"Southern Crossings put together the trip of a lifetime...The team was incredibly accommodating and went above and beyond to ensure we received what we asked for and more .. amazing excursions and accommodations that we will never forget across seven locations in Australia and New Zealand. We highly recommend using Southern Crossings!"
Bespoke travel specialists for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific
When Southern Crossings began in 1986, we saw the dramatic landscapes of Australia, New Zealand and the islands of the South Pacific as the perfect canvas to create personally designed luxury travel, catering to the most discerning travellers - an entirely new concept at the time.
More than three decades later, we continue to lead the way in tailor made luxury vacations and UltraLuxe travel experiences to the Southern Hemisphere. We enjoy consistent praise for attention to detail and impeccable levels of service, exceeding the expectations of even the most exacting of clients. Above all though, it is the personal touch that keeps our clients coming back to book their next trip with us. We are proud to say that every holiday we design is still unique to each client - tailor-made to create their trip of a lifetime.
Awards & accolades
We are widely regarded by industry experts as a ‘destination specialist’, the best‐in‐class for bespoke luxury travel and UltraLuxe experiences in the regions that we service.
We are proud to be an invited member of several elite travel industry groups, very honoured to have been recognised with numerous prestigious award nominations, and delighted to have featured in dozens of coveted luxury travel magazines and media.
CLICK HERE FOR A SELECTION OF SOUTHERN CROSSINGS MEDIA COVERAGE and to learn more about the all-new television series, Lap of Luxury that has all of New Zealand talking.
Our travel experts
Our team
Indeed, our people are our greatest asset and collaboration is at the heart of everything that Southern Crossings does:
The leading luxury travel experts Down Under won’t tell you where to go or what to see – they listen.
They wont simply respond to your requests, they will work to understand the motivations that move you and anticipate the needs you haven’t yet thought of.
Each carefully crafted itinerary begins with a blank canvas to ensure every moment is individually designed to connect travelers with their personal passions and deliver the tailored experiences that memories are made of.
Every new travel request is discussed collaboratively by the Southern Crossings travel design team; all sharing their individual ideas, combined knowledge and different perspectives; to curate tailored itineraries that benefit from their collective expertise and connections.
The Southern Crossings team also works closely with the inspirational locals and leading tourism suppliers who bring clients' travel dreams to life. It is this team approach that also ensures every Southern Crossings moment is delivered with silky smoothest attention to detail, almost as if they heard your requests before you even asked.
Sarah Farag
Co-owner and Director of Southern Crossings New Zealand
With a family history that she can trace back to the legendary Pink and White terraces in the pioneering days of tourism in New Zealand, Sarah Farag was raised in the ‘land of the long white cloud’ by parents with an insatiable passion for globetrotting; and she now loves travelling the length and breadth of New Zealand with her own children at every opportunity. It seems almost inevitable that Sarah would pursue a career in travel – but that was more than two decades ago, and she now heads up the talented team at Southern Crossings New Zealand - living out her dream of sharing the region's vast treasures and little-known hidden gems with visitors from around the globe, and from down the road.
Sarah shares her vast knowledge generously and insightfully to craft individually tailored itineraries that are executed with the finest attention to detail. Her ‘Little Black Book’ bulges with the talented Kiwi chefs and winemakers, fly fishers, golf pros, wildlife experts and more who can open doors to authentic adventures and provide her clients with personalized windows into the enviable local lifestyle.
Sarah Farag’s unrivalled connections, combined with her natural gift of being able to truly read clients’ passions, enable her to incorporate the thoughtful touches and bespoke travel experiences that wow both first-time international visitors and life-long locals alike – and which have also secured her place on respected lists of the world's leading travel specialists including: Conde Nast Traveler, Travel+Leisure and Town & Country.
Spend anytime time with Sarah and her passion for travel, pride in her home country, her dedication to perfection and her ability to connect people are immediately clear – and clearly infectious! Sarah is surrounded by a team of equally dedicated and very talented travel designers, many of whom have worked together at Southern Crossings since its early beginnings – and to whom Sarah will very proudly attribute the company’s success.
Conde Nast Travel Specialist for New Zealand
Travel + Leisure Magazine A List Top Travel Advisor for New Zealand and Fiji
Town & Country Travel Guru for New Zealand
Stuart Rigg
Co-owner, and Director Southern Crossings Australia
With a travel career that has spanned continents and industry sectors, but which has always been inextricably connected to the lands Down Under, it was almost certain that British-born Stuart Rigg would one day call this corner of the planet his home.
Stuart established Southern Crossings’ Sydney-based Australian operations in 2001 and now leads a talented team who share his passion for personalized travel that really resonates, and his unwaivering commitment to the highest standards of service.
Well-travelled and well-connected, Stuart has a true appreciation of discerning travelers’ desires and a clear understanding of travel industry needs, enabling him to truly deliver on the company’s mission of “enriching and inspiring by creating extraordinary journeys". A mantra that also rings true for Stuart personally in his quest for uncovering great Australian experiences that also ‘do good’, and filling discerning travellers’ itineraries with the moments that life-long memories are made of.
For Stuart, it is not so much about which hotel to recommend, or even which room to request (which he will do without you even knowing), his real talent is curating itineraries that will take travelers off the beaten track and help them stay ahead of the pack. Hand-picked and personally road-tested experiences help travelers uncover the hidden local gems that they won’t find in any well-thumbed guide books and authentic encounters that they can’t find with any google search.
From a hit of tennis with one of the greats of the game, a walk through the wilderness with a world-renowned wildlife expert or a private masterclass with one Australia’s most highly celebrated chefs, Stuart’s connections - from both within and beyond the travel industry - can open the doors that other’s cant and tailor personalized experiences others haven’t even thought of.
It is Stuart Rigg’s ability to make the seemingly impossible, possible and access the inaccessible, that have earned him invitations to sit on a collection of respected industry panels, and a place on coveted international travel lists, including the Wendy Perrin WOW List (since 2014) and Conde Nast’s list of the world's leading Travel Specialists (since 2011).
Conde Nast Travel Specialist for Australia
Wendy Perrin WOW List Trusted Travel Expert for Australia
Town & Country Travel Guru for Australia
Visit New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific with us.
AUSTRALIA
+61 2 9657 2088
ausdesign@southern-crossings.com
Suite 303, 46 Market Street, Sydney, NSW, Australia
7:03 am
NEW ZEALAND & SOUTH PACIFIC
+64 9 309 5912
nzdesign@southern-crossings.com
Level 2/ Masonic Buckland Building, 30 Customs Street East, Britomart, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
9:03 am