"How important is New Zealand"?

I'm not sure how to respond to that.

Can you post again and state what you are interested in? Outdoor adventure? Museums? Eating? Wildlife? Scenery? That way people can give you specific advice.

Wildlife, museums , scenery

If you're planning on visiting Australia AND New Zealand and intending to spend (only) 10-12 days, realistically you're not going to see much except the inside of an airplane and you're going to spend a lot of time getting to and from airports. If you can only spare 10-12 days, the best advice would be to pick one country or the other but not both. As to which one, as ThulaMama indicates, that depends on what your interests are. I would pick Australia .... but then I don't live in New Zealand and I'm not a Kiwi...

In addition to your interests etc., it also helps to know when you plan to come as the weather etc. can have some impact on your plans (you probably wouldn't want to be at Uluru right now, where it's a sunny 45 degrees ...).

if you have only that small amount of time then id do nz

australia is soo huge

you could choose one island in nz ...we just came back from the south island but had about 18 days
you could see quite a bit in ten or twelve

in oz youre driving roads that often are not that interesting...much of the coast to the north for eg is away from the highway and you have to do detours to see the beaches

in nz it is MOSTLY picturesque wherever you point the wheels...better value for your money

you need weeks to begin to see australia unless you just do the sydney area in that time

australian scenery per km has nothing on nz...i didnt stop snapping!

sure there are gorgeous places in australia but it will take you time and money to get around to see them


if you want a beach holiday then head up to the far north of queensland and base yourself in port douglas...get a car do a day cruise or two and that would give a taste of some of oz

"How important is New Zealand"?
Kiwis think it is important!

"if you have only that small amount of time then id do nz"
I would too. 10-12 days would allow you to see both islands well. Come back to Australia when you have more time.




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Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

I'm with Orlando_Vic but don't let them know that you ever asked THAT question.

Meant to say that I'm agreeing with Orlando_Vic about going to NZ but it will give you time to get a taste of ONE of the islands.

A month and a half gave me a chance to see much of NZ but I would not say I have seen it well.

When you have only a small amount of time it is best to be very focused about what you want to do. We went to Australia with specific things we wanted to see: 1. kangaroos, koalas, and gum (eucalyptus) trees; for these we went to Melbourne and thence to the Great Ocean road. 2. The Sydney opera house and some of the harbour scenery.

Because we were so specific and fully aware of the limitations of what one can do in a short time, we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly despite spending only 9 nights there. This is what I suggest you do: shelve any ideas of trying to see the 'best' of the country, since you cannot get a sample of such a huge place in the time you have. Instead, pick 2 places max that seem to offer things that appeal to you, and then enjoy those places in the time you have.

New Zealand is similar although a little easier as it is so much smaller. But it is still too much to try to see even a little of both countries with only 12 days. Pick one or the other country, as others have suggested.

I agree with Sue. Our last trip to Australia was only 12 days but we focused on one area (Tasmania) and didn't feel our trip was too short (except in the general sense that all vacations are too short). I haven't been to New Zealand but my understanding is that wildlife viewing is better in Australia.

We spent 10 days on the North Island of New Zealand in April 2004. While we were able to see the things we really, really wanted to see, there were many things we had to leave out, and there was no way we could have included any time on the South Island with our limited time and budget.

I would choose one NZ island and spend my time there. The North Island has a couple of fabulous museums, but most of the spectacular "Lord of the Rings" scenery is on the South Island.

Lee Ann