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“Being lost in Australia gives you a lovely sense of security”
For travel writer Bruce Chatwin, the wilderness of Australasia was a source of great comfort. Over the years, we’ve also discovered that feeling across the islands in Oceania. From Australia and New Zealand to Fiji and The Cook Islands. Each one is full of luxurious comforts and tantalising delights. Whether you’re stargazing in the outback, feeling the thrill of swimming with whale sharks, or enjoying a glass of wine inside an active volcano. Adventure and relaxation go hand in hand here. This is a continent full of opposites. And you know what they say about that.
Since 2005 we have taken travellers to Australasia’s most extraordinary corners: a private dawn helicopter above Uluru before any other visitor is in the air, the Milford Track in New Zealand with a guide who has walked it three hundred times and still finds things to show you, a catamaran charter through French Polynesia’s outer atolls where no resort has been built. We didn’t buy this access; we earned it through two decades of relationships with guides, outfitters, and operators across the region. We build every luxury Australasia holiday around you: your pace, your group, and how far from ordinary life you want to go.
Australia rewards those who go beyond the cities. A private vessel moored off Lizard Island, with the outer Great Barrier Reef visible from the deck. A dawn helicopter over Uluru, the desert light turning the rock from ochre to deep red as you circle. Whale sharks in the turquoise waters off Ningaloo Reef, swimming at close range with something that dwarfs everything around it. Swimming with the world’s rarest dolphins off the coast of Western Australia. A three-course meal in a canyon in Karijini. The wildlife and landscapes here are genuinely extraordinary — and the experiences we build into itineraries make it possible to see them without the crowds.
Fiordland from a helicopter is a different country to the one most visitors see. The vertical rock faces. The waterfalls coming off the peaks in hundreds of threads. Milford Sound from the air and then by boat in the same afternoon. New Zealand’s South Island rewards every perspective. In the North, the volcanic plateau around Taupo. A private yacht charter through the Bay of Islands. The vineyards of Waiheke Island by seaplane and then by bicycle. We design every New Zealand itinerary around the conviction that the country’s most remarkable moments come when you slow down, go further, and let a guide who knows these places take you there.
Fiji, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands. The Pacific at its most unhurried. A private catamaran through French Polynesia’s outer atolls, stopping where no schedule dictates. Snorkelling in the Aitutaki lagoon at low tide, the water so shallow and clear it looks like someone forgot to put the sea in. Unearthing black pearls with local fishermen off Moorea. A week on a private island in Fiji with nothing required of you except showing up for dinner. We know the islands that deliver and the ones that disappoint, the resorts worth the flight and the ones to skip. We’ll tell you honestly which is which.
Australia
A country so vast it defies a single description. The Great Barrier Reef explored by private vessel out of Lizard Island, its coral alive with color at every depth. The ancient Daintree — the world’s oldest rainforest — where two World Heritage sites meet at the water’s edge. A hot-air balloon drifting over red desert at dawn. A swim with the world’s rarest dolphins off the coast of Western Australia. Sydney’s Opera House on a warm evening. Australia doesn’t ask to be taken in all at once. It asks you to stay longer.
New Zealand
Two islands that pack more drama per mile than almost anywhere on earth. A helicopter dropping into Fiordland, waterfalls threading down vertical rock faces into dark water below. Mitre Peak reflected in the stillness of Milford Sound. A jet boat tearing up glacier-fed rivers through Mt Aspiring National Park. A wine tour through the vineyards of Waiheke Island as the sun goes down over the Hauraki Gulf. New Zealand rewards the adventurous and the quietly curious in equal measure — often on the same afternoon.
The Pacific Islands
Fiji. French Polynesia. The Cook Islands. The Pacific at its most unhurried and its most extraordinary. Overwater bungalows where the lagoon shifts through every shade of blue you’ve ever imagined. Snorkeling through the Aitutaki lagoon. Yacht cruises through the Society Islands, stopping at Taha’a where vanilla plantations scent the air and manta rays move silently beneath the hull. Unearthing black pearls with local fishermen off Moorea. The Pacific doesn’t rush. Neither should you.
Longitude 131°, Uluru
Huka Lodge, Taupo
Park Hyatt, Sydney
For a single-destination luxury Australasia holiday — Australia or New Zealand on its own — two to three weeks gives you enough time to move between distinct regions without feeling rushed. Australia rewards at least two and a half weeks if you want to combine the east coast with the outback and the reef. New Zealand’s South Island alone benefits from ten days to two weeks. Adding the Pacific islands — Fiji, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands — extends a trip naturally if time allows. We design every itinerary around your available dates and what you most want to experience.
Yes, and it’s a natural combination. Australia and New Zealand are connected by short flights and contrast sharply in character — Australia’s scale and its ancient landscapes against New Zealand’s dramatic fjords and concentrated adventure. Adding the Pacific islands extends the trip towards three to four weeks. We handle all the routing and connections so the journey feels like a single coherent experience rather than three separate trips stitched together.
The best time for a luxury Australasia holiday depends on where you are going. Australia’s east coast and Queensland are most pleasant April to October — dry, warm, and ideal for reef access. The red centre is best April to September when temperatures are manageable. New Zealand’s South Island peaks December to March for hiking and outdoor access, though ski season (July to September) has its own appeal. Fiji and the Cook Islands are welcoming year-round, with May to October the drier season. We factor all of this into every itinerary.
Luxury Australasia holidays typically start from around £7,500 per person, rising significantly for multi-country itineraries, private island stays in Fiji or French Polynesia, or fly-in wilderness experiences in remote Australia or New Zealand. Australia and New Zealand tend to offer strong value for equivalent luxury at comparable properties; private Pacific island charters can be higher. We price every luxury Australasia holiday individually based on your dates, group size, accommodation preferences, and the experiences you want — and there are no planning fees.
For a first luxury Australasia holiday, Australia is the most compelling entry point — the scale and variety are extraordinary, from Uluru at dawn and the Daintree Rainforest to the Whitsundays’ island chains and Sydney’s harbor. New Zealand suits those drawn to dramatic landscape and outdoor adventure: the Fiordland fjords, the volcanic plateau, the wine country of Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay. The Pacific islands — Fiji, French Polynesia — are the right choice for those who want pure island luxury as the main event. Wherever you start, we’ll design the itinerary around what matters to you — and tell you honestly where to go next time.