local beers to look for are Coopers, Carlton Draught, Victoria Bitter, and Tooheys; while Shiraz (red), Cabernet Sauvignon (red), and Chardonnay (white) are popular wines.

84 Fijian Cuisine Due to their nearby influences, two of the most popular cuisines found in Fiji are Indian and Chinese, with Western fast food coming in a close third. Other cuisines, such as Italian and Japanese, are more commonly found in major cities like Nadi or Denarau and in resort restaurants. Local foods are split into two distinctions: the traditional indigenous Fijian dishes and those from Indo-Fijians, who were brought over as indentured servants when the island was a British colony. The introduction of Indian influences to the island added curries and chilies to the local cuisine. Common staples in the Fijian diet are root vegetables (such as taro, cassava, and sweet potatoes), coconuts, and seafood. Dishes to be on the lookout for include:

• Lovo: A traditional meal cooked in an underground oven, this dish has meats, such as chicken and fish, surrounded by root vegetables and wrapped in banana leaves. Once wrapped , the meal is placed in the underground oven and covered in dirt until smoking hot.

• Kokoda: The Fijian version of ceviche, kokoda is made with lemon-juice soaked fresh fish (usually mahi mahi), spring onions, red onions, chilies, capsium, tomatoes, and coconut milk. At a restaurant, this dish is often served in a coconut shell, bamboo, or a pineapple.

• Fijian curry: With the high Indo-Fijian population in Fiji, the inclusion of curry in the island’s cuisine is only to be expected. Fijian curry has its differences from Indian curry, however, with Fijian curry being made with coconut milk, tomatoes, and plantains, served with a side of dahl soup and roti.

• Rourou: A Fijian soup made from daro (taro leaves), cooked in coconut milk and can be served with chicken or left as is.

• Topoi: A sweet Fijian dessert dumpling made with grated cassava, coconut milk, and sugar

Manners Kiwis and Aussies are famous for their friendliness. You won’t have to work hard to strike up conversations.

The etiquette of photographing most people in Australia and New Zealand is about the same as it would be on the streets of your hometown. You need permission to take a close-up, but not for a crowd scene. For cultural reasons, some Maori and Aboriginal people usually do not want their photographs taken, even from a distance. You should not assume that it is OK to photograph them. Ask your intended subject first or ask your Trip Experience Leader for advice.

Safety & Security As you travel, exercise the same caution and awareness that you would in a large American city. Don’t be overly nervous or suspicious, but keep your eyes open. If you are venturing out after dark, go with one or two other people.

85 Carry a one-day supply of cash in your pocket. Carry most of your money, and your passport, in a travel pouch or money belt under your shirt. Replenish your pocket supply when you are in a safe and quiet place, or in our vehicle. Don’t leave valuables unattended in your hotel room. Most hotels will offer use of a hotel safe at the front desk or an electronic in-room safe (for which you can set your own personal number). Please utilize them.

Pickpockets may create a sudden distraction. In any sort of puzzling street situation, try to keep one hand on your money belt. If an encounter with a local turns out to be long and complicated and involves money or your valuables, be very careful. Con artists sometimes target travelers.

Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Shipping & More There may be scheduled visits to local shops during your adventure. There is no requirement to make a purchase during these stops, and any purchase made is a direct transaction with the shop in question, subject to the vendor’s terms of purchase. O.A.T. is not responsible for purchases you make on your trip or for the shipment of your purchases.

Returns If you discover an issue with an item, you should contact the vendor directly and expect that any resolution will take longer than it would in the U.S. We recommend that you keep a copy of all your receipts, invoices, or contracts, along with the shop’s contact information. Keep in mind, local practice may vary from U.S. standards, so don’t assume that you have a certain number of days after the purchase to speak up or that you are guaranteed a refund.

Crafts & Souvenirs

New Zealand New Zealand has a strong sheep herding industry, so quality woolens shouldn’t be hard to find—possum fur and merino wool blend garments can be found in most places. Jewelry made from greenstone (a type of jade found on the South Island), pearls, or paua shells are popular buys. Traditional Maori crafts include carvings in wood, stone, or bone; and flax weaving. Less obvious—but still typically New Zealand—souvenirs include t-shirts for the national rugby team or beauty products like the Evolu or Living Nature lines.

Australia You can find craft items and screen-printed garments made by Aboriginal craft cooperatives throughout Australia—especially around Alice Springs and Ayers Rock (Uluru). The opal is Australia’s national gem, and is used in many different types of jewelry. Items with typically Australian symbols like koala bears, kangaroos, boomerangs, etc. can make fun gifts, while items made out of eucalyptus leaf are lightweight and durable. In addition, both Australia and New Zealand produce distinctive wines that make fine gifts or souvenirs.

86 Fiji Fiji has creations of its local artisans available for purchase, including jewelry, handcrafts, a wide-ranging assortment of baskets, and various types of art.

U.S. Customs Regulations & Shipping Charges For all things related to U.S. Customs, the ultimate authority is the U.S. Bureau of Customs & Border Protection. Their website, www.cbp.gov has the answers to the most frequently asked questions. Or you can call them at 1-877-227-5511.

The top three points to know are:

• At time of writing, your personal duty-free allowance is $800 for items brought with you. Items totaling more than $800 are subject to duty fees.

• Items shipped home are always subject to duty when received in the U.S. Even when the shop has offered to include shipping and duties in the price, this typically means shipping to the nearest customs facility and payment of the export duties—not door-to-door shipping or payment of the import duties. All additional duties or shipping charges would be your responsibility. Unless an item is small enough to send by parcel service (like FedEx), chances are you will need to arrange shipping or pick-up once the item is in the U.S. and will need to pay customs duties.

• It is illegal to import products made from endangered animal species. U.S. Customs & Border Protection will seize these items, as well as most furs, coral, tortoise shell, reptile skins, feathers, plants, and items made from animal skins.

New Zealand Customs Regulations The following regulations were taken from New Zealand’s government customs website: www. customs.govt.nz

All regulations are subject to change without notice.

Before you arrive in New Zealand, you will receive a New Zealand Passenger Arrival Card. You must tick (check) “Yes” in the Customs section of your arrival card if you are bringing any of the following into New Zealand:

• Goods that may be prohibited or restricted, such as weapons, hookah/shisha pipes, other ornamental pipes, objectionable (indecent) materials, wildlife products or illicit drugs.

• Goods in excess of the $700 allowance and the tobacco and alcoholic beverages allowance. At time of writing, $700 NZD was roughly $500 U.S. The duty-free allowance for tobacco was 50 cigarettes, or 50 grams of tobacco, or 50 cigars, or a mixture of all three weighing not more than 50 grams. You could also bring up to 4.5 liters of wine, or 4.5 liters of beer, or three bottles each containing not more than 1,125ml of spirits, liqueur, or other spirituous beverages duty-free.

• Goods carried on behalf of another person

87 • NZ $10,000 or more, or the equivalent in foreign currency (please have purchase receipts available)

• Food items of any sort, whether restricted or not. This includes food given to you during your flight.

• You will be fined on the spot (around NZD400) for anything that you do not declare on this form.

TIP: Our regional office would like to remind you that you should NOT bring fruit of any kind into New Zealand. It will be confiscated and you will be fined.

You do not have to declare your clothing, footwear, jewelry, or toiletries. These are regarded as personal effects if they are intended solely for your own use. Important Note: If you have recently worn your shoes in rural or natural areas, please wash your footwear prior to entering New Zealand.

Unlike other Customs administrations, there is no provision for travelers to obtain a refund of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on their purchases when they leave the country. In order to purchase goods without payment of GST, travelers are required to purchase from a duty-free shop.

Australian Customs Regulations Please keep in mind that Australian Customs Regulations apply when you enter Australia and that all regulations are subject to change without notice. In general, travelers are allowed to bring $A900 (approximately $818 U.S.) worth of goods into Australia free of duty and sales tax, not including alcohol or tobacco, when the goods accompany the passenger. The limit is $A450 (approximately $409 U.S.) for travelers under 18 years of age. The maximum amount of alcohol allowed per person is 2.25 liters. The maximum amount of tobacco allowed per person is 50 cigarettes or 50 grams of cigars. Food items of any kind—even ones that are allowed into the country—must be declared. For more information, you may want to contact the Australian Customs Service.

Security: In addition to their customs restrictions, the Australian government has security measures to limit the amount of liquids, aerosols, and gels that can be taken through the screening point for people flying to and from Australia. All containers with drinks, creams, perfumes, sprays, gels, toothpaste and similar substances should not exceed 100ml (3.3 ounces) each and will have to be carried in a re-sealable clear plastic bag, no larger than 20cm x 20cm, and be inspected separately. There is a limit of one bag per person. Any sharp items (i.e. nail scissors) should be in your checked luggage.

Telephone from the United States: 011-612-9313-3010 or on the web: www.customs.gov.au.

TIP: Our regional office would like to remind you that you should NOT bring fruit of any kind into Australia. It will be confiscated and you will be fined.

88 Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS): The TRS enables you to claim a refund, subject to certain conditions, of the goods and services tax (GST) and wine equalization tax (WET) that you pay on goods you buy in Australia. To claim a refund you must:

• Spend AUD$300 (GST inclusive) or more in the one store and get a single tax invoice. (You can submit paperwork from more than one store provided that you spent AUD$300 at each store.)

• Buy goods no more than 60 days before departure

• Wear or carry the goods on board the aircraft and present them along with your original tax invoice, passport and international boarding pass to a Customs Officer at a TRS facility

• Claims at airports are available up to 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure of your flight

The refund only applies to goods that you take with you as hand luggage or wear onto the aircraft when you leave Australia It does not apply to services or goods consumed or partly consumed in Australia, such as wine, chocolate or perfume. However, unlike other tourist shopping schemes, most of the goods, such as clothing and cameras, can be used in Australia before departure.

You can collect your refund through one of the following methods:

• Check

• Credit to an Australian bank account

• Payment to a credit card

Customs will aim to post check refunds within 15 business days. Bank and credit card refunds will be issued by Customs within 5 business days, however, payment will be subject to processing by your bank or card issuer.

89 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY

New Zealand

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 103,363 square miles

• Capital: Wellington

• Language: English

• Ethnicity: European 71.2%, Maori 14.1%, Asian 11.3%, Pacific islander 7.6%, other 2.7%, unspecified 5.4%

• Location: New Zealand, consisting of two main islands (the North Island and South Island, plus some smaller offshore isles), is situated about 1,250 miles southeast of Australia and surrounded by the South Pacific Ocean, the Tasman Sea, and the Southern Ocean.

• Geography: The Cook Strait, a rather turbulent waterway, separates the North Island from the South Island. From tip to tip, the whole country measures about 1,000 miles. Despite its generous length, its widest point is only 174 miles across. The South Island is divided along its length by the Southern Alps and the Fiordland’s steep mountains and deep fiords record the extensive ice age glaciation of its south-western corner. The North Island is less mountainous, but its geography is marked by ancient volcanic activity.

• Population: 4,438,393 (estimate)

• Religions: Christian 44.3%, Hindu 2.1%, Buddhist 1.4%, Maori Christian 1.3%, Islam 1.1%, other 1.4%, none 38.5%, not stated 8.2%, objected to answering 4.1%

• Time Zone: New Zealand is on New Zealand Standard Time, 17 hours ahead of U.S. EST. When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 10pm in Wellington.

90 National Holidays: New Zealand

In addition to the holidays listed below, New 01/02 Day after New Year’s Zealand celebrates a number of national 02/06 Waitangi Day holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such as Easter, the Queen’s Birthday, and Labor 04/25 Anzac Day Day. To find out if you will be traveling during these holidays, please visit www. 12/25 Christmas timeanddate.com/holidays. 12/26 Boxing Day 01/01 New Year’s Day

New Zealand: A Brief History New Zealand’s history is divided into two distinct phases: Pre-European settlement by the Maori and their ancestors, and European settlement from the 18th century onward. The first wave of settlement was by Polynesians from the Marquesas, Society, and Cook Islands. Their landing on the beaches of the North Island in about 1300 A.D. signaled the end of the 5000-year migration of these “Vikings of the Pacific” across the vast ocean. Over time, farming took on a more important role. Since the crops would not grow in the cooler southern areas, the emerging Maori culture settled predominantly in the warmer North Island and began a “golden age” of agricultural settlement.

Villages sprang up, often with a central marae (village common) and elaborately carved whare runanga (meeting houses). The arts began to flourish: wood carvers, medicine men, tattooists, and priests were employed by a people who no longer had to spend all their time hunting and gathering food. But as the population increased, so too did the desire for good farmland. Inevitably, warfare broke out amongst the different iwi or tribes. These iwi, each linked by a different ancestral canoe, began to specialize in warfare and thus the Maori became a nation of warriors.

Between 1769 and 1777, British Captain James Cook made three voyages to the islands aboard the Endeavour. While he met with some initial hostility from the islands’ residents, Cook was able to forge a peaceful relationship with the Maori—but he soon claimed the islands for the British Crown without their consent.

The incursion with the most far-reaching and damaging consequences resulted from the introduction of liquor and European diseases, against which the Maori had no immunity. Thousands died from epidemics of what would be considered minor ailments today, such as influenza and measles. By 1830, New Zealand’s Maori population had been dramatically reduced. By the late 1830s, the Maori were beginning to accept Christianity. As more and more Maori embraced Christianity, fewer aspects of the centuries-old Maori society were observed. Traditional Maori culture began to dissolve.

On February 6, 1840, representatives of the British Crown and various Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi. In the English-language version, the treaty grants the Maori land rights and the right of British citizenship in exchange for ceding the sovereignty of New Zealand to the British crown. But in the Maori-language version, the word for sovereignty is weaker, suggesting

91 governship or the right to make the first offer on land for sale, rather than ownership. Add a hasty translation to different cultural understandings of land rights, and the result is a controversy that continues to this day. By 1858, the decline in land sales combined with the pressure on the British government to allow more settlers into New Zealand resulted in a dangerous imbalance. The government responded by using a falsified story about an attack on the settlement of Auckland as the justification for launching an all-out war against the tribes of the North Island. Outnumbered, the Maori were forced to concede over 4 million acres of the best farmland to the settlers.

While the land wars raged on—in some parts of the country until 1865—colonists continued to arrive. They turned sheep farming, which remains a vital part of New Zealand’s economy. The discovery of gold in the mid-1800s brought bright new economic prospects, and a surging population, to the South Island. With the invention of refrigeration, New Zealand suddenly assumed a much greater role in the world economic scene, as it could now export perishable products like meat, butter, and cheese. As New Zealand become more visible to the rest of the world, the native Maori population continued to decline precipitously. By 1900, fewer than 42,000 Maori remained.

New Zealand achieved complete independence from Britain in 1947. The economy soared following World War II, as agricultural prices rose dramatically. Soon, the country could boast one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world. Politically, New Zealand has been in the forefront of social welfare legislation for over a century. In 1893, it was the world’s first country to grant women the right to vote. It also adopted old age pensions (1898); a national child welfare program (1907); social security for the aged, widows, and orphans (1938); and minimum wages, a 40-hour workweek, and unemployment and health insurance (also in 1938). Socialized medicine went into effect in 1941.

On May 29, 1953, Edmund Percival Hillary, along with Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, made history by ascending Mount Everest. Together, these two men went where no men had ever been. The 1970s saw a revival of Maori culture, driven by a demand for recognition and participation in economic prosperity. In 1985, the Treaty of Waitangi was amended to include claims dating back to the original signing of the treaty in 1840. Financial reparations were made to several Maori tribes whose lands were unjustly confiscated.

Major events taking place in New Zealand in recent years include the 1996 eruption of Mount Ruapehu, whose ash clouds made air travel problematic all across the country. On the political front, Jenny Shipley became the nation’s first female prime minister in 1997. She was succeeded by Helen Clark in 1999 and by John Key in 2008. The Christchurch earthquakes of February 2011 drew international outreach and support. Many countries—the U.S. included—sent search and rescue teams or other aid.

Australia

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 2,988,902 square miles

• Capital: Canberra

92 • Language: English is the official language.

• Ethnicity: Australian: 25.4%, English: 25.9%, Irish: 7.5%, Scottish: 6.4%, Italian: 3.3%, German: 3.2%, Chinese: 3.1% Greek: 1.4%, Dutch 1.2%, other 15.8%, unspecified 5.4%

• Location: Australia is bordered by three oceans and four seas.

• Geography: Situated in the Southern Hemisphere and south of Asia, Australia is an island continent surrounded by three oceans and four seas. It is about 7,700 miles from Los Angeles. Australia is roughly the same size as the continental United States, measuring 2,500 miles from east to west, and 2,000 miles from north to south. The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef, lies a short distance off the northeast coast and extends for over 1,240 miles. Australia is Earth’s flattest continent. Eastern Australia is marked by the Great Dividing Range, although the name is not strictly accurate, since parts of the range consists of low hills. The western half of Australia consists of the Western Plateau, which rises to mountain heights near the west coast and falls to lower elevations near the continental center. This is the arid landscape commonly known as the Outback.

• Population: 22,751,014 (estimate)

• Religions: Protestant 30.1%, Catholic 25.3%, Orthodox 2.8%, other Christian 2.9%, Buddhist 2.5%, Muslim 2.2%, Hindu 1.3%, other 1.3%, unspecified 9.3%, none 22.3%

• Time Zone: Australia has three primary time zones, four when Daylight Savings Time is in effect. Time in Canberra is 14 hours ahead of U.S. EST. When it is it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 8pm in Canberra.

National Holidays: Australia

In addition to the holidays listed below, 01/01 New Year’s Day Australia celebrates a number of national 01/26 Australia Day holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such as Easter. Each state in Australia also has a 04/25 Anzac Day certain latitude in setting its own holidays. To find out if you will be traveling during these 12/25 Christmas Day holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/ 12/26 Boxing Day holidays.

Australia: A Brief History Australia’s indigenous peoples believe that their tribes have lived here since the dawn of time—the Dreamtime—when their spiritual ancestors brought the land into being with song. Anthropologists believe that indigenous peoples have lived in Australia for at least 40,000 years, developing their culture largely free from outside influence. During this immense span of time, the ancestors of many groups now lumped together under the term “Australia’s First Peoples” developed over 200 different languages and many local traditions. The Wathaurong, Arrente, Walpiri, and Anangu cultural groups, which are roughly like tribes or clans, are among those still present today. In addition to passing along spiritual practices that are still observed,

93 ancient Aborigines mastered the challenges of living in a harsh environment. There is evidence that they planted crops, diverted streams, and maintained grasslands by deliberate burning in order to attract game for food. During the last several thousand years, the population increased, and different groups of indigenous people traded with each other across the continent. After thousands of years of independence from outside influence, indigenous life changed dramatically with the arrival of Europeans.

Although people in Europe imagined the existence of a Terra Australis in late medieval times, they knew nothing of the real Australia until the 17th century. The first European to actually set foot on Australian soil was probably the Dutch sailor Dirk Hartog in 1616. In 1642, Abel Tasman of Holland explored the southern coast, which is why the Tasman Sea and Tasmania now bear his name. English Captain James Cook landed at Botany Bay on Australia’s eastern coast in 1770, establishing an English claim that eventually led to colonization. Another Englishman, Matthew Flinders, circumnavigated the continent at the beginning of the 19th century. These early explorations revealed the coast, but Australia’s inland geography remained a mystery. When England could no longer send colonists or exiled convicts to America, Australia became a new destination for them. On January 26—the date now celebrated as Australia Day—in 1788, English Captain Arthur Phillip founded Sydney as a penal colony. From its inception, Sydney has been the capital of New South Wales, then a colony and now the most populous of Australia’s six states.

Before England ended the practice in 1853, more than 150,000 convicts were sent to New South Wales and Tasmania; one-fifth of them were women. From the 1820s to the 1880s, increasing numbers of free colonists also settled in Australia. First in New South Wales, and later in the other colonies, governance became more democratic with power increasingly vested in legislative councils. Indigenous people were not included, and it was not until the 1960s that they were granted full citizenship in the group of British colonies that had come to occupy their native land.

In 1851 Edward Hargraves struck gold in New South Wales, an event that led to the tripling of Australia’s population during the next 11 years. Australia remained a collection of distinct colonies until the dawn of the 20th century. In some ways, each colony’s ties to Great Britain were closer than they were with the other Australian colonies.

After some earlier attempts at establishing greater unity had failed, the Commonwealth of Australia became a reality on January 1, 1901. A true national identity was forged only in the aftermath of World War I. Anzac Day, celebrated on April 25, commemorates the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps’ landing at Gallipoli in the First World War, a milestone in the growth of national consciousness. World War II compelled Australians to look beyond their traditional ties to Great Britain, forge the new ANZUS alliance with the U.S., and see themselves anew as a Pacific Rim nation. Australia celebrated its bicentennial in 1988, and Aussies took great pride in having Sydney selected as the site for the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Recently Australia has been on the forefront of environmental activism, especially in regards to the question of water management, which came under scrutiny during a severe drought in 2005-2006. On the other end of the spectrum, Queensland had too much water a few years

94 later, resulting in dramatic flash floods at the end of 2010. Another recent struggle has been the question of how to handle asylum seekers; this issue has been in the forefront of public debate and generated some controversial policies.

Fiji

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 7,054 square miles

• Capital: Suva

• Language: English is the official language; Fijian and Hindustani are also spoken.

• Location: The Fiji Islands consist of some 300 bits of land ranging in size from Viti Levu (“Big Fiji”), one of the largest South Pacific islands, to tiny atolls that barely break the surface of the sea. With a total land area of 7,054 square miles, Fiji is slightly smaller than the state of New Jersey. Viti Levu has 4,171 of those square miles.

• Population: 918,675

• Religions: Christian, 52%; Hindu, 38%; Islam, 8%; other, 2%.

• Time Zone: Fiji, like New Zealand, is 17 hours ahead of New York’s time; 16 ahead during Daylight Savings Time.

National Holidays: Fiji

In addition to the holidays listed below, Fiji 06/26 National Sports Day celebrates a number of national holidays that 09/07 Constitution Day follow a lunar calendar, such as Easter and the Queen’s Birthday. To find out if you will 10/10 Fiji Day be traveling during these holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/holidays. 12/25 Christmas

01/01 New Year’s Day 12/26 Boxing Day

Fiji: A Brief History The first known European to sight Fiji was Abel Tasman in 1643. His accounts of dangerous waters kept seamen away until, 131 years later, Captain James Cook stopped there in 1774. But probably the most famous visitor—albeit inadvertently—was Captain William Bligh, who had been ousted from his ship, HMS Bounty, and set adrift in a small boat. His passage between the islands of Vanua Levu and Viti Levu is still called “Bligh Water.”

Fiji’s history is a long and sometimes violent one. Inhabited for over 2,500 years, the original Melanesian settlers were invaded by Polynesians from Tonga and Samoa. Intertribal wars forced the people into fortified villages, and cannibalism became so common that Fiji became infamous as “The Cannibal Isles.” Further Tongan invasions in the 1800s added to the volatile atmosphere,

95 while American, Australian, French, and British interests vied for supremacy. Levuka became so lawless that it eventually was destroyed by fire in 1847. When Fiji was annexed by the British, indentured labor was imported from India. By the time this system was abolished in 1919, more than 60,000 Indians lived in Fiji, creating tension between Fijians and Indians and leading to racial segregation.

In 1970, Fiji gained its independence, although the political parties were organized by race. Violence against Indians destabilized the new government until 1987, when Col. Stiveni Rabuka seized power in a bloodless coup. He was formally elected in 1991. In 1999, Fiji elected its first Prime Minister of Indian descent, Mahendra Chaudhry, whose government was overturned by a coup in 2000. Fiji is now a Democratic Republic governed by President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, elected by the Great Council of Chiefs.

96 RESOURCES

Suggested Reading

General South Pacific Kon-Tiki, Across the Pacific by Raft by Thor Heyerdahl, with F. H. Lyon, Translator (Exploration) On April 28, 1947, Heyerdahl and five other adventurous souls set themselves adrift on a raft off the coast of Peru. When they arrived in Tahiti five months later, they not only had a great tale of adventure on the high seas, but also changed the way historians viewed the migration of early humans.

Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener (Short Stories) Set during WWII in Polynesia, this series of loosely related short stories won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize and was the basis for the Rogers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific.

The Happy Isles of Oceania, Paddling the Pacific by Paul Theroux (Travel Narrative) When noted travel writer Paul Theroux decided to tour the South Pacific, he figured that kayaking would be the way to go. In the end, he explored the coastlines of 51 different islands from New Zealand to Hawaii. This book is a terrific introduction to the region, combining history, anecdote, and acutely observed detail on people and place.

The Journals of Captain Cook by James Cook (Exploration) Cook’s narrative of his expeditions between 1768 and 1779. Includes his explorations of Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, and a host of other previously unheard-of Pacific locales.

New Zealand The Bone People by Keri Hume (Fiction) An acclaimed novel from a New Zealand author about a three people—a female artist in exile from her family, a mute boy, and the boy’s foster father— that was praised by critics for its unconventional writing and provocative depictions alcoholism and abuse.

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (Fiction) In Victorian New Zealand a young gold prospector stumbles into a strange meeting of 12 local men who are there to discuss some even stranger events: a disappearance, a death, and a fortune.

A Concise History of New Zealand by Philippa Mein Smith (History) The title says it all. Travelers interested in a more detailed, scholarly history should look for the works of Anne Salmond, such as Between Worlds: Early Exchanges Between Maori and Europeans and The Trial of the Cannibal Dog (about Captain Cook’s voyages).

Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All by Christina Thompson (Memoir/History) An unusual mix of personal memoir and history that bounces between the story of the arrival of the European settlers in New Zealand and the American author’s courtship and marriage to a Maori man. And the title? It comes from a famous story about the Maoris’ reaction when they first saw the Europeans.

97 Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff (Literature) The controversial best-selling novel about the disintegration of Maori culture in contemporary New Zealand, and how the lack of a clear cultural identity can lead to strife and violence.

Tutira: The Story of a New Zealand Sheep Station by W.H. Guthrie-Smith (Natural History) Originally published in 1921, and a classic in New Zealand, this book follows the daily work and ecological impact of a sheep station by Lake Tutira. A bit scholarly, but still relevant considering today’s environmental concerns.

Australia Lane’s End by Jill Paterson (Mystery) Part of the Fitzjohn Mystery Series set in Sydney, this novel sees Inspector Fitzjohn trying to solve a murder at a cocktail party in the Sydney Observatory.

Picnic at Hanging Rock (Fiction) It is 1900 and four school friends go on a picnic with one of their teachers. Only one person returns—what happened to the other four? Not a traditional mystery but very mysterious nonetheless.

Grit and True Grit by David Hunt (History) The strange and quirky side to the history of Australia told in two volumes with lots of sarcasm and humor.

Chasing Kangaroos by Tim Flannery (Natural History) Part road-trip, part natural history, this book is an ode to Australia’s national animal combined with the author’s search to trace when and how the kangaroo first developed.

Dirt Music by Tim Winton (Literature) A powerful and suspenseful story about the tragic passion between two vulnerable people—an alcoholic woman stuck in a broken relationship and a grief- stricken poacher.

In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (History) Lots of history mixed in with the best-selling author’s comedic observations about Australia, its people, and its cultural institutions.

Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway (Memoir) A beautifully written narrative of Conway’s girlhood on an isolated sheep farm in the grasslands of Australia prior to her departure for America. She eventually went on to become the first women president of Smith College.

The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes (History) An immensely readable yet scholarly account of Australia’s tragic origins. Hughes combines thorough research with a compelling narrative in this splendid work.

The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin (Cultural Portrait). In this unusual book, Chatwin combines straightforward reporting, history, dream-time stories, and a heady mix of quotations from his notebooks. This book may not be in stock at your local store, but it can still be found online.

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (Fiction) One of the most beloved novels of all time—a saga of dreams, struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love that has enthralled readers the world over. The Thorn Birds is a chronicle of three generations of the Cleary family with a love story at its heart.

98 True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey (Historical Fiction) Undoubtedly Australia’s most potent legend, Ned Kelly is a mythic hero and Wild West-style outlaw. This is a breathless adventure, with many angles, such as a boy’s defense of his mother, and a man’s confiding letter to a daughter whom he will never meet. Winner of the 2001 Booker Prize.

Fiji Tears in Paradise: Suffering and Struggles of Indians in Fiji, 1879-2004 by Rajendra Prasad (2010, History). A detailed and intensely researched publication on the treatment of Indian indentured servants, called Girmitiyas, in Fiji by the British from 1879-2004. As the grandson of Girmitiyas, Prasad graphically describes the treatment of those under the Girmit system, as they worked on sugar-cane plantations until 1920. The second half of the book outlines the history and uncertain future of Indo-Fijians.

Kava in the Blood by Peter Thomson (1999, Autobiography). Thomson describes his time as the secretary to the governor of Fiji during the coup d’état in 1987 as well as his childhood as a fifth generation Fijian born to a British colonial administrator.

Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu by J. Maarten Troost (2007, Nonfiction). A travelog of Troost and his wife’s time on Vanuatu and Fiji, Getting Stoned with Savages follows the couple as they experience typhoons, giant centipedes, nudity, and parenthood.

Dodging Machetes by Will Lutwick (2012, Biography). Lutwick, as young Peace Corp member stationed in Fiji, struggles with Fijian culture and taboos surrounding interracial dating when he falls for Rani Gupta, a young woman from a traditional Hindi family.

Suggested Film & Video

New Zealand Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016, Comedy) Written and directed by Taika Waititi this charming, off-beat comedy follows a mixed-up 13-year-old named Ricky Baker and his cankerous, yet highly skilled foster father Hec as they hide in the woods from a manhunt launched by mistake.

The Lord of the Rings (trilogy comprising of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King) (2001-2003, Adventure) An epic retelling of the classic works of J.R.R. Tolkien, set in the legendary world of Middle Earth, which was loosely based on old Norse and Celtic myths. When director Peter Jackson needed to find diverse locations from craggy peaks, to lush hills, to peaceful meadows, he turned to his home country—the plot might be pure fantasy, but the scenery is real New Zealand.

The Piano (1993, Drama) A mute woman, who only expresses herself through her piano and in sign language to her young daughter, is sent to New Zealand for an arranged marriage. But soon after her arrival, a potential romance with a local worker leads to dramatic consequences.

99 The World’s Fastest Indian (2005, Drama) A biographical film based on the life of New Zealand speed bike rider Burt Munro, and his attempts to break the land speed record on his Indian Scout motorcycle.

Whale Rider (2002, Drama) A young Maori girl fights for a chance to lead her tribe. But will her grandfather consider a girl for their next leader?

Once Were Warriors (1994, Crime) This film adaptation keeps intact the book’s gritty and realistic view of the violence and societal problems that can plague the urban Maori in New Zealand.

Australia A Cry in the Dark (1988, Drama) Based on the true story of a woman accused of the murder of her child, but who maintains that the child died in an animal attack. Although famously associated with the line “the dingo ate my baby,” the real quote is actually “the dingo’s got my baby”.

Animal Kingdom (2010, Thriller) A gritty Australian family-crime drama about an innocent young man who, when his mother dies, turns to his uncles for guidance. Too bad the uncles are a crew of hardened Melbourne bank robbers who are nearing the end of the line. Critically acclaimed film with an ensemble cast that features Guy Pierce playing the good cop for a change.

Australia (2008, Adventure) An English lady inherits a cattle ranch in Australia and works with one of the ranch hands to organize an immense cattle drive across the Outback, but then gets caught up in the events leading to WWII.

Crocodile Dundee (1986, Comedy) A comedic “fish out of water” story that has an American reporter hosting an engaging, but eccentric, Australian crocodile hunter in New York City.

Lion (2016, Drama) A five-year old boy is separated from his family in India and adopted by a couple in Tasmania. Later as an adult, he searches for his birth mother using a few memories and Google Earth. Based on a true story.

Muriel’s Wedding (1994, Comedy) Muriel deals with the boredom of life in a small Australian town by listening to ABBA and planning her dream wedding. There’s only one small problem—she’s never been on a date.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935, Drama) A dramatic retelling of the historic mutiny led by Fletcher Christian against Captain William Bligh.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994, Comedy) If you liked The Birdcage, this one’s for you. When three performers are hired to set up a drag show revue at a resort in the middle of the Outback, comedy ensues.

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002, Adventure) Molly, Daisy, and Gracie are part of the “stolen generations”, aboriginal children forcibly removed from their families by the Australian government and placed in re-education camps. But the girls escape, and by following one of the lengthy rabbit-proof fences that crosses the country, try to make their way home on foot. Based on true events.

100 Red Dog (2011, Comedy) Set in the late 70’s and early 80’s, this film tells the story of a rascally stray dog, named for the color of his coat, and how he brings the local community together. The story, which is based on a well-known book, showcases the new Australia that developed from the wave of immigration after World War II.

Sapphires (2012, Drama) Based on a true story, the movie follows four young Aboriginal women who become a soul singing group that entertain troops in Vietnam. A moving story that incorporates historical events, such as how the White Australia Policy and Stolen Generation affected mixed race families in the 60s and 70s.

Strictly Ballroom (1992, Comedy) A sweet romantic comedy set in the world of Australia’s ballroom dancing championships. Scott, the odds-on favorite, feels constrained by rules that will not let him create new dance steps. Fran, the new dancer, is repeatedly overlooked despite her talent. If they dance together, they might have to choose between winning and creative freedom.

General South Pacific South Pacific (1958, Romance) A Rogers and Hammerstein musical set on a tropical island during WWII. Will young the American nurse fall for the sophisticated French planter? Or will she wash that man right out of her hair?

The Endless Summer (1966, Documentary) The primary focus of this documentary is two young surfers searching the world for the perfect beach. But with scenes in Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Hawaii, it also captures the rise of surfer culture in the South Pacific during the 1960’s.

Fiji Reel Paradise (2005, Documentary). John Pierson, a New York film programmer, moves to Fiji with his wife and daughter for a year, and opens a movie theater.

The Land Has Eyes (2004, Drama). The first feature film made in Fiji, The Land Has Eyes is about Viki, a young Fijian woman, who uses the myth of the Warrior Woman as inspiration while she searches for justice for her wrongfully accused father.

An Island Calling (2009, Documentary). This movie examines the murder of John Scott, the head of Fiji’s Red Cross, and his gay partner, who helped hostages during the 2000 Fijian coup in an increasingly conservative and hostile country.

101 Useful Websites

Overseas Adventure Travel World Weather www.oattravel.com www.intellicast.com www.weather.com Overseas Adventure Travel Store www.wunderground.com www.oatshop.com Basic Travel Phrases (80 languages) Overseas Adventure Travel Frequently www.travlang.com/languages Asked Questions www.oattravel.com/faq Packing Tips www.travelite.org International Health Information/CDC (Centers for Disease Control) U.S. Customs & Border Protection http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel www.cbp.gov/travel

Electricity & Plugs Transportation Security www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/ Administration (TSA) plugs-and-sockets www.tsa.gov

Foreign Exchange Rates National Passport Information Center www.xe.com/currencyconverter www.travel.state.gov www.oanda.com/converter/classic Holidays Worldwide ATM Locators www.timeanddate.com/holidays www.mastercard.com/atm www.visa.com/atmlocator

102 VACCINATIONS NOW REQUIRED FOR ALL TRAVELERS, SHIP CREW, TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS, AND COACH DRIVERS Plus, updated Health & Safety Protocols for our Land Tours

The health and safety of our travelers is always our #1 priority, and we understand travelers are concerned about exploring the world in light of the unprecedented crisis we are currently facing. To ensure your safety and give you peace of mind, we have worked with our regional team and listened to government guidance and feedback from our travelers to create these health and safety protocols for our trips. As we continue to make changes, we will keep our website updated with the latest information.

VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS • All travelers, ship crew, and Trip Experience AND UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY Leaders will have their temperature checked PROTOCOLS FOR SMALL SHIP every time they return to the ship using a non- ADVENTURES contact infrared temperature scanner. • All travelers must be fully vaccinated against • All meals are served by the dining staff— COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure buffets are no longer available. and provide proof of vaccination upon VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS AND boarding the ship. If you are unable to UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS provide proof of vaccination upon arrival at FOR SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES ON LAND your destination, you will have to return • All travelers must be fully vaccinated against home at your own expense. COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure. If To meet this requirement, please bring your you are unable to provide proof of vaccination original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card upon arrival at your destination, you will with you on your trip. The white card must have to return home at your own expense. display your name, type of vaccine, and the To meet this requirement, please bring your date(s) the vaccine was administered. We also original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card with suggest taking a picture of this card to keep for you on your trip. The white card must display your records as a backup. your name, type of vaccine, and the date(s) • All local Trip Experience Leaders, the vaccine was administered. We also suggest fully ship staff, and crew will be taking a picture of this card to keep for your vaccinated against COVID-19. records as a backup. fully • All coach drivers will be • All local Trip Experience Leaders will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. vaccinated against COVID-19. • All public areas will be sanitized nightly and • All coach drivers will be fully vaccinated all ships are equipped with High Efficiency against COVID-19. Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.

Help us ensure travelers’ safety and health while on our trips. Please follow best health and hygiene practices to prevent the spread of illness—wash your hands regularly and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Together, we can create a safer travel experience for everyone.

Learn more at www.oattravel.com/covid-update

103 Notes

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107 YOUR TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADER

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