angelsix66

My hubby and I are taking a trip to New Zealand and Australia in late Feb. I am hoping for some suggestions. Please note that we are city people (living between Boston and NYC), so while we enjoy visiting cities, we would rather see some of the other assets of country when we travel. I have a few things in mind, but would be so grateful to get any and all suggestions. Here's where the itinerary is at the moment...

Feb 19th-Arrive in Auckland. Go straight to Queenstown for 4 nights
Feb 23rd AM arrive in Melbourne for 1-2 nights
Sydney 1-2 nights
Daintree Eco-Lodge 3 nights
Island 3 nights (thinking Hayman or Orpheus...suggestions welcome)
Get to Melbourne Which may mean coming back on the 23rd)to return home on 3/4

It is definitely a lot of jumping around. I almost cut out Sydney (as I have heard Melbourne is more "our speed"), but thought that could possibly the "eighth deadly sin"

Please help.

travellin

That is a lot of travelling in a short period of time. Perhaps you would be better to choose either Australia or New Zealand this time and do the other at a later date. The international flight from Eastern US is gruelling then the flight to Australia after a short time in NZ would be hard. But if you are in Oz Sydney is a wonderful place. We aren't city people at all but have been to Sydney twice. The harbour/ferries/beaches make it a very special place in our opinion. Good luck.

lancefan

is it not possible for you to fly into melbourne then out of sydney (Or vice versa?) that way you would save a flight internally and do in melbourne, GBR, Syd.

I think it would be a shame for you to not see sydney - at least if you do both melb and syd you can make your own decision on which you like better. they really are very different creatures, however I think sometimes people get the impression that sydney is all tourist oriented and forget that it is also australia's largest city and a city in it's own right.

lizF

I would be skipping Melbourne anyway as it is not much different from other cities in the world whereupon Sydney is.
If you want to go to the GBR then you have left little time to do it seeing that you can write off one day getting there and one back when you factor in hanging around airports and flights times etc.
You don't qualify you statement about Melbourne being more your "speed" so I find it hard to comment on your choices. But if it was my holiday Melbourne would be my third last choice. You have far too much in too short a time and you have not taken into account the time it takes to get around the country either.

Neil_Oz

I'm inclined to agree with travellin - you can't do anything approaching justice to either country on such a schedule. If you're set on it, though, I'll also agree with LizF. Melbourne has its charms, but including it is just adding too much, and you really shouldn't miss Sydney - I think you'll agree once you get there. As for "speed", if I had to make a comparison, you could think of Melbourne as Australia's Boston, perhaps, which I suppose would make Sydney Australia's New York. The buzz is more subdued, but the setting is far more beautiful. San Francisco would be a better comparison, if one had to be made.

Tim_and_Liz

I haven't been to Melbourne (yet) but I agree not to miss Sydney. It's unlike any American city, though most resembles a combination of San Francisco, Seattle, with a bit of southern Cal thrown in. I've spent a lot of time in NYC and don't think Sydney is anything like it (although I love both places).

Neil_Oz

I didn't mean that NYC and Sydney are alike - all I meant was that it occupies a similar place in Australia's cultural landscape.

Suelynne

Be aware it's the wet season in the Daintree and GBR.

pat_woolford

You can be lucky in February in Far North Queensland, it may bucket down and it may not. One thing's for sure, it will be hot and humid, particularly around Daintree where there's very little coastal breeze.

Another alternative for FNQ is Atherton Tableland, west of Cairns. Much cooler, very little humidity and nature and wildlife in abundance.

angelsix66

Ok...So we've decided to take Melbourne out of the mix. My husband is a professional skateboarder and he "must" go to Bondi to skate. With that out of the way...

I know it is the rainy season and am ok with rain in Daintree (what would a rain forest be without rain). Does it really rain that much on the gbr? I keep reading that the rain doesn't really reach out to the islands as much. This could be a marketing stunt to get people there.

Here is my dilemma...do we stay on Orpheus island for 3 nights (will it be rainy and make us feel like the expense is not worth it), do we stay on the main land and make day trips (if so, from where esp if Port Douglas is rainy), do we go a little further south to the Whitsundays to avoid the rain? I was entertaining Hayman or Daydream, but have heard that Hayman is not being kept up and that due to daytrippers, etc there are tons of people.

Next, we will take one night in Sydney on the way up to the Dainrtree and back for 2 nights before we leave. I was thinking of staying in the central city area the first night and then in Bondi for the end of the trip (which would give us definite beach time if it is rainy up North.

All your comments have been very helpful so far. Thank you!