Australia/NZ tour starting January 16- anyone else going?
My husband and I are embarking on our first Tauck tour in January. We are going to Melbourne early to see a few days of the Austrlaian Open. Anyone else going on the tour? Any of you that have taken the tour have any comments or suggestions, since this is our first tour? I have read all the threads about tipping- I too am not keen about carrying all that cash. Since the tour starts in Australia and ends in NZ- which currency would I use for the tip? Anyway- thanks for the help and we are very excited to start with a bucket list trip.
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This is a great trip, lots to see and do. Be aware of the heat and flies around Ayers Rock, tho.
Re tipping, lots of ATM machines in NZ and they output NZ money.
When I was at Ayers Rock/Uluru with Tauck, we were provided with netting to protect our faces from the flies. Six years later, I still have mine.
Have a wonderful time on your first Tauck tour; I doubt it will be your last. Regarding carrying valuables (passports, credit cards, cash, et al), having the right items to secure them in is invaluable in my opinion. With many Tauck trips behind us, we have never had a problem.
Please consider posting your thoughts of your tour after returning home. Enjoy!
Tauck says you can tip in US dollars. Australia demands a living wage for everyone in the country. When we went years ago it was $23 Australian dollars an hour, I guess it’s more now. Australia is not big on tipping.
It is indeed a hot time to visit Australia, but in New Zealand it will be perfect. We are visiting New Zealand again in January 2026, we love it there and it’s a new tour with places we have not been to. I am surprised that Tauck is missing out Wellington on the new tour because we loved that city.
Australia and New Zealand are very safe compared to the US
Looking for any comments on taking prescription medication and over the counter medication into Australia and New Zealand. Did anyone have any problems
People have in the past here.
Check out the new Blog about Australia. I just attended the zoom call and it may give you lots of insight. I plan on taking tis tour in 1-2 years.
In November we had no issues bringing in all types of medication. Workers in both Australia and New Zealand did not seem too concerned if we tipped or not. When we received our final documents prior to the trip, we were informed to tip the TD in USD. I confirmed this with our TD who is American and preferred USD. I felt safe there about having the cash in my wallet but I also carry a Pacsafe bag and am vigilant.
Regarding Tauck's Australia webinar, I was excited to view it since I have not been to Australia since I was in my twenties. Although I was glad to see the webinars reinstated, I was not very impressed with the quality—the presenters spoke so slowly with little or no intonation. I kept fast-forwarding hoping to glean some insight of the continent. I gave up.
When they first offered these snippets, I thoroughly enjoyed them and the presenters were so engaging. I'll be sure to offer my thoughts the next time I receive a survey. This is not meant to malign Tauck. I am just offering, hopefully, constructive criticism.