Thought of 19 day tour in April or May and was curious as to the weather.
I Know that no one can predict what will be, but I'd like to be somewhat prepared. Would love to miss the crowds and the really hot weather. Since I live in Florida, I can do without 100 degrees, muggy and pouring rains on vacation. Any idea of the best time of year to travel ? My itinerary is Cairns, Sydney, Queenstown, Rotorua and Auckland. I haven't booked it yet, so please help.

We visited in April and enjoyed the weather - a couple of warm days, but even when it was sunny it was still lovely.

Lee Ann

In general April and May are pretty good month for Australia and NZ -mid autumn in the southern hemisphere. The spring months October and November are also nice times. If your question in deciding between April and May, I'd probably pick April - Getting a little chilly in Sydney by the time May comes around, not like it ever gets terribly cold there. It's hot or warm in Cairns at all times during the year - by April the summer heat and monsoons should have abated. I suspect Queenstown will be very pleasant in April, chillier in May, but still very doable.

Ralph

Both April and May are excellent options, as long as it's after Easter - Easter is very busy in both countries.

Thanks for the info on the weather. I'll make plans for mid April to early May.
Looking forward to this trip for years.

alma - you say that you've got 19 days which is going to be quite tight for seeing OZ and NZ; it's quite expensive and time consuming to get between the two places and perhaps not worth it unless you are going to spend a reasonable time in each country.

We had 5 weeks ie almost twice as long as you do, split almost equally between them and it wasn't a day too short!

oops - just saw the itinerary you have planned - you should be able to fit those into 19 days [though it will be tight.].

do you know what you want to see in each place and how you are going to divide up the time?

Thanks for the responses regarding the best months to travel to NZ/A.

I'm going with a tour group, Grand Circle Travel. Traveled with them on 2 river cruises and they were just great.
Most are close to my age (70) and that's perfect. I know we won't get rushed, pushed or hassled if we are a bit slower walking.
We will be doing a few internal flights (Sydney,Cairns,Queenstown, Auckland) so I think as far as time, we should be ok. 4 night stays each place so other than the wasted hours at airports, looks ok. Since most meals, hotels and local tours are included, and my baggage is handled for me, I can just enjoy the trip.

Sounds like a nice trip almaruth60. Enjoy!

I'm a big Grand Circle fan too, Almaruth60 since I no longer choose to travel independently.