Australia/New Zealand 2012

Although our tour leader, Erica, was fantastic, and the sights and experiences fulfilled expectations, I cannot recommend this trip to others. We were lucky in one respect: the tour did not fill to the maximum 40+ individuals; we were in the mid-20s. Had it been full, as I'm led to believe most tours are, the experience would have been far worse with congestion, lines, waiting, crowded vehicles, etc. Of even more concern was the pre-trip information and scheduling by the home office of GoAhead. Our flight arrangements were bizarre, with unnecessary stops, added flights, and many unneeded, extra hours spent in airports and on airplanes, both going to and returning from Australia, and while in Australia. Also, the final itinerary was inaccurate. 2 of our lodgings were arbitrarily changed with no advance notice, unacceptable when ailing family members back home need accurate contact information. On one occasion we had the right hotel but GoAhead had given it the wrong night for our stay. Luckily, they were able to find rooms at short notice. Basically, GoAhead has some good people in the field leading the actual tours. Unfortunately, the advance work done by their home office leaves much to be desired. There are many companies out there; one can do much better than GoAhead.

Awesome

While I don't like to start a review with a negative, I would first like to say that this trip was amazing. This trip was a dream come true, one that I had planned in mind since I was 10 and had an Australian pen pal. The start of the trip was very shaky. Our biggest complaint was there was only a 2 hour window to catch the flight out of LA to Australia and in reality there was only a 1 hour window as they close the gates an hour before. We were delayed in Pittsburgh and arrived in LA before the flight left, but not within that 1 hour window so we missed the flight, as did another couple. Not a great start. We had to fight to find a hotel room and were promised a flight out the next night. That did not happen. We were stuck in LA for 2 days, arriving in Cairns late in the afternoon, allowing us a dinner, overnight stay and a bus ride to the airport for the next leg. Missed the Great Barrier Reef entirely and even though there were rough seas and it was not the best excursion...we still missed it. Of course we were reimbursed for the excursion; however, that hardly makes up for missing it. Now on to the good stuff...the Outback, riding a camel, sipping champagne while watching the sun set on Uluru, feeding rock wallabies by hand as they came down the hillside, riding a steam train to the wineries in Melbourne, watching fairy penguins come out of the sea in the evening, In Sydney seeing and touring the Opera House and hearing the Philharmonic rehearse, the Harbor Bridge, Bondi Beach, Darling Harbor, harbor boat ride then the Blue Mountain excursion so worth it. Petting a Koala!!! On to New Zealand...the ruins of what was Christchurch, the lovely home hosted dinner in Ashburton, a real highlight. The amazing drive to Queenstown..the mountains and blue sky, oh my. The gondola ride up the mountain and the luge ride down it, the Shotover speed boad through the canyon, Walters Peak, Milford Sound (absolutely beautiful), another winery and watching one of our tour group bungy jump! On to Rotorua and the amazing Maori people and village, bubbling mud and sulpher smell everywhere. To Aukland, only a day trip but nice city, then to Fiji for 3 days of wonderful nothingness and wonderful, friendly people at a beautiful resort. Most of our flights were on Qantas and we loved them! Free drinks, great food and lots of it and friendly staff. Our tour director, Luke, was amazing. He was helpful, fun and so informative and managed to keep all of us where we needed to be! We started out as a group of 49, then down to 19 in New Zealand and then down to 11 in Fiji. If you plan this trip, do it all if you can. There was no one place that I would have wanted to miss out on. My only suggestion is if you are taking this trip, book the tour from LA and get yourself to LA the day before the tour leaves for Australia. That way you won't miss out on what we did.

Excellent Trip

This trip was an amazing journey. My wife and I can't say enough good things about our tour director. She did a lot of little things for us that we didn't expect that added to this wonderful experience. The only negative comment that I can give is that we didn't feel that the optional tour to the Kuranda Village in Cairns, Australia was worth the price paid. We felt that we should have gotten more value out of this particular tour like an included lunch. It seemed like a big price to pay just to go on a shopping spree, because the animal parks in the village cost extra to attend. Thanks for making this an incredible "bucket list" trip!

Why Australia and New Zealand?

Why Australia and New Zealand? Why Go Ahead? Why Not!!! Traveling to Australia and New Zealand in May of 2012 was quite an adventure for me. My friends were shocked, “You’re going where?” My husband and sons were, “Go for it! “ So off I went, a solo traveler across the world and “Down Under”. Landing in Australia, and yes it was a long flight but I DID IT !!, I got right into the G’Day and “No Worries” attitude. Simon, our tour guide, took us right in hand with his gentle but so competent manner and we were off. Within the next 24 hours I held a Koala Bear, petted a kangaroo, and snorkeled in the barrier reef. This was a personal best, because I do not usually get my hair wet. There I was swimming 2 hours off shore surrounded by one of the world’s most glorious sights, the Barrier Reef. Our tour group bonded immediately, travelers from all over the USA and a great gal and her husband from Canada. Our ages ranged from 20 to “whatever” and our Indy girls kept us all going with laughs, jokes and invitations for everyone to meet for dinner, drinks or whatever. We even had a lovely “Honeymoon Couple “ with us, so cute. A special bonus was having two young men from the Go Ahead Staff accompany us on our trip. Jeff Baer and Kevin Amante were outstanding; they were enthusiastic, competent, helpful and just a lot of fun. A Go Ahead group is a great group to travel with. My most memorable sight in Australia was the Red Center, Uluru, Alice Springs and the Outback. This is what I came to see, and it was beyond expectations. This was real, this you do not see anywhere else on earth. The beauty, the vastness, the silence, this was Australia for me. Uluru was awe-inspiring; it is beautiful, solemn, and spiritual. We could see it, touch it and salute its majesty. Alice Springs is the Center, its people live far from everywhere, its children go to school on computer, and you have a chance to meet the Aboriginal People of Australia. Is it pretty? Maybe not always, but it is real. Our Dreamtime Presentation of the Aboriginal Culture was so moving and so exciting. Now I know how to dig for grubs, throw a boomerang and appreciate the beautiful artwork of the Aboriginal people. Next, we flew to Melbourne, a lovely classic city. Beautiful buildings and squares, a lively River Scene and more athletic stadiums and fields than I have ever seen. We traveled to Philips Island from Melbourne and viewed the Fairie Penguins come ashore. This was so much fun, just do it. Keep an eye out for the little penguins up under the boardwalks as they waddle to their nests. Nature is amazing!! Sydney is everything that they say; bright, new, sparkling, and historic beside its fabulous harbour. The first sight of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House will be a life long memory. Ride the ferries, go to Manley, walk the Rocks, tour the Opera House, and talk to the people. Sydney was great. Just when I thought it could not get any better we flew into New Zealand. Flying in over the Southern Alps was beautiful. The aftermath of the earthquakes is very visible in Christchurch, but a beautiful city is building itself back up. Traveling north we attended the Kiwi Home Dinner. I really thought that this was going to be a “Made for Tourists” event but it was a personal dinner in local homes with residents of Asburton, a farming community. This was definitely a tour highlight. New Zealand is beautiful, so rugged, and yet gentle with its rolling hills and farms of sheep. Visiting the Queenstown area we passed glaciers, saw Mount Cook, zipped to mountain tops, saw amazing lakes, and had the chance to jump off of just about anything !!! Kiwis love their adventure sports and invented the Bungee Jump. Milford Sound was beautiful with its steep sides, waterfalls and seals and a little taste of the Tasman Sea. Rotorua, and its hot springs was interesting, and the Presentation of the Maori Culture Event was very well done, but I would have preferred having more time in Auckland. We were able to see just a small part of Auckland and its beautiful harbour. Well, maybe next time. To answer some of the questions that I had before traveling: Dress in layers Bring a warm, waterproof jacket, scarf and gloves You don’t need fancy clothes this is a casual trip Hotels were great Prices are expensive Countries were both safe Pack as light as you can Enjoy every moment !!!!

Australia, New Zealand & Fiji

The tour met my expectations. The itinerary was excellent, most of the hotels were great and the tour director was excellent. I would recommend this tour to anyone interested in touring Australia.

Australia, NZ and Fiji

This was a great tour, well designed and well managed, far beyond what my wife and I could have arranged on our own. Simon, our tour director, handled all flight, hotel, tour, and logistics issues extremely well, and brought together the group as if we were old friends who happened to be traveling together on a wonderful adventure. High points in Australia were the Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock, Melbourne (little penguins) and Sydney (Blue Mountains). In New Zealand, Queenstown and Milford Sound were spectacular - the highlight of the trip, as was Auckland and Christchurch and the general scenery of New Zealand; beautiful snow capped mountains, fiords, green valleys, lakes, etc. New Zealand was the unexpected gem of the vacation. Fiji was a typical tropical island, but the resort was beautiful and luxurious and it saved 3-4 hours on the last flight and provided a few days decompression from the high energy touring in Australia and NZ before the long flight home.

Oz/Kiwi + Fiji tour

What a great tour. We had the best tour director Simon Malliate! Ask for him when you book. A director director makes a world difference when traveling aboard.

Our Fabulous Tour

I looked into this trip in great detail, going over what several companies had to offer. The choice came down to two companies, Go-Ahead and another company. It was a no brainer as Go-Ahead was considerably cheaper, about 45% cheaper. When we got to Australia our guide was Victor. If you ever get the chance try and get him. He was amazing--looking after all of us with the greatest of ease, pointing out things we would never see or know about, telling us what was great value and what we might not want to spend too much time with. The trip covers a lot of territory, both in Australia and New Zealand. You often hear people talk about the trip of a lifetime and this is one of those special trips for sure. After the trip our group all took the extension to Fiji, which was perfect, giving us time to re-charge our batteries for the trip back home. We were so impressed with Go-Ahead that we have planned another trip with them to Africa.

Bucket List Tour

Loved the tour, especially the people we met. Aussies and Kiwis must be among the friendliest people on earth! The optional sunrise balloon ride was one of my favs!

Australia, New Zealand, Fiji fabulous!

Each and every city visited was an experience unto its self. Our guide and drivers new how to tell "the story" of the area and how to present it, so we were intrigued and wanted more! Luke Bonney was excellent in keeping us all on schedule, and yet allowing for individuals or groups to see what was important to them. What a wonderful adventure, everything we wanted and more, as usual, thank you Go Ahead!