JackGlasser

Would like adivise and sites to see. Thinking of going to Austraila possibly in one year: I am told lateAugust/Sept probably best if interested in Barrier Reef and Outback. Then I see that NewZealand has a number of gorgeous places also. Interested in Sidney, GreatBarrierReef, seeing unique animals, arborigene life-Ayer'sRock. and some picturesque sites in New Zealand. Would like some ideas and itinararries. Thank you. Jack

Melnq8

Two weeks is barely enough time to see one island in NZ, let alone two countries, one of which is about the size of the US.

Suggest you select one country or the other and then go from there. Don't underestimate travel distances, time wasted in airports, the effects of jet lag, etc.

elnap29

Australia is a huge country. Towns on the map are further than you think. You could fly Air New Zealand and stopover in New Zealand, then visit Sydney area. Or just go to Australia, visit Sydney area and then GBR.

Libretto

I've hosted many American visitors to Australia recently and all have said they VASTLY underestimated the huge distances in Australia.

Be mindful that maps are only part of the equation - we do not have the same number of multi lane freeways that many parts of the US have.

Australia is as big as continental US but the distances between towns is generally much greater and flying is often the best option, which will significantly eat into your vacation time.

The advice above is good, it really is impossible to do Australia AND New Zealand justice in just two weeks.

DalaiLlama

To compare - what would you say to someone who wants to "do" the US and Canada in less than two weeks?

The flight to Australia will take three days of your time. The flight back one day, or two, depending on your itinerary.

August is winter. That means different things in different areas of those two countries, but it is worth keeping in mind that in NSW and VIC the days are short and there is no beach weather and so on - it can be rainy and chilly for days on end. Can, not must.

Think either NZ or AUS, then cherry-pick a couple of major locations with a couple of firm targets to visit from each. Consider this your first of many trips to Downunder - it will still be there on subsequent occasions.

Pick the locations that are OK in August, save the others for your next trip when you can do it in late Feb. into March - a great time for VIC and NSW and TAS for example.

longhorn55

As already mentioned, you need to choose either New Zealand or Australia if your time frame is 2 weeks as you don't have time enough to see them both. If you must travel in the August/September months, I would choose Australia. Since New Zealand is further south than Australia, it will be quite cold there in August/September and you may find that many tourist activities are closed or curtailed then. That won't be a problem in most of Australia during those months.
As I always recommend to those in the planning stages--get a good guidebook or two and take a look at a map. If you go to Australia for 2 weeks, limit yourself to 3 destinations (or 4 as an absolute maximum) or you will find yourself spending too much time in airports and in the air getting from place to place. The Sydney-Reef-Rock combo which you propose is a popular one which would work out great for your time frame and time of year.

ivenotbeeneverywhere

A little bit off the mark DarlaiLama - it does not take 3 days to get to Australia as the flight time is still unchanged at 14 hours in time and same for the flight back - give or take a few minutes.

elnap29

Wouldn't New York add about 5 or 6 hours, plus a layover?

Melnq8

Well, it feels like three days. It takes me 24-26 hours of actual flying time to travel from Perth to Colorado, and that's when things go right. That doesn't include layovers and a night in a hotel enroute.

Yep, it takes close to six hours to get from NY to LAX. Plus a layover.

DalaiLlama

I invite ivenotbeeneverywhere to check facts before shooting from the hip. It is called "engaging brain before typing".

Random choice: Flight United 642 lvg JFK Mon. Nov.8 at 11:04 arr. SFO 14:45. Connect flight 863 lvg SFO Mon. Nov.8 22:36 arr. SYD Wed. Nov.10 at 08.10.

OP has two weeks, let's say 14 days for their vacation, now they haven't even checked into their hotel and they're already on Day 3 of their 14-day vacation.

Peter_S_Aus

DalaiLama, they lose a day crossing the date line, but they gain a day when returning from Australia to the USA.

ivenotbeeneverywhere

DalaiLama, using your methods of reckoning, it takes 6 weeks to get to the East Coast USA for me because I will spend one month in the West and drive, spending nights in hotels en route - does that count?

It takes 5 hours from NY to LA - suppose a layover of 4 hours - 14 hours from LA to Sydney and it still comes to 23 Hours. There are 24 hours in a day so that must mean that it takes just under one day from NY to Sydney and not 3 days. Its no wonder people thought the World was flat for so long, it does not matter if you gain a day or lose a day it still takes 14 hours flight time leaving the traveller with the same amount of time left out of his/her holiday.

ivenotbeeneverywhere

PS: Come to think of it DalaiLama if you thought in your terms you should have told the o/p that as you get back to LAX at a time that is before you left Australia the time of travel would vary depending on if you are coming or if you are going.

DalaiLlama

No they don't gain the day back, only on paper - they will simply take an entire calendar day to get home.

They get to LAX or SFO about five hours before they left, but then they have the trip to the East Coast - it is a full day on the calendar, a very long day in reality as they'll realize during the next two days while trying to catch up.

So despite all your protesting - with a two-week vacation they leave on Day One, they arrive on Day Three, and they take all of Day 14 to get home if they fly via the West Coast of North America.

It is clear that ivenot... is exercising a squirrelly sense of humor on these boards, in this instance by introducing the pedantic math lesson, fair enough, but in all this, sticking to facts is still the most helpful thing you can do for the original posters, rather than trying to entertain the troops with twisted logic ("...6 weeks to the East Coast...does that count?" - what a dumb question!).

ivenotbeeneverywhere

Who are you calling dumb DalaiLama? How many times have you flown the Sydney route to NY or LAX - I have personally done that about 20 times and February this year was the last time that I did it. It takes 14 hours from Lax to Syd and 5 hours from Lax to NY I don't care how you count it - on your fingers or on your toes it still comes to under 24 hours. It might be a calendar day 3 on arrival in Australia but it is effectively holiday day 2 in the USA and if you have started day one in the USA you are in Australia on day 2 in the USA so whatever the dates in Australia is there are 12 days left 14 minus 2 equals 12...... got it?

ivenotbeeneverywhere

NSW in winter will probably be about 19 deg Celcius poster which, if there is no wind, happens to be lovely. Queensland will be warmer, Victoria will be colder. North Queensland around the GBR will be about 28C and beautiful.
D L if you cannot work out celcius then opt for checking it on the computer - it will be much less stressful for you.