Hello,

My husband and I are traveling to Australia and New Zealand at the beginning of October. I have read many posts on here from people who are also traveling to both locations. I would love some feedback on our itinerary from locals or other travelers who have done a similar trip. We know it will be rushed and would have loved to split this up into 2 separate trips to be able to spend more time in each location but given personal circumstances, we decided to travel to both countries this trip. One day, we will just have to go back! Our main goals are to see natural wildlife in Australia, visit the great barrier reef, experience the glow worms in NZ, visit a vineyard or two, hike the Hooker valley track, and explore the wonderful scenery in both countries. We decided to skip Te Anu and the Milford Sound due to the driving distances. Not sure if this is a huge mistake or not? I would love everyone's honest feedback. Thanks in advance!

Day 1: Land in Sydney in the morning. Explore Sydney/ recover from jet lag (as much as possible)

Day 2: Explore Sydney

Day 3: Flight to Adelaide in the morning. Rent a car and visit a winery on the way to Cape Jervis. Take the ferry to Kangaroo Island.

Day 4: Explore Kangaroo island

Day 5: Explore Kangaroo island

Day 6: Flight to Cairns

Day 7: Snorkel the great barrier reef (Booked a tour out of Port Douglas)

Day 8: Intro scuba dive at the great barrier reef (booked a tour out of Carins) **We really want to do this tour specifically due to the good reviews but could only book this date.

Day 9: Drive to and explore Daintree rainforest (need 24 hours after scuba diving before flight which is why it is scheduled this way)

Day 10: Fly to Auckland

Day 11: Waitomo caves (we booked 2 different tours)

Day 12: Hobbiton on the way to Rotorua

Day 13: Explore Rotorua

Day 14: Explore Rotorua in the morning and head back to Auckland for an early morning flight.

Day 15: Morning flight to Blenheim. Explore wine region in the afternoon.

Day 16: Explore wine region and in the afternoon drive to Christchurch (this is more of an overnight pit stop)

Day 17: Drive to Lake Tekapo

Day 18: Drive to Mount Cook (spend night at Mt Cook)

Day 19: Mt Cook and then drive to Wanaka

Day 20: Explore Wanaka

Day 21: Drive and explore Queenstown

Day 22: Fly home from Queenstown

Your trip sounds absolutely amazing! You've packed so much in, and while it may be a bit rushed, you're definitely hitting some incredible spots in both Australia and New Zealand. Skipping Te Anau and Milford Sound is a tough call, but given your time constraints, it's understandable—you'll have plenty of stunning scenery with Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook, and Wanaka. The combination of the Great Barrier Reef, glowworms, wineries, and iconic hikes like Hooker Valley will give you a well-rounded taste of both countries. You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into balancing wildlife, adventure, and relaxation—you're going to have such a memorable trip!

Will you stay in Cairns or Port Douglas? They are quite different places. Cairns is a spread out city, no beach but a lovely man-made lagoon for swimming. Tourists I noticed were either off the cruise ships, which dock there, or backpackers. Accommodation is varied and cheaper than PD. I like PD, it's much smaller than Cairns, has a wide, flat beach (you can't always swim safely there), very touristy, a bit more upmarket, lots of places to eat and shop. I think it's roughly an hour drive between the two places. There are shuttle buses you can book from the airport. PD is popular and gets booked up.

Geodetraveler, I have a few questions. This October? If so, are any of your domestic flights booked? Can we assume that your flight from Cairns to Auckland is already booked on Day 10? Will you be staying in Auckland's city center or by its airport?

Could you please clarify Days 14 &15? Your wrote,
"Day 14: Explore Rotorua in the morning and head back to Auckland for an early morning flight.
"Day 15: Morning flight to Blenheim. Explore wine region in the afternoon."
Does this mean that you will drive to Auckland on Day 14 to spend the night just to catch a morning flight on the following day to Blenheim on Day15?
If this is the case, then consider a flight from Rotorua to Blenheim. You'll have to catch two connecting flights, but at least you wouldn't have to backtrack to Auckland. Or are you driving back to Auckland because you'll have to pay a higher drop-off charge if you leave your car in Rotorua? If the latter, look for a different car rental company, like APEX

Because you are interested in wildlife and wineries, you might be interested in some attractions between Blenheim and Christchurch, such as Kaikoura's NZ fur seal colonies and the North Canterbury wine region (around Waipara). Some of North Canterbury wineries have restaurants, so this might be a good place to stop for lunch and a tasting or two (perhaps not for the designated driver). This region produces hgh quality, tasty wine. Kaikoura, between the mountains and the sea, is lovely and known for its fur seal colonies, seabird and whale watching cruises (sperm whales), dolphin swimming cruises (Dusky dolphins), and more.

You should visit Rippon Vineyard while in Wanaka (free tasting by appointment). There are more wineries about a half hour away around Tarras. There are also wineries near Queenstown, in Gibbston Valley and along Lake Hayes Road (that goes to Arrowtown).

Are you most concerned that skipping Te Anau and Milford Sound could be a mistake?

Because you asked, I think you would be missing a major attraction with a unique ecosystem by skipping Milford Sound, which you can do as a all-day bus (coach) tour from Queenstown, if you are short on time. This is an an additional link for a small group tour to Milford Sound. And a kayak tour. Please check if the prices posted are in NZ or US dollars (or whatever the currency of your country is). Though if you believe you will be returning to NZ in the future, it would be better to visit Milford Sound in summer or early autumn, when the weather is much more likely to be more settled and possibly warmer. But, honestly, Milford Sound could be rainy and cloudy in any season as it is one of the wettest places on earth. As you can probably guess, in summer it would more crowded, busier, and the prices of such tours and accommodation are higher..

You would see wildlife on Milford Road (an attraction in its own right) and on Milford Sound, such as the kea, the world's only alpine parrot (which you also might see in Aoraki Mt. Cook, but probably at a distance) and NZ fur seals in Milford Sound. Fiordland is also home to the southernmost population of bottlenose dolphins, but I don't know how active they will be in October. Usually, seabirds are seen, such as Buller's albatross. It will also be breeding season for the rare and endangered Fiordland Crested penguin, which are sometimes seen in Milford Sound. Because Milford Sound is one of the wettest places on earth, it is very lush and green, and home to many plants that are only found in Fiordland.

If you can find the time and decide to visit Milford Sound this time round, you might consider visiting Doubtful Sound, which is larger, on your return trip to NZ's South Island. The trip to Doubtful Sound also includes a cruise across Lake Manapouri.

If you are not planning on stargazing in Tekapo, you could consider just making a brief stop and then continuing on to Aoraki Mt. Cook. If you fly from Rotorua to Blenheim and/or just make a short stop in Tekapo, you could free up another day that would allow you to do an all-day tour to Milford Sound or perhaps spend another day exploring Wanaka or Queenstown.

Please be aware that October can bring unsettled weather. It can be wet and windy or sunny and warm-ish on the South Island. Bring a good wind- and waterproof jacket. If you plan on walking a lot, bring waterproof footwear, which you should clean thoroughly, removing soil or seeds that might be caught in the treads, before passing through NZ Customs and Immigration.

It's a pity you can extend your time in Sydney and Port Douglas.