Ilove2travel

We are planning to visit Australia and New Zealand next March and I'm debating how much time to spend in each place. I'm thinking a week in NZ to exlpore the North Island and then then the rest of the time in Australia to visit Sydney, Great Barrier Reef and Ayers Rock areas. This is our first trip down under and any help would be appreciated.<BR>

KathyNZ

Tell us what your interests are and then we can help to split the time for you. Do you want an outdoor active holiday or a sit and watch the scenery go by type?

Ilove2travel

We would like to see as much as possible during our visit. We are open to activities like snorkling at the Great Barrier Reef and perhaps taking in a round of golf in NZ. We enjoy shopping and museums also.

wlzmatilida

Hi Love to Travel (and who doesn't on this site?)<BR><BR>So many places, so little time (even though 20 days is quite a bit of time)...playing a round of golf in NZ is not difficult to be sure, but to miss the South Island would be a shame, if you can I think you should split some of your time to include the South Island, perhaps doing 4 days Sydney, 4 days Cairns, 2 days Ayers and the rest split between the North and South islands.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR><BR>Melodie<BR>Certifi ed Aussie and Kiwi Specialist

lizF

If you are flying directly into Sydney then you need a rest after the flight. Perhaps a couple of days in Sydney first then fly either to the Whitsunday Islands/Barrier Reef area and spend about 4 - 5 days on an island there or go further to Port Douglas and spend some time there. Whether you wish to see Ayers Rock or not is up to you but to fly in and out without seeing some more of the area is criminal because the centre is much more than just the rock. Getting in and out of there takes the best part of a day anyway from either Sydney or Cairns. <BR>If you are not into the outback then perhaps you may like to think about seeing the Queensland and New South Wales border area where there is much to see and do. Or if you do like the idea of the Centre then add some time to that and see the are around Darwin i.e. Kakadu. Spend another couple of days in Sydney before you go to NZ. <BR>Personally I would go to the South Island and see the Milford Sound/Queenstown and Christchurch/Dunedin areas, unless of course you live in a cold climate and are used to snow covered mountains. It really depends what you want to see and do as to how you split the time up. <BR><BR>Liz<BR>Australian and New Zealand Specialist because I live here!

Dick

We,also,had 3 weeks to divide in Autralia and NEw Zealand.<BR><BR>We did 2 weeks in Australia and one week on South Island (New Zealand). <BR><BR>New Zealand is such an incredible place, that a week isn't enough.<BR><BR>We flew from the East coast directly to Sydney and flew back from Auckland. Other than the airport we passed on North Island altogether because of time.<BR><BR>We hadn't even considered spending a week in New Zealand until we attended a Smithsonian event at the New Zealand embassy. That convinced us that we needed to include New Zealand.<BR><BR>

Kiwiwannabe

Dear KathyNZ,<BR>From my travel experience to these destinations, I would first recommend making note of the activities you really want to experience during your 20 day visit-for instance, visit a winery,hiking/biking,historic sites,see the wildlife,etc. You didn't mention if you are going to be on an organized tour or if you are traveling independently. These are destinations loaded with things to see and do. They could easily each be visited for 20 days! New Zealand is extremely diverse in scenery. If you don't visit the South Island, you will miss some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world (Lord of the Rings and more!)Australia is also very diverse in culture, totally different wildlife,scenery and strongly contrasts what you see in New Zealand.I would try to split up your stay 10/10.Keep in mind, if you travel by air, you are losing time from your day. Unless you are taking an organized tour, you would fare well to do 4 nights in one city and take day tours from that location. You can arrive in one country and fly home from the other with no problem.<BR>It takes about 4 hours to fly from Auckland to Sydney,about 3 hours to fly from Sydney to Cairs-The Great Barrier Reef. Let me know if I can help answer any other questions for you. You have chosen a fantastic area of the world to visit. They are my very favorite destinations!

Ilove2travel

Thank you all for the wonderful advice =)<BR>It sounds like we should skip the North Island of NZ altogether. We will be flying into Auckland from Hawaii and then from Auckland to Sydney and back to Hawaii from Sydney. We are not on a tour so what KiwiWannabe suggested about basing ourselves in one place for 4 days at a time and taking day trips sounds good. We are also open to driving, actually we prefer it since we will not be bound to any schedule that way.<BR>I think we can cover a lot in 20 days as we are &quot;go-go-go&quot; kind of people on vacation. We usually need a &quot;vacation&quot; to recuperate from our vacations when we get home! Any other suggestions/advice on our trip down under will be appreciated.<BR>~Mahalo =)

Gynna

Aloha, Ilove2travel. <BR>We just returned from a month long trip which we flew from Honolulu to Sydney where we spent 7 wonderful days and nights. We then flew to Christchurch and explored the South Island for a little over 2 weeks, ferry to Wellington where we stayed 3 nights, flew to Auckland for 4 nights, back to Sydney for our flight home to Honolulu. Could you fly into Auckland and out of Christchurch to Sydney? The South Island is spectacular, people are kind and helpful. Can only comment on the two cities on the Noth Island and we also found people to be friendly and helpful. I will be writing a trip report in about a month after I get back into the swing of things at work and catch up on everything. This forum was very helpful to me in planning and I thank everyone who took the time to share!<BR>

KathyNZ

kiwiwannabe<BR><BR>You are confused, I am not the one doing the travelling, I already live here and thankyou though for telling me all about my own country.<BR>And incidentally your answer was a good one.

aarti_lohia

Hi. My husband and I visited NZ last december and I have to say it was one of our best trips! We rented a car and drove the North island, took a flight from Wellington into the South Island and then drove the south island. Both were beautiful and people were warm and friendly! If you need any help with activities or accommodations, please feel free to ask. I would spend more time in either ONE of the countires to be able to do justice (otherwise its just touch-n-go). <BR>Regards, Aarti

bobyori

Am thinking to do the same 20-22 days around the same time. This will most likely be our one-and-only trip down under and we'd really like to see NZ and OZ. Does 2 days in Auckland, a week on South Isl and then 4 days each in Sydney, Cairns/GBR and Ayers Rock sound good for a once in a lifetime trip?

KathyNZ

Bobyori, if you want an honest answer that itinerary doesn't do justice to Oz or NZ. You will have to fly between destinations to cover that area in 3 weeks.

Ilove2travel

Looks like we'll be going in April instead. I'm looking at spending a week on the South Island. Do you think it's realistic to see Christchurch, Milford Sound, Franz Joseph Glacier, Mt Cook and Queenstown in a week?

Christa

One week in the South Island is possible if, as you say, you are the go-go type.

I am like that also and try to see as much as possible while on holiday, it's hectic but the only way to see it all. We did a 3 week USA road trip and loved every minute of it.

Your route takes in lots of good sights without having to be on the road too long. Christchurch to Franz Josef via Arthurs Pass takes approx 6-7 hours. From there to Queenstown can be done in one day as well so you should get through the distances easilly enough and have time to explore a little as well.
Consider a flight to Milford Sound from Queenstown. It might be a nice break from driving as well as a great day trip.

Your proposed itinery should allow you to spend at least 2 days in Queenstown to break the journey.

Sydney, Cairns, Ayers Rock... sigh...
I'm so envious.