Hawaii, Australia & New Zealand

The perfect introduction to Hawaii. Step off the plane and into a garland of fresh flowers, the traditional Hawaiian symbol of welcome.

While today’s mainland tourists come to Honolulu to snap photos and relax on the beach, earlier American visitors came to convert the inhabitants and prohibit the “lascivious” hula. See their work at the Mission Houses, residences built by 19th-century missionaries in the New England wood-frame style—not ideal for the wet and humid Honolulu climate. (Recent renovations were required to evict the termites.) Even if their buildings had problems lasting, their ideology did not. The nearby Kawaiahao Church shows their ultimate success at converting the islands to Christianity. The monarchy didn’t cave in immediately, however. King Kalakalua fought against the religious restrictions by reinstating the hula and building the extravagant Iolani Palace, which had electricity before either the White House or Buckingham Palace—and which bankrupted the Hawaiian government. Oops.

When Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, the enormous U.S.S. Arizona sunk completely within nine minutes. With a licensed local guide, see the battleship, still beneath the water, and the memorial built to honor those who died in the attack. Though currently serene, the area recently buzzed with activity when scenes from “Pearl Harbor” were filmed here in the spring of 2000.

Get your ukuleles and grass skirts ready—it’s time for the quintessential Hawaiian experience. The luau, originally a celebratory feast for family and friends, got its name from the leaves of the taro plant, which are used to wrap food before it’s placed in a traditional underground oven. The highlight of the meal is the roasted pig cooked in this oven, but you’ll also see poi (pounded taro root), fish, shellfish, chicken, vegetables.… After all this food, you’ll wonder how anyone has the energy to hula.

See Sydney, Australia's beautiful waterfront city. A licensed, local guide will take you to Darling Harbor, a bustling entertainment and shopping center. At "The Rocks" see historical and contemporary Australia stand side-by-side. On this stubby peninsula on the western side of Sydney Cove, modern Australian history started with the landing of the first ships in 1788. From here, Sydney evolved from convict outpost to the most beautiful metropolis on the Pacific Rim. Next, visit one of the city's most well-known symbols, the Sydney Opera House, majestically poised between the Harbour Bridge and the Royal Botanic Garden. Then travel to the top of the Sydney Tower, a 1000 ft. golden minaret-topped spike. From the observation deck you can see all 600 square miles of Sydney.

Just 90 minutes from Sydney, the magnificent Blue Mountains National Park has hills that stand at more than 3,500 ft. high. Their distinctive blue color comes from the dense eucalyptus forests. Katoomba is the largest town in the blue hills. Developed in the early 1840s as a coal-mining settlement, it became a tourist attraction in the 19th century. The best view from Katoomba is from Echo Point, which overlooks the forests of the Jamison Valley and the soaring sandstone pillars. These formations are called the Three Sisters, after an Aboriginal legend about three siblings who were turned to stone by their father to save them from a monster. (Fortunately, the mythical monster is currently on sabbatical.) Lunch will be provided on this excursion.

Join a licensed guide for a tour of New Zealand's most progressive city, Auckland, full of cosmopolitan bustle and beautiful harbor views. First, soak in a little history at the War Memorial Museum. Then plunge into Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World. Here you can observe live penguins and learn about the unique features of their home, the frozen continent of Antarctica. Travel deep beneath the ocean on the moving walkway of the underwater tunnel. You get a scuba diver's view of hundreds of colorful fish, lurking sharks and giant stingrays 'up close' and in their own environment.

Before you see Rotorua, you'll definitely smell it: Sulfur. Consider it an introduction to a place that is completely unique. Rotorua offers a fascinating view into the earth's volcanic center. Clouds of steam seem to magically appear throughout the city from the city's four major thermal centers. One geyser erupts about 20 times a day and can spout up to 100 feet. Visit the Agrodome Leisure Park, where championship rams and sheep are judged for their meat and wool. Try your hand at milking a cow, or be a New Zealand 'cocky' (farmer) for a day by buying sheep in an auction and bottle-feeding lambs. The finale is a demonstration of the famed New Zealand sheep dogs.

See the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, the closest thermal area to the city. Unlike the other thermal centers, "Whaka" as it is called, is still a living village with ancient roots, founded before Europeans arrived. Here you might see residents using steam boxes to cook sweet corn. At the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, learn the Maori traditional carving and weaving methods. The day ends with a skyline gondola ride on Mt. Ngongotaha.

Taste native Maori culture, literally, at a traditional Hangi feast. The Maori use the geo-thermal region as a natural, steam cooker. They wrap vegetables and meat in fresh green leaves and cook it over the steam escaping through the rocks. It's health food, the old-fashioned way.