vettaman

Hi there,

I would like to plan a trip to either New Zealand or Australia in the coming months (time probably doesn't allow for both). I will be traveling by myself. I am hoping that I can get some advice from you nice people here about what Country and cities would work best for me.

Here's a little about what I like to do:

- I like to have a city as a base and explore from there (I did this in Interlaken, Switzerland last summer and had a great time.)
- I like to walk a lot - 7-15 miles a day. I love walking around cities.
- I like to go on shorter day hikes (3-5 miles of medium terrain)- I love mountain hiking
- I am not that interested in museums; my passion is with nature and the surroundings.

So, I'd like to find a good base where I can do the above. Note, I don't relish the thought of learning to drive on the other side of the road, so buses and trains would be the way for me to get around.

From my limited knowledge of this area, it seems like Sydney offers the advantages of a great city for walking as well as for day trips.

Because I love the mountains, I am wondering if the same base and days trips can be found in New Zealand?

thanks in advance for your help and advice,

Peter

Melnq8

Peter -

There are many places in Australia that will fit the bill, but I'll leave that to our helpful Aussies.

As far as NZ, both islands offer loads of walking opportunities. On the South Island, the biggest cities are Christchurch and Dunedin, followed by Nelson, Invercargill and Queenstown, although QT is more of a big town than a city.

If it were me, and I had to choose one of the above based on your criteria, I'd choose Nelson or Queenstown.

Both Nelson and QT are beautiful in their own right, and as a bonus, they're close to many attractions that are accessible by bus. From Nelson you can get to Abel Tasman National Park (think coastal track), Nelson Lakes National Park, Motueka, Kaiteriteri and Marahau. LOTS of walking opportunities.

From Queenstown you can easily get to Glenorchy (walking nirvana), Te Anau and Wanaka among others.

NZ is best seen by car and it takes longer than you might think to get from point A to point B. Therefore, using the base city concept doesn't work as well as it does in Europe.

There is a bus network but it won't offer the flexibility of a car. There are also a few trains, but service is rather limited and nothing like the rail network of Switzerland.

I've only been to the North Island once, so can't help much there. Auckland or Wellington are the obvious choices as base cities - I'm sure someone better versed will chime in.

Melnq8

You might find these sites helpful:

Train:

http://www.tranzscenic.co.nz/

Bus:

http://www.intercitycoach.co.nz/

Tassietwister

vettaman

Sydney does not have mountains in the same sense as Switzerland. The Blue Mountains are a tableland, and you walk down rather than up. However the walks can feel like you have walked a mountain I am guaranteeing !

Sydney is surrounded by national parks to the point they have severely restricted it's growth. I am not sure I have ever visited a major full on city so closely guarded by greenery.

However getting out of Sydney is time consuming, so factor that in. It is a huge city that sprawls outward until these parks bringS it to a dramatic halt.

I suggest you contact a bush walking club that may have some walks on at the time you are here (if you decide on Sydney), you learn so much more about what you are seeing without the expense of a guide.

I am a bushwalker and prefer easy, up to 15km rather than 15 miles lol. A little less but then I am carrying a bit of blub now I reach the middle ages.

My husband was working for Sydney Harbour Foreshores National Parks and he loved it being in the bush right on Sydney Harbour. Many walks and secrets to be found. Little penguin colonies and all. Another poster here has written all about one part of the harbour walk.

I also used to love walking around the forehore at Kirribilli when I lived at Lavender bay. (This is just north of the big bridge). Also down by Cammeray you walk the streets and chance a view across the valley to Northbrdige and you do not imagine you are right in the centre of a major city.

South of Sydney I love the walk from Bundeena in the Royal National Park. You catch the train to Cronulla then the old fashioned ferry across a river to a little cut off town of Bundeena. Here are excellent sea cliff walks and coastal heath.

Futher south in this same park, many people relying on public transport take the train to Otford and do the southern end of this very same coastal track some 26km away. The vegetation has changed from the coastal heath and there are some steep walks down to the water. One is a nudy place so be warned. Great views.

Tons of walks around Sydney, even from a train or bus.

Tassietwister

a bit off topic but interesting

There is a 92 year old Sydneysider who decided to take a packed lunch everyday and go for a walk where his railway concession would take him until he decided to attempt to walk every street in Sydney. He is now a celebrity with a website

http://www.walksydneystreets.net/

Suelynne

Hi vettaman,
I'm a Sydneysider and agree there are numerous good walks here. In the city itself my favourite would be from the Rocks to the Opera House and through the Botanic Gardens and on to Mrs Macquarie's Chair. However, from Circular Quay, between the Rocks & the Opera House you can catch ferries to other good harbourside starting points, such as Cremorne Point, Manly, Hunters Hill etc. A 'rivercat' will take you inland to Parramatta, which is geographically the heart of Sydney and full of history. Trains and buses will take you north, south and west to great national parks, but its best not to walk far into these on your own as the terrain is typically very rugged - especially in the Blue Mountains. For these, it would be a good idea to contact a bushwalking club. If you prefer your own company there are also plenty of good coastal walks both north and south of the Harbour.

stormbird

I'm not sure if this is actually up your alley but New Zealand does have a number of walks ranging from 3 days - 5 days. Some are guided and some independent walks, with varying types of accommodation in between.

They would certainly put you at one with nature.

They are -

The Tongariro Trek
Abel Tasman Walk
Hollyford Track Walk
Queen Charlotte Track
Milford Track & Routeburn Track

You maybe able to google them or pop into a travel agent for more information. I got those out of a NZ travel brochure.

ElendilPickle

Stormbird mentioned several of the popular walks in New Zealand; you'll find many more at www.doc.govt.nz, the Department of Conservation website.

I haven't done it, but I read in a Frommer's newsletter about a Maori-led walk across Auckland that incorporates Maori stories. It sounded really interesting; perhaps a search of the Frommer's website will turn up more information.

Wellington is a fairly compact city and easy to walk around. It has a lovely greenbelt, too - we walked on Mt. Victoria and enjoyed our time there.

Lee Ann

vettaman

Hi, thank you for all for the many, and very helpful suggestions!

bilboburgler

I did somethings like this in North Island recently. The guys are right the cities are not like Europe so smaller and a long way apart. I made up for this by moving between using a weird mix of plane (cheapish), tour bus (jump on jump off), local bus (along with the dry cleaning the post etc) and various trains.

It can be done and you meet a weird range of people. I admit to throwing myself on a number of Tourist Information officers shoulder and saying how do I do this. They seemed to like the challange and I ended up one night standing by and Oak witing for "brian" to pick me up in a stretched camper. Still it worked. Meeting people was cool but I also like the walking bit as I kept my baggage way down.

The bush tramps listed above by one of the guys can be awesome. Some need booking (limited camping space)

Driving on the other side is ok but watch the "NZ turn"