10 Days in November: Must-see??
 

My husband and I are hoping to travel to New Zealand and/or Australia - Arriving November 14 and departing on the 24th. We are looking for an adventurous trip - we're both active and ready to make the most of the short time that we will be there. Any suggestions for sights/cities/activities that we just shouldn't miss?

I forgot to add - we are traveling from Washington, DC and this will most likely be our only trip to this area - at least for many years! The possibilities and options are a bit overwhelming given the amount of time we will have to visit. Any suggestions would be most appreciated!

If you only have 10 days, your best bet is to choose one island and stick to it. If you choose New Zealand, choose either the North or South Island; you won't have time to do them both justice.

We spent 10 days on the North Island in April and had a wonderful time. We went dolphin swimming in Whakatane, enjoyed a Maori concert and hangi in Rotorua, hiked in Tongariro National Park, spent a couple of days in Wellington, hiked in Egmont National Park, and went cave tubing in Waitomo. I posted a trip report which should still available somewhere down the line of posts here.

Lee Ann

Ten days is an impossibly short time to consider both both Aus and NZ. I concur with Lee Ann ...pick one island or area and stick with that. Most people will recommend the South Island of NZ over the North Island. I recently spent a week on the South Island, and believe me, not only is it incredibly beautiful, but one week was not nearly enough time.

In Aus you could consider a few days in Sydney and the rest in Northern Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef. A beautiful area - not the high snow capped mountains of NZ but instead rugged rainforested mountains with waterfalls, lots of wildlife, beautiful beaches, islands and of course the GBR.

hi!

can you be more specific: adventurous could mean you want to walk alone at night in a scary neighborhood...or it could mean you'd like to bungee jump. :)

do you like outdoor activities? hiking?

in ten fast days, you could either "do" new zealand with a lot of internal flights, or, since you are quite sure you will not be returning any time soon, you may want to stay a few nights in sydney, fly to the great barrier reef, spend a day on the reef and one driving up to the daintree/cape trib area, then finish up with a weekend in uluru (lots of hiking at the rock or at Kjata-tjuta (30 minutes away).

what always helps me plan is to ask myself "why am i going here?" generally the answer to that question is usually to see ____, or to hike ____. think about what is motivating your trip and get back to us on what you're hoping to find "down under" and you will find endless suggestions....