AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Itinerary

Day 1: Monday Sydney

Arrival to Sydney, meeting and orientation at the hotel. Dinner and Overnight in Sydney.

Sydney, established in 1788 is built around Port Jackson, the largest natural harbor in the world. There are numerous small inlets creating small harbors and enchanting beaches. The sea plays an important part in the lives of the residents and sea sports are enjoyed by a large part of the population. The two most famous beaches are Bondi Beach and Manly Beach. The port, from which the ferries sail in addition, is located nearby the famous Sydney Opera House.

Day 2: Tuesday Sydney

After breakfast we will begin our day by taking a cruise along the Sydney Harbor. During the course of the cruise we will see several sights and the opera house in all its glory, as it appears today. This building looks very different from different angles and combined with the cruise itself, it is an interesting experience to see it from various angles. After the cruise, we will continue our visit of the city of Sydney, Darling Harbour, Hyde Park, The Cathedral of Saint Mary, and the Parliament House. Dinner and overnight in Sydney.

Day 3: Wednesday: Sydney – The Blue Mountains

In the morning we will set for a wonderful day in the Blue Mountains. It is a beautiful reserve with magnificent forests of eucalyptus. The name “Blue Mountains” was given to this place because of the thin blue fog that seems to pervade, thought by some to come from a reflection of light on the vapor Eucalyptus leaves. The forests are gigantic and they include tens of varieties of eucalyptus trees. We will visit the village of Katoomba in the valley by Katoomba scenic railway and return by cable car. We will conclude our day with a visit from the Olympic Village and return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Thursday Cairns – Cape Tribulation

After breakfast we will transfer to the airport for our flight to Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia. After we land, we will tour the green city that is situated on the shores of the Yarra River. The center of the city is made up of a grid of roads. The center of the city contains: Flinders Street Station that has recently been refurbished, Parliament House, Fitzroy Gardens, and Captain Cook’s Cottage. We will visit the Botanical Gardens and will return to the center of the city to visit the Great Synagogue, the Jewish Museum, and the Anzac monument. At the end of the tour we will return to our hotel, Kimberley Gardens for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Friday: Sydney - Melbourne

Today we will visit Phillip Island. On the way we will stop at “Warook Cattle Farm.” When we arrive on the island, we will visit a park where one can see the animals that are associated with Australia such as the koala and the kangaroo and more. We will continue on Phillip Island and stop to see Nobbies Center and enjoy seeing the seals and we will view the exquisite shoreline. What a fabulous sight! At the conclusion of our visit, we will return to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat, Shabbat services, and to enjoy our Shabbat meal.

Day 6: Shabbat Melbourne

After Shabbat morning services and our Shabbat meal we will take a walking tour of the sites close to the hotel.

Day 7: Sunday: Melbourne

After breakfast, we will go by bus for an exciting day of touring along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The road we are taking, the Great Ocean Road, runs along the entire southeast coast of Victoria and is one of the most spectacular roads in the world. It winds through forested mountains, sheer cliffs and breathtaking rock formations and passes through thick rainforest filled with tall Eucalyptus trees. The most impressive part of the landscape we will visit is Otway National Park. After the tour, we will return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Monday: Melbourne – Auckland (New Zealand)

After breakfast, we will leave for the airport for our flight to Auckland, New Zealand. After we land, we will have a guided tour of the city. We will ascend to see the city from the Sky Tower, the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere with a height of 328 meters. From it we will see the city and its surroundings. We will also visit the botanical gardens and the city museum. We will return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 9: Tuesday: Auckland – Waitomo Caves - Rotorua

In the morning, we will drive south to the Waikato region. There we will visit the famous Glow Worm Caves. The Waitomo Caves are well known particularly for the hundreds of thousands of bright worms that live in them and create an impression of a star-filled sky. They glow worms are not really worms, but insects that resemble mosquitoes. The tour includes an underground boat ride in the cave. We will end the day in Rotorua. We will return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 10: Wednesday: Rotorua

In the morning we will visit the Agrodome in order to look at the difference types of sheep that are the prominent agricultural product of New Zealand. During the visit, we will see a demonstration of sheep shearing and of the use of dogs to aid the shepherds.

Rotorua, which has been called the “Sulphur City” is located in an area that has an abundance of geothermal activity. We will tour Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, a preserve of geothermal activity that has made this area and the Maori village, Te Puia, adjacent to it famous. In this geothermal reserve, we will see hot bubbling mud and eruptions of geysers. The land here moves and bubbles and boils and steam rises from it.

The people of the Te Arawa came to New Zealand in the middle of the 14th century from the birthplace of the Maori, Hawaiki and settled in Rotorua. Now the Maori people are trying to preserve their heritage and share it at every opportunity with tourists with warmth and good humor. Dinner and overnight in Rotorua.

Day 11: Thursday: Tongariro

We will go out for a visit to the Tongariro National Park. The volcanic mountain, Tongariro which reaches a height of 1970 meters is considered an active volcano despite that fact that the last eruption was in 1926. In the park there are a number of craters that from time to time erupt with steam and hot air. Of course one can find there plants of many varieties that are typical of rainforests, forests of beech trees, pastures, and plants typical of high desert. We will visit Lake Aupo, and at the end of the tour we will go to dinner and overnight in Tongariro.

Day 12: Friday: Wellington

This morning we will travel to Wellington along the west coast of the North Island. On the way we will stop and visit the city of Wanganui which is also known as “River City”. We will proceed to Wellington and prepare there for Shabbat, Shabbat services and Shabbat dinner.

Day 13: Shabbat: Wellington

After Shabbat services and our Shabbat meal, we will take a walking tour of the area around the hotel.

Day 14: Sunday: Wellington - Picton

After breakfast, we will go by cable car to Victoria Peak for a panoramic view of Wellington and its port. We will visit sights in the city such as the Old Parliament, the port, and the botanical gardens. At the end of the tour, we will board the "Interislander Ferry" for a cruise to the south island and to Picton. We will go to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 15: Monday: Kaikoura – Christchurch

Today we will drive along the east shore of South Island to the town of Kaikoura. We will sail to the southernmost point of the town and there you will be given the opportunity to watch tens of seals sunning themselves and also large whales who live with dolphins and more-- an unforgettable experience. At the end of the cruise, we will continue on to Christchurch and go to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 16: Tuesday: Christchurch – Franz Josef

Today we can look forward to a very special experience—we will travel on the TranzAlpine train across the southern alps of New Zealand that travels from Christchurch to Greymouth which is on the shore of the Tasman Sea on a route that passes through the fields of the Canterbury Plains and farmland, followed by the spectacular gorges and river valleys of the Waimakariri River beneath the snow-capped peaks of the western alps to Arthur Pass, the city of Otira, and Brunner Lake, through rainforests, and even through tunnels. This trip crosses the Southern Island from one end to the other and gives one a perfect view of the landscape and a wonderful travel experience. When we arrive at the city of Greymouth, we will continue by bus to the town of Franz Josef and we will visit Hokitika, the capital of the Jade industry. We will continue on to the land of glaciers and will with see huge glaciers in the midst of the rainforest. Dinner and overnight in our hotel.

Day 17: Wednesday: Queenstown

We are at the beginning of a day of breathtaking and changing landscapes. We will visit Fox Glacier and we will cross the Alps at Haast Pass and enter Mount Aspiring National Park. We will pass through the vacation town of Wanaka, for a visit to the wooden maze at the puzzle center “Stuart Landsborough‘s Puzzling World and its Great Maze." We will end the day in Queenstown where we will go to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 18: Thursday: Te Anau - Milford Sound

Today we will travel by way of Ellington and Hollyford Valleys and drive via Homer Tunnel to the majestic fjord, Milford Sound. We will take a cruise for about two and a half hours on one of the most beautiful fjords in New Zealand. They become, as one travels along the water, more and more impressive. The curves and the depths of the fjord allow boats to pass only a few meters from the cliffs that surround it and so it is possible to actually get wet from the mist of the waterfalls that enter the sea along the length of the fjord. , and also, of course, to enjoy the dramatic views on the cliffs shrouded in fog, water birds, sea lions, and seals. We will return to Te Anau for dinner and overnight.

Day 19: Friday: Queenstown

Today we will travel north to the gold mining town of Arrowtown and on to Bungy Bridge. From there we will travel to Queenstown, a resort city where people vacation and ski on the shores of Lake Wakatipo. We will go up by Skyline Gondola to Bob‘s Peak for a view of the city on the lake and the surrounding area. We will return to the hotel for preparations for Shabbat, Shabbat services, Shabbat dinner, and overnight.

Day 20: Shabbat: Queenstown

After Shabbat services and our Shabbat meal, we will take a walking tour of the area surrounding the hotel.

Day 21: Sunday: Queenstown - Mt .Cook

We will leave the city of Queenstown and we will travel to the foothills of the New Zealand Alps and we will enjoy walking on the Mount Cook Reserve where is found the tallest of the mountains of New Zealand, visible from the west coast and also from the east coast. The park is a huge and important reserve. Twenty –two of the twenty-seven mountains in New Zealand that are higher than 3000 meters are found in this park. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Day 22: Monday: Christchurch – Home Gateway

Today our visit to New Zealand has ended. We travel from Mount Cook to the airport in Christchurch and from there we fly to our home gateway.

The tour price is based on a minimum of 24 paying travelers. Prices are calculated in local currencies. Any negative fluctuation will be borne by the traveler.

Price Includes

• Domestic flights
• First Class Tourist Hotels
• Entrance fees as per the itinerary
• Comfortable air conditioned touring coach
• Half board kosher food daily & supplies for making sandwiches for lunch
• Professional experienced English-speaking Israeli guide
• Local English-speaking Guide as required

Price Excludes

• International Travel
• Travel & Health Insurance
• Personal expenses and evening entertainment not included in the itinerary
• Tips for local service providers $130 to be collected in cash abroad)
• Shows and evening entertainment not included in the itinerary
• Tip for our Tour Guide (Recommended: $3 per person per day)
• Miscellaneous expenses such as departure fees, visas, security surcharges etc. where applicable. (There is NZ$12 departure fee when leaving Auckland, New Zealand. This is to be paid in cash by each departing traveler.)

Important To Know
There may be changes to the order of places visited. We will make every effort to visit every place mentioned in the itinerary. The tour organizers have no control over airline services such as seating, special meal requests, changes in departure times or delays. These remain the sole responsibility of the airline company.

Serious warning: The ministry of agriculture and forests uses x-ray machines to locate items that are hidden in suitcases. One may not bring into New Zealand any food at all including fruits, (dried fruits as well!) vegetables of any sort, fish (fresh, cooked, or canned), any meat product of any kind, dairy products, eggs, plants, snack foods, nuts, and seeds, medicinal herbs, and so forth. Anyone bringing in forbidden items will pay a penalty of $200 and may be expelled from the country before ever entering. If, after all this, you think you may have brought something forbidden and are not sure, you must declare it at customs. For additional information see: www.protectnz.org.nz

Kashrut on Tours
Kosher food is provided to our travelers on all our tours. We work with the local Rabbinate to provide Hashgacha for all local ingredients and fresh meat and poultry. In some cases, we fly in kosher food from Israel and other sources, depending on the destination of the tour. We do not guarantee Pat Israel and Chalav Israel for all destinations.

In many destinations we have our own crockery and cutlery. Where we don't, we provide disposables at the meals. When we cook in Hotel kitchens, we ensure proper Kashering and we use our own kitchenware on kashered and covered surfaces. All this is done under the strict supervision of our trained staff/guides who function as our Mashgichim.

Our travelers enjoy gourmet meals prepared by our team including fresh local fish, fruit, and vegetables. This is an integral part of Jewish travel. We make great efforts to assure that our travelers will experience local foods first-hand, while maintaining stringent observance of Kashrut laws on all occasions.

Rabbi Menahem Fogel
A native of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Menahem Fogel served as a pulpit rabbi in South Africa and Canada before returning to Israel in 1984 to take up the position of spokesman of Yad Vashem, in Jerusalem, a position he held for six years.

Since that time he has held senior positions in both the public and private sectors developing interactive computer systems for museums around the world. He also lived and worked in the USA, Netherlands, Austria, UK and India. A lifelong yearning for travel led to his becoming a Tour Manager in 2000 and developed expertise tourism to Japan & China, Alaska, Canadian Rockies and Africa. Recently he took on the added role of Rav Hamachshir for The Kosher Travel Club to ensure the highest standards of Kashrut are implemented on all our Kosher Tours.

For any questions about Kashrut please feel free to email menahemf@netvision.net.il

Insurance
Travel insurance encompassing both cancellation and medical insurance is very important and we cannot stress that enough. We strongly recommend that our clients are adequately insured when travelling. It is crucial to purchase the travel insurance within 14 days from the 1st payment that you make for this trip (flights/cruise/tour etc). Your payment is made directly to the insurance company. We highly recommend the 'cancel for any reason' upgrade option. Our preferred policies are Travel Safe (USA & Canadian residents), Travel Select (USA residents) and Global Trip Protection Elite (All other Nationalities).

Date And Prices

Deposit, Cancellation Fees & Policy:

• 90 days before departure bookings are refundable less a $100 administration fee
• 60-90 days prior to departure: $500 + $100 per passenger
• 30-60 days prior to departure: $1,000 + $100 per passenger
• Less than 30 working days prior to departure: 100% of total - no refund
• We strongly recommend purchasing Travel Insurance.