The Groups Company

Group Tours in Australasia

Dominated by the huge Pacific ocean, Australasia is often referred to as Oceania. Group touring in this region is extremely popular as there are plenty of exciting activities to take part in. For the thrill seekers, a visit to New Zealand is a must - but don't let that put you off, New Zealand is also one of the most scenic countries in the world, with Fjords to match those in Northern Europe and mountains that inspired film makers to create the Lord of the Rings here. Whatever your interest, we are sure that we can offer you and your group the trip of a lifetime down under.

Here's just a selection of what we can offer in Australisia: 

Cycling holidays    Game Fishing   Golf Tours    Incentive trips   Motor Cycling Tours   Painting Tours    Photography Trips   Wildlife   Rambling & trekking

About Australasia
Australasia is a term variably used to describe a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean.

The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes (1756). He derived it from the Latin for "south of Asia" and differentiated the area from Polynesia (to the east) and the southeast Pacific (Magellanica). It is also distinct from Micronesia (to the northeast).

Physiographically, Australasia includes the Australian landmass (including Tasmania), New Zealand, and Melanesia: New Guinea and neighbouring islands north and east of Australia in the Pacific Ocean. The designation is sometimes applied to all the lands and islands of the Pacific Ocean lying between the equator and latitude 47° south.

Most of Australasia lies on the southern portion of the Indo-Australian Plate, flanked by the Indian Ocean to the west and the Southern Ocean to the south. Peripheral territories lie on the Eurasian Plate to the northwest, the Philippine Plate to the north and in the Pacific Ocean – including numerous marginal seas – atop the Pacific Plate to the north and east.

Geopolitically, Australasia is sometimes used as a term for Australia and New Zealand together, in the absence of another word limited to those two countries. There are many organizations whose names are prefixed with "(Royal) Australasian Society" that are limited to just Australia and New Zealand.

In the past, Australasia has been used as a name for combined Australia/New Zealand sporting teams. Examples include tennis between 1905 and 1913, when Australia and New Zealand combined its best players to compete in the Davis Cup international tournament (and won it in 1907, 1908, 1909 and 1911), and at the Olympic Games of 1908 and 1912.

Anthropologists, although disagreeing on details, generally support theories that call for a Southeastern Asian origin of indigenous island peoples in Australasia and neighboring subregions.