I am gearing up for our 1st trip to New Zealand and Australia. My wife and I are in our early 30s and we like to mix adventure and r&r in our vacations. I am finalizing our plan (a lot of it based on your posts) and would love to hear what you think. We like to go and see as many places as possible in a short time period (I know you may say we are trying to do too much) but still enjoy the surroundings. We don’t care about upscale restaurants nor staying at luxury hotels.

Day 1: Arrive Auckland early AM from LA. Rent a car, drive to Coromandel, rest at a beach, try to get over jetlag. Overnight in Coromandel
Day 2: Kayak w/ Cathedral Cove in the morning. Drive to Rotorua and visit Mitai Maori and/or Polynesian Spa. Overnight in Rotorua
Day 3: Sightseeing Rotoua in the morning (what should we see?). Drive to Taupo, return rental car and do bungy jump. Overnight in Taupo
Day 4: Skydive, bike to Huka Falls, etc. Overnight in Taupo
Day 5: More Taupo sightseeing until 3pm. Catch a bus to Auckland. Overnight in Auckland/airport
Day 6: Early AM flight to Cairns. Should we rent a car and visit Kuranda or skip it and take a shuttle to Port Douglas? Free afternoon to relax. Overnight in Port Douglas
Day 7: Snorkeling GBR or Daintree/Cape Tribulation Tour or (??) depending on the weather, Overnight in Port Douglas
Day 8: Snorkeling GBR or Daintree/Cape Tribulation Tour or (??) depending on the weather, Overnight in Port Douglas
Day 9: Snorkeling GBR or Daintree/Cape Tribulation Tour or (??) depending on the weather, Overnight in Port Douglas
Day 10: Virgin Blue flight to Sydney. Sydney aquarium, check out city at night.
Day 11: Blue Mountain daytrip using cityrail
Day 12: Spit to Manly walk, rest at Manly beach, ferry back to city
Day 13: Rent a bike, tour the city, maybe visit a zoo, Ballet at Opera House at night
Day 14: Paddington Market (this is Saturday) in the morning, Rest at Bondi/Coogee beach in the afternoon.
Day 15: Early AM flight back to USA.

So what do you think? What should I add/take out? Any other recommendations? Which hotel and part of city should we stay in Sydney based on my plan? Thank you.

I needed to sit down and have a rest after reading your proposed itinerary, Yoonny! You sound like a really fit and active couple.
I won't disappoint you -- you are trying to do too much -- but if you can hack the pace, go for it. I wouldn't dare try to add anything, and what you are proposing would give you a reasonable sampling of what is on offer to suit your tastes.
Others should be able to help with the Sydney accommodation question.

wow...

stay at hahei on the coromandel
rejig nz to coromandel-wakatane(white island)-taupo-rotorua
cut back on rotorua

stay in port douglas

stay at metro on pitt hotel in sydney.

Hi, well yes it is a bit manic, but not as manic as some!! The NZ sector is the most rushed part. The Oz sector seems OK.

Personally I would skip Kuranda, and renting a car to get there. Great that you have a loose plan for Cairns. For Sydney - congrats on some good research. The Aquarium in Sydney is an unusual "must see", but if it is for you then why not?

Do you have tix already for the ballet? What are you going to see? We could be there on the same night!

re hotels. Must it be a hotel? Just that if you don't need luxe I'd be looking at the YHAs. If you don't need ensuite then some pubs might suit too. But Sydney Central YHA (located a stone's throw from Central Stn for your trip to the Blue Mts) and good for help with stuff like bike hire, comes in at $114 for a room with private bathroom. That's the rate for non-YHA members.

Depends of course when you will be in Sydney as weekends and holidays in the near future these are all likely to be fully booked.

If you do choose to stay at the YHA it might pay you to become a member as you will get a discount on a lot of other stuff that budget travellers tend to do.

When is your trip?

Cheers.

Thanks for your responses. I would love to hear more.

We arrive Auckland on 11/23, Cairns on 11/28, Sydney on 12/2.

I plan to buy tickets for ballet (Manon) for Friday, 12/5. Do people really dress up? We don't plan to pack dressy clothing.

I didn't think about YHA in Sydney but the reviews look great. I will definitely consider it among other hotels.

"Smart casual" is probably a bit more casual in NZ and Aust than in most other parts of the world, but it is a good rule of thumb for evening-wear in most places down here. There aren't too many places where you are expected to wear a jacket and tie and, generally, an open-necked shirt with slacks or jeans is ok for men (although some places are still a bit stuffy about jeans). Pretty much anything goes for women, but it really depends on what you feel comfortable with (and in) as well.

I have tix for Manon on Sat 6/12!! It's one of my favourite ballets.

But don't wait till you get here to book seats. Do it on line.

You don't have to dress up. People do, and frock watching is fun, but I often go straight from work on a Friday in jeans (Friday is casual day) and a nice top. Never been turned away.

Enjoy. And if your seats are up at the back, (and even if they are not) be sure to go to the back bar at the interval and find the door to the outside. The view is unforgettable.

Couple of questions on booking activities. I want to do the following:

Bungy jumping, skydiving in NZ
Wavelength Snorkel, Tony's Daintree Tour and bike tour in Sydney.

Are bookings recommended or can we arrange them the same day or a day before when we get there?

I am buying the ballet tickets now, taking advantage of the stronger dollar.

I am going on a cruise and adding in the GBR and Daintree. We are staying at the Silky Oaks Lodge in Daintree and then catching a cruise from Sydney on the 7th of December.

Where are you going to bungee? I was dying to do the famous suspension bridge jump but was told it is too far way from my Dunedin port.

We are also hands on and adventurous. I'd love to hear the plans you've finalized. We want to Zorb in Rotorua or maybe go to Waitamo Caves Adventure. We leave Auckland the same day we disembark so I'm not sure that is even possible.

Whats the rainforest tour you're taking and why? You can zipline through the rainforest and take a torch light guided night tour. That sounded awesome. We haven't booked anything yet. Whats your thoughts?

We are planning to skydive/bungy jump in Taupo, about 1 hour south of Rotorua. I considered Waitamo but decided not to go as it seems very touristy and not too adventurous.

You may want to condider bungy jumping in Auckland on your last day:
http://ajhackett.com/nz/

For the rainforest tour, I will either go with Tony's Tropical Tours or Daintree Discovery from Port Douglas. They both have very high remarks from Tripadvisor. NEVER book anything without first looking at reviews at Tripadvisor!

As you will be staying in Daintree, you may have many more options. Zipline and torch night tour sounds great but night tour is not an option for us since we are not staying overnight up there.

You sound very excited about the upcoming trip and I am sure you will get to enjoy no matter what you choose to do. I am leaving in 1 week (from New Jersey) and I can hardly wait.