Group tours to Oceania

Seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere: summer runs from December to February and winter from June to August. September-November and March-May are the mild months for southern Australia and New Zealand, though spring in New Zealand can bring a good chance of rain. Tropical northern Australia has its wet season from about November to April, which is also cyclone season, so the drier months are the easier time to visit.

For Fiji, Vanuatu, and French Polynesia, December to February is not the ideal time, because it is the height of the wet season. The dry winter, from May to October, is the better window, and cyclone season runs from November to April.

It depends on how many countries you want to combine. New Zealand alone or Australia's main coasts take about 12-15 days, while combining Australia, New Zealand, and a Pacific island takes at least 3-4 weeks. On a multi-country itinerary, distances and flights are what count.

Australia is immense, with three time zones, while New Zealand is far more compact. Fiji has 333 islands, Vanuatu has 83, and French Polynesia has 118 in five archipelagos, so it pays to pick your stops with care. Between the time difference and the long flights, it's wise to leave some breathing room at the start of your trip.

You always need a valid passport, and the authorization depends on your passport, so check the country page on travel.state.gov and the official portal before you book. For Australia, US passport holders apply for the ETA through the Australian ETA app, and the result is in most cases immediate (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au). For New Zealand, the US is a visa waiver country and you need the NZeTA, so allow 72 hours (nzeta.immigration.govt.nz); your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after you leave.

For Fiji and Vanuatu, the immigration sites are immigration.gov.fj and immigration.gov.vu. French Polynesia is French territory, and the Tahiti Tourisme visa page points to France-Visas. The yellow fever vaccine is not recommended for these countries, but a certificate may be required for some of them depending on where you arrive from, so check the CDC Travelers' Health pages.

• Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef: the Sydney Opera House and the Australian Convict Sites are UNESCO sites, as are the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics of Queensland. Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta are also listed.
• New Zealand's fjords and national parks: Te Wahipounamu, which includes the 15 fjords of Fiordland, and Tongariro National Park are UNESCO sites. Milford Sound is part of Te Wahipounamu, about 75 miles from Te Anau along the Milford Road.
• The tropical islands of Fiji, Bora Bora, and Vanuatu: ideal for a beach vacation and relaxation. For heritage, look to Taputapuātea on Raiatea, Levuka Historical Port Town in Fiji, and Chief Roi Mata's Domain in Vanuatu.

Currencies change from one territory to another.

• Australia: Australian dollar
• New Zealand: New Zealand dollar
• Fiji: Fijian dollar
• Vanuatu: the vatu. Cash is essential in markets and on the outer islands.
• French Polynesia: the CFP franc, tied to the euro. Visa and Mastercard are accepted in many hotels and shops in Tahiti and Bora Bora, but on remote islands cash is often needed.

Before you go, check your card's foreign transaction fees.

The budget varies greatly depending on the territory and the type of stay. The flight from the US is a cost of its own. Entry authorizations carry fees too: the NZeTA comes with an application fee and a visitor conservation and tourism levy, with exemptions for some passports, and the Australian ETA has a service fee in the app. Parks charge as well, since Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu have a park pass you buy online. Amounts change over time, so check the official pages.

Distances are big, so how you get around changes from country to country. In Australia, flying is the best way to cover the long distances, with national airlines serving all state capitals and many regional cities, and you can also rent a car or campervan and drive on the left. New Zealand is made for a road trip at your own pace, with rental cars, campervans, buses, flights, and three scenic trains. You drive on the left and carry your license at all times, with an English translation if it isn't in English. The Wellington-Picton ferry takes about 3.5 hours and carries vehicles, weather permitting.

On the Pacific islands, Fiji is explored by air, road, and sea, while in Vanuatu most visitors fly between the main islands and weather can close small airstrips, so leave a margin before your flight home. For Bora Bora, international flights land in Tahiti, followed by a domestic flight of about 50 minutes.

Oceania ranges from tropical or subtropical in northern Australia and the Pacific islands to a cooler, four-season climate across most of Australia and New Zealand, with seasons reversed compared to the northern hemisphere. New Zealand goes from subtropical in the far north to snowy in the deep south, with rain spread across the year.

The Pacific islands stay warm all year, with highs in the 80s°F in Nadi, Port Vila, and Tahiti even in winter. Sydney and Melbourne reach about 80°F in January and the high 50s or low 60s in July. In New Zealand, Auckland is mild in July with highs around 58°F, while Christchurch and Queenstown get properly cold, with highs in the 40s and 50s.

Oceania is multilingual, and each territory has its own story.

• Australia: English is the national language, more than 150 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are still spoken, and Mandarin and Arabic are also heard at home.
• New Zealand: English, te reo Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language are all official.
• Fiji: English, iTaukei, and Fiji Hindi.
• Vanuatu: Bislama, English, and French, alongside over 100 local languages.
• French Polynesia: French is the official language, with Tahitian, Marquesan, Paumotu, and Mangarevan also spoken.