15 Nights Sydney to Auckland

Sydney is the heart of New South Wales and the state's capital. A bustling center for industry and business and a major world port, it boasts 3.5 million inhabitants. Spreading over some 670 square miles, the city seems to stretch as far as the eye can see to the west, north and south. Where Sydney's metropolitan area ends, the wide open bush of New South Wales begins. Sydney is located roughly the same distance from the equator as San Diego, California and enjoys equally superb sunny climate. Its beautiful harbor is studded with bays and inlets and crowned by the billowing sails of the incomparable Opera House. In 1770, Captain James Cook sailed his ship the Endeavor into Botany Bay, claiming the east coast of the island continent for England and naming it New South Wales. The timing was perfect as England was seeking a suitable venue for a penal colony. On May 13, 1787, Captain Arthur Phillip was dispatched to this new destination with some 1,000 convicts.