Contrasts of Australia and New Zealand — Self-Launched

Land at Melbourne Tullamarine (MEL), take the SkyBus to Southern Cross Station (~A$22/£11, or A$10 on the cheaper Starbus). Check into a hostel in the CBD or Fitzroy (e.g. Melbourne Central YHA, Space Hotel, or a Fitzroy guesthouse). Walk the Southbank promenade along the Yarra at golden hour, cross the pedestrian bridge to Federation Square, and eat dinner at one of the riverside or South Wharf restaurants — a self-guided version of the operator's welcome dinner. Grab a myki card (A$6) at the airport or 7-Eleven and top it up for trams, trains and buses.

🚌SkyBus airport shuttle ~£11; tram/on foot in the CBD (free tram zone covers much of the centre)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Melbourne CBD/Fitzroy (~£25–35/night dorm, £60+ private)

• →Southbank promenade walk
• →Federation Square & Yarra River
• →Set up myki transport card

Do the laneway and arcade route yourself: start at Degraves Street and Centre Place for coffee, loop through Block Arcade and Royal Arcade, then hit Hosier Lane and AC/DC Lane for street art and Victorian facades. Visit the Koorie Heritage Trust at Federation Square (free entry, small charge for guided cultural walks — check their website). In the afternoon, either do a free/donation-based walking tour (I'm Free Walking Tours Melbourne) or self-book a Phillip Island penguin parade day tour via GetYourGuide/Klook (~£60–85 including entry), returning around 10pm.

🚌On foot and free tram zone; optional Phillip Island coach tour included in activity cost

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Melbourne CBD/Fitzroy

• →Degraves Street & Block Arcade laneways
• →Hosier Lane street art
• →Koorie Heritage Trust (free)
• →Free walking tour
• →Optional: Phillip Island Little Penguins tour

Book a budget flight with Jetstar or Virgin Australia from MEL to CNS (~A$150–250/£75–125 if booked ahead; more in peak season). Taxi or shuttle (~A$20) to a Cairns hostel — Gilligan's, Cairns Central YHA and Summer House Backpackers are good bases. Hire a car for the afternoon or take a Uber to Hartley's Crocodile Adventures near Palm Cove for the boat cruise and wildlife encounters (entry ~A$48; crocodile boat cruise included in entry). If you'd rather plant a tree for the rainforest restoration angle, ask at the park or look at local Landcare volunteering sessions. Evening at Cairns Night Markets for cheap eats.

🚌Domestic flight MEL–CNS ~£100; airport shuttle ~£10; rideshare to Hartley's ~£15 each way

🛏Hostel, Cairns CBD (~£20–30/night dorm)

• →Hartley's Crocodile Adventures boat cruise & wildlife park
• →Cairns Night Markets
• →Optional rainforest volunteering (check Landcare QLD)

Book a full-day outer reef catamaran trip — QuickSilver, Reef Magic, Sunlover or Divers Den all run from the Cairns marlin jetty, and GetYourGuide/Klook sell the same trips (~£130–170 including snorkel gear, semi-submersible or glass-bottom viewing, buffet lunch and reef-ecology briefing). Depart around 8am, back by 5pm. This replaces the operator's private reef charter almost exactly — same reef, same marine biologist commentary. Bring a reef-safe sunscreen; if you're prone to seasickness take tablets before boarding.

🚌Walk to the reef terminal (10 min from most hostels)

🛏Hostel, Cairns CBD

• →Outer Great Barrier Reef catamaran day trip
• →Snorkelling with gear provided
• →Semi-submersible observatory
• →Reef ecology talk

A free day — the operator includes a dinner but the Kuranda trip is optional. Book the combined Kuranda Scenic Railway up + Skyrail Rainforest Cableway down through GetYourGuide or directly with Queensland Rail/Skyrail (~£65–80). The train climbs through gorges and waterfalls, Skyrail glides over the canopy with two rainforest stops. Wander Kuranda's markets and trails, then head to the Esplanade for a self-booked seafood dinner (Ochre Restaurant or cheaper Prawn Star on the wharf if you want to keep costs down). Alternative: Fitzroy Island or the Atherton Tablelands waterfalls by tour.

🚌Walk or bus to Cairns railway station; Skyrail terminal 15 min north by bus

🛏Hostel, Cairns CBD

• →Kuranda Scenic Railway
• →Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
• →Kuranda village markets
• →Cairns Esplanade dinner

Jetstar/Virgin flight CNS–SYD (~£85–130 booked ahead). Take the Airport Link train to Central (~A$19) then a train or walk to a hostel in the Rocks, Surry Hills or Potts Point — Sydney Central YHA, Wake Up! Sydney and The Rocks hostels are good picks. Stretch your legs with a free walk around the Royal Botanic Garden to Mrs Macquarie's Chair for the classic Opera House–Harbour Bridge view, then grab dinner in Surry Hills or Chinatown.

🚌Domestic flight ~£105; Airport Link train ~£10; Opal card or contactless tap for trains

🛏Hostel, Sydney Rocks/Central (~£30–40/night dorm, £75+ private)

• →Royal Botanic Garden walk
• →Mrs Macquarie's Chair viewpoint
• →Surry Hills dinner

Book the official Sydney Opera House guided tour direct (from ~A$50/£26) for the 9am or 11am slot — the architecture and history story is the same one the coach group gets. Then take bus 333 from Circular Quay to Bondi. Self-guided Bondi coastal walk south to Coogee (6km, ~2 hrs, free) takes in the beach, cliffs and sea pools. Optional behind-the-scenes surf club feel: join a 2-hour beginner surf lesson at Bondi (~£50). Late afternoon, hop a Sydney Harbour ferry (Opal fare ~A$7) instead of a private cruise — Circular Quay to Watsons Bay or Manly gives the same Opera House and Harbour Bridge views from the water. Dinner back in the Rocks.

🚌Opal bus/train/ferry day ~£10

🛏Hostel, Sydney Rocks/Central

• →Sydney Opera House guided tour
• →Bondi to Coogee coastal walk
• →Optional Bondi surf lesson
• →Public harbour ferry

Pick your optional: Blue Mountains day trip (train from Central to Katoomba ~A$7 each way with Opal, ~2 hrs; walk to Echo Point for the Three Sisters and do the Giant Stairway — a fraction of the £100+ tour) or Sydney BridgeClimb if you want the big-ticket aerial view (~£150–200, book direct well ahead). Evening: a self-organised farewell dinner in Darling Harbour or Newtown. Both options are easy to book the day before, though BridgeClimb and Blue Mountains small-group tours do sell out in high season.

🚌Optional Opal train to Katoomba ~£7 each way

🛏Hostel, Sydney Rocks/Central

• →Blue Mountains self-guided hike (Three Sisters)
• →Or Sydney BridgeClimb
• →Darling Harbour or Newtown dinner

Jetstar, Air New Zealand or LATAM flight SYD–AKL (~£110–160 booked 2–3 months out). From Auckland Airport, take the SkyBus or the new AirportLink bus (~NZ$20) to the city centre. Check into a hostel such as Haka Lodge, Attic Backpackers or Base Auckland (~£25–35/night dorm), or a budget hotel. Evening walk to the Viaduct Harbour or Britomart for a self-booked dinner — the operator's included dinner at The Grill can be swapped for Britomart's food stalls or a cheap Vietnamese meal on Queen Street.

🚌International flight ~£135; SkyBus ~£10

🛏Hostel, Auckland CBD

• →Viaduct Harbour evening walk
• →Britomart precinct dinner

Book the All Blacks Experience at SkyCity direct (~NZ$45/£22) — an interactive tour through rugby and NZ culture. Then use the Link bus or AT HOP card to do the city route yourself: Mission Bay waterfront, Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial gardens (all free, bus 745 or the Tamaki Drive walk). Optional Auckland Museum (£12 donation entry, or free with a timed slot) and a ferry over to Devonport for the view back at the skyline (~NZ$15 return).

🚌AT HOP card + Link bus ~£8; optional Devonport ferry ~£8 return

🛏Hostel, Auckland CBD

• →All Blacks Experience
• →Mission Bay & Bastion Point walk
• →Michael Joseph Savage Memorial gardens
• →Optional Auckland Museum / Devonport ferry

Book the Hobbiton Movie Set tour direct (from NZ$120/£58) — the 2.5-hour guided walk includes the interior Hobbit Hole experience. The easiest independent route is the intercity bus Auckland–Matamata (~NZ$30) plus the Hobbiton shuttle, or a combined Hobbiton day tour from Auckland (~£110) that drops you back for an onward bus to Rotorua (InterCity ~NZ$30, 1 hr). Check into a Rotorua hostel — Haka Lodge Rotorua, Rotorua Downtown Backpackers or Crash Palace are solid. In the evening, book the Te Puia geothermal valley Te Po evening experience direct (~NZ$150–180 including hangi-style dinner and cultural performance); if budget is tight, visit Te Puia in the day (~NZ$60) and cook at the hostel instead.

🚌InterCity bus Auckland–Matamata–Rotorua ~£30 total; local shuttle to Hobbiton ~£12

🛏Hostel, Rotorua (~£25–30/night dorm)

• →Hobbiton Movie Set guided tour
• →Te Puia Pohutu Geyser & Maori cultural performance
• →Optional Te Po evening hangi experience

Morning at the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua (book direct, ~NZ$40/£19) — the guided walkthrough covers kiwi conservation, incubation and hatching, exactly what the operator's MAKE TRAVEL MATTER session covers. Late afternoon, fly Rotorua–Queenstown via Air New Zealand/Jetstar (~£90–140; there may be one stop via Auckland or Christchurch depending on the schedule — check with the airline). Check into a Queenstown hostel or budget hotel — Haka Lodge Queenstown, Absoloot Value and Nomads Queenstown are good central options. Evening down by Lake Wakatipu for a supermarket dinner or a cheap burger from Fergburger.

🚌Domestic flight ~£115; bus to Rotorua airport ~£10

🛏Hostel, Queenstown (~£30–38/night dorm)

• →National Kiwi Hatchery guided tour
• →Lake Wakatipu evening walk

Book a Milford Sound day tour from Queenstown with coach + nature cruise — GetYourGuide, Klook or direct with RealNZ, Jucy or Cruise Milford (~£110–150 including picnic lunch and the scenic drive past Devil's Staircase, Mirror Lakes, Knobs Flat, Hollyford Valley and Cleddau Valley lookouts). If you have a car or are comfortable driving (left side, mountain roads), self-drive to Milford and buy a separate cruise (~£60); the road is one of the world's great drives but it's a long 4-hour each-way haul. Either way you get the naturalist commentary and wildlife spotting — fur seals, dolphins, waterfalls. Back to Queenstown by evening.

🚌Booked coach + cruise day tour included in activity cost

🛏Hostel, Queenstown

• →Scenic drive via Devil's Staircase & Mirror Lakes
• →Milford Sound nature cruise
• →Fiordland National Park viewpoints

Pick one big Queenstown experience and book directly: Otago wine tasting tour through three Pinot Noir boutique vineyards (~£90–120 half-day), the Shotover River jet boat (~£75–95), or the TSS Earnslaw steamship cruise on Lake Wakatipu (~£35–50). The rest of the day is yours — walk the Queenstown Hill track (free, 1.5 hrs), the Frankton Arm trail, or relax at the waterfront. Dinner: replace the operator's Coronation Bathhouse dinner with a self-booked table at Public Kitchen, Amisfield (if you're splashing out) or a lakeside pub meal.

🚌On foot; wine tour includes pickup

🛏Hostel, Queenstown

• →Optional Otago wine tasting tour
• →Or Shotover jet boat
• →Or TSS Earnslaw cruise
• →Queenstown Hill walk (free)

Rent a car for 2–3 days in Queenstown (from ~£30–40/day plus fuel, or InterCity bus with stops if you don't want to drive). Drive via Arrowtown's historic main street, then Cromwell for the Highlands Motorsport Museum (~NZ$25) and the Lake Dunstan lookout, before the Lindis Pass to Lake Tekapo. Check into the Lake Tekapo holiday park, a YHA or a budget motel (~£35–55). Visit the Church of the Good Shepherd and the bronze sheepdog statue at sunset (free). Then book a dark-sky stargazing session with Dark Sky Project or Chameleon Stargazing (~£50–80 with optical telescope) in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve — the same reserve as the operator's specialist experience.

🚌Rental car ~£35/day + fuel ~£20; or InterCity buses with stopovers

🛏Holiday park cabin, YHA or budget motel, Lake Tekapo (~£40–55)

• →Arrowtown historic village
• →Highlands Motorsport Museum
• →Church of the Good Shepherd & sheepdog statue
• →Lake Tekapo stargazing with telescope

Drive or bus on to Christchurch (about 3 hrs). If you drove, drop the car off at the airport or city depot. Check into a hostel or budget hotel — Haka Lodge, Around the World Backpackers or the YHA Christchurch (~£28–40/night). Do a self-guided city walk: the Transitional Cathedral (Cardboard Cathedral) in Latimer Square, the Canterbury Museum, the Earthquake Memorial along the Avon, the Bridge of Remembrance, and the punting boats on the Avon (a punt ride is ~NZ$40 if you want it). Free walking tours run from the i-SITE in Cathedral Square.

🚌Driving/bus ~£30 fuel or InterCity ~£20; city walking

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Christchurch (~£30–40)

• →Cardboard Cathedral
• →Canterbury Museum
• →Christchurch Earthquake Memorial
• →Bridge of Remembrance & Avon River
• →Optional punting

Book a small-group Waipara Valley wine tour from Christchurch (~£75–100 with three to four cellar doors and lunch), or take the Coastal Pacific train north to Waipara (~NZ$25) and pre-book a winery visit at Waipara Springs or Pegasus Bay. Replace the operator's private farm visit with a public farm-stay or farm experience — options like Hurunui farm stays via Bookabach, or a Merino sheep farm tour through local providers (~£25–40). Back in Christchurch, finish with a celebratory dinner of Canterbury produce at a self-booked restaurant — Twenty Seven Steps, Child Sister or a cheap and cheerful C1 Espresso.

🚌Wine tour pickup or Coastal Pacific train ~£12 each way

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Christchurch

• →Waipara Valley wine tasting
• →Platter lunch among the vines
• →Farm visit / sheep & cattle experience
• →Celebratory dinner in Christchurch

Final breakfast at the hostel or a Christchurch café (Black & White Coffee, Unknown Chapter), check out, and take the city bus to Christchurch Airport (~NZ$8–10) for your onward or international flight. If you have time, the Botanic Gardens and the Riverside Market are free and close to the centre. Add a couple of buffer days on either end if you're coming in from Europe — long-haul arrivals to Melbourne need time to adjust, and NZ's weather can delay South Island flights.

🚌City bus to airport ~£5

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Botanic Gardens & Riverside Market (optional)
• →Airport transfer