The Grand South Pacific

Australia and New Zealand woven into one journey to the edge of the world.

Two nations at the edge of the world offer coral gardens, ancient rainforest, glacial peaks and some of the most remote luxury on earth.

When to go

October through April, when the Southern Hemisphere summer opens the reef, the vineyards and the alpine trails all at once. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.

The experiences

A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:

• A private reef day off the Queensland coast, followed days later by a glacier landing in the Southern Alps.
• A harbour arrival into Sydney by yacht, bookending the journey with New Zealand's high country.
• A seamless private-charter link between the two nations, arranged so the transitions feel like a single thread.
• A farewell dinner at a remote lodge or coastal estate, chosen to close the journey where the map runs out.

A sense of the rhythm

This is the grand arc, and it asks for time. The journey breathes between the tropical north, the great cities and the alpine south, each phase given room to unfold before the next begins. Long private transfers become part of the pleasure rather than an interruption.

Reef-first or Alps-first

Beginning with the reef and cities eases you in gently, saving the dramatic south as the crescendo. Reversing it opens with the mountains at your freshest and lets you unwind toward the tropics. We usually build toward the Alps, so the journey ends at its most sublime.

How to do it well

The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:

• Plan for the December-to-March window when both nations are at their summer best, and book a year ahead.
• Do not compress this below two weeks; the distances are vast and the joy is in the unhurried transitions.
• Sequence north to south so the climate cools gradually and the landscapes build in drama.
• Anchor each country with one or two bases rather than many; constant moves are the surest way to tire.

What only your advisor can open

The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.

Who it's for

Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.

Estimated investment

From US$22,000 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.

Designed entirely around you

Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.

Your Virtuoso privileges

As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.

Continue exploring Australia & New Zealand

Part of our Australia & New Zealand travel guide. Related private journeys:

• Reef & Rainforest
• New Zealand Lodges
• Sydney & the Coast

Begin the conversation

Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design The Grand South Pacific around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →