Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Australia + New Zealand 2017

You wrote "4 to 5 day visits." I would suggest more time for Tasmania, less time for Uluru and Alice Springs (but I didn't find Alice Springs as interesting).

Alice Springs to Uluru is about a 6 hour drive, or 50-minute flight. We flew between the two destinations, so I can't comment on the drive. I would expect the temperatures to be higher in November than in September, maybe more flies as well.

Regarding aboriginal culture, while in Cairns you might want to visit http://www.tjapukai.com.au

It's near the Skyrail, which you might want to do as well.
https://www.skyrail.com.au
We did a combination of the Skyrail and Kuranda Scenic Railway.

We also did a walking tour of the Daintree's Mossman Gorge with an aboriginal ranger.
https://www.mossmangorge.com.au

Cairns' cyclone season starts in November.

In all, how much time will you have for NZ? Waiheke's only a 40 minute ferry ride from Auckland's downtown ferry terminal. The Auckland War Memorial Museum has an outstanding Maori collection and offers Maori performances several times a day.

But you probably mean you'd like to visit Rotorua, which is a three-hour drive from Auckland. Or you could take a bus, fly (45-minute flight) or take a tour.
This NZ drive distance calculator will help you plan your trip:
https://www.aa.co.nz/travel/time-and...ce-calculator/
Downloadable maps here:
http://traveltrade.newzealand.com/en...download-maps/

By fiords, you probably mean Milford or Doubtful Sound as these are the most accessible. Milford Sound can be done as a very long all-day coach tour from Queenstown (with the option of returning on a scenic flight). If self-driving, then Te Anau makes a great base for visiting Milford Sound. You can drive Milford Road to the sound, take a cruise, take walks on the return to Te Anau. Te Anau is a quiet, lovely little town by a beautiful lake. There are many walking tracks around here and glow worm tours.

November is best for a self-drive on Milford Road, as avalanche season will be coming to an end. But you won't know what road conditions will be like until you get here.
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...rd-sound-area/

To visit Doubtful Sound, you'd drive 30 minutes or take a coach from Te Anau to Manapouri (on Lake Manapouri), then start your excursion from there. This is just one of the companies that does tours/cruises of both Milford and Doubtful, to give you an idea of your options:
https://www.realjourneys.co.nz

November is a great time for seeing penguins. You might see Fiordland Crested Penguins on Milford or Doubtful Sound. Otherwise, Dunedin is a good place for seeing Yellow Eyed Penguins and Little Blue Penguins. Akaroa and Oamaru also offer penguin tours. Little Blue Penguins are distributed around the NZ coast; you may even see them on Waiheke Island or in the waters around Waiheke.

There is also a small colony of Little Blue Penguins in Bicheno, Tasmania. I see you won't be going to Melbourne, otherwise I'd recommend nearby Phillip Island, home to an enormous Little Blue Penguin population.

But, if traveling to NZ in November, you should see penguins. It's breeding season. Expect some rain and cloudy skies in November (but you're from the Pacific Northwest, so this shouldn't be a problem). November is a good time for seeing spring blossoms.

You'll have to firm up your itinerary and dates, have a good look at a NZ touring map to figure out where you'll be going. If you only have two weeks for NZ, then figure on flying from the North Island to the South Island. More recommendations can be made after you've decided on what more you'd like to see and do in NZ. So far, you've mentioned Queenstown, fiords, penguins, Waiheke, Maori culture, and "some of the nearby North Island."
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/library/p23573_23.pdf