Rising from the waterholes, the Ancestors stood up with mud falling from their bodies. As the mud slipped away, the sun opened their eyelids and they saw the creatures they had made from their own bodies. Each Ancestor gazed at his creation in pride and wonderment. Each Ancestor sang out with joy, “I am!” One Ancestor sang, “I am kangaroo!” Another sang, “I am Cockatoo!” The next sang, “I am Honey-Ant!” And the next sang, “I am Lizard!”

As they sang, naming their own creations, they began to walk. Their footsteps and their music became one, calling all living things into being and weaving them into life with song. The ancestors sang their way all around the world. They sang the rivers into valleys and the sand into dunes, the trees into leaf and the mountains to rise above the plain. As they walked they left a trail of music.

Finally they were exhausted. They had shown all living things how to live, and they returned into the Earth itself to sleep. And, in honor of their ancestors, the aborigines still go Walkabout, retracing the steps and singing the songs that tell the story of life.”

Includes:  14 days on South Island including peaks, waterfalls, Great West Coast drive, then ferry to North Island for 12 days of Maoris, Bay of Islands, Auckland, 23-day rig rental, 46 tours and events, 6 meals, and standard Tracks services.

Discounts: $50 early bird for reservations four months or more prior to tour, $100 for reservations 6 months prior to tour (total $150 with the 6-month discount), $50 Good Sam/FMCA membership, $100 past Tracker, $25 internet reservations.

Please review the itinerary and place your reservation, or call with questions, 800-351-6053.