Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, & Hawaii

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.

Spend time exploring Australia's most sophisticated, dynamic, and elegant city on your own.

After bustling Sydney, the city of Cairns may feel like a sleepy little tropical village. Everything in town seems built for relaxation. The homes are built on stilts to catch the cool ocean breezes. Overhead fans whirl in every room. A licensed local guide leads you to the lively, slightly bohemian Esplanade, the focal point of the city. This is where the city began in 1876 as a gold- and tin-mining port. Wharf Street was once the main drag, at a time when the entire area was known as the Barbary Coast because of its rough, criminal element. Now, it is a thriving port, where big-game fishing is a major industry. The actual center of Cairns is the City Place, the town square and a quaint pedestrian mall. The Cairns Museum includes not only artifacts on the city's history but the story of Aboriginal life in the surrounding rain forests. This city is a great gateway into Australia's natural wonders, with the rain forest and the Great Barrier Reef just minutes away.

As natural wonders go, the Great Barrier Reef is impossible to beat. It has a wide assortment of superlatives: The world's largest living organism, the richest marine resource known to man, and the best diving and snorkeling on earth. At more than 1,200 miles long and up to 50 miles wide, the Reef is composed of billions of the bony skeletons of coral polyps knitted together to form one large structure that shelters countless unique plants and animals. Snorkeling equipment is included.

Outside Cairns, the Skyrail Rain Forest Cableway offers a unique perspective on the surrounding forests. The six-seat cable cars carry riders five miles over the canopy to the tiny village of Kuranda. Inside its park, you’ll find encampments that illustrate the different aspects of tribal life—to help you get an authentic look at Aboriginal culture. Overseen by Aboriginal elders, the camps include lessons on fire-making, playing the didgeridoo, and preparing bush food and medicines. You’ll also enjoy a traditional performance at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Dance Theatre.

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.