Hello~<BR>I am in the beginning stages of planning a 6 week trip to NZ and Australia for June-August 2003. The trip will be the first to NZ/OZ for my husband and me (late 20s, fairly active and adventurous, moderate budget). I want to have a good balance of sightseeing, relaxing, nature, wildlife, hiking, swimming.<BR><BR>So far, I have planned to spend 2 weeks in NZ (flying into Auckland). Then fly Auckland to Sydney and leave a month later from Cairns. We can change the dates, but not the cities (ie more or less time in NZ).<BR><BR>Based on reading guidebooks, websites, and this forum, we would like to see both the North and South Islands in NZ. I'm not sure how much time to spend in each. I was also thinking of extending this for a few more days so that we can see most of the sights that I am intersted in.<BR><BR>In Australia, we would love to see Sydney, Tasmania, Kangaroo Island, Ayers Rock, and GBR/Port Douglas/Rainforest. I realize that we probably don't have enough time or money to do all of these things, and I am wondering if anyone can help me come up with a good 4 week itinerary - what to keep, drop, or add to the above - and what order to do it in? I am very overwhelmed with information, and I am having trouble coming up with one on my own!<BR><BR>Some other things I am looking into doing:<BR>-the 4 night Captain Cook cruise in the GBR. <BR>-spending a few days on one of the GBR islands (not a really expensive one)<BR>-one of the Rainforest lodges<BR>-Uluru camping trip <BR><BR>Also, during this trip, my husband will turn 30, and I would love to plan a special surprise for him (either a really fun tour, special hotel stay, etc). We will either be in NZ South Island or Sydney on his b-day. Any ideas?<BR><BR>Thanks in advance for any advice,<BR><BR>Sincerely,<BR>Keri

IMHO your oz/nz balance is about right.<BR>You have to be prepared for some wild weather in the south island that time of year.<BR><BR>Similarly you should scrap Tassie and go to the top end...kakadu/litchfield/darwin.<BR><BR>It might read something like this<BR><BR>sydney and surrounds 6 days<BR>sydney-adelaide<BR>adelaide ki 3 days<BR>overland<BR>adelaide alice via coober pedy 2 days<BR>centre 4 days<BR>top end 4 days<BR>cairns/islands/reef 9 days

John,<BR>Thank you for your reply. I want to clarify something to make sure that I understood correctly. Do you suggest?:<BR><BR>1. Fly from Sydney to Adelaide<BR><BR>2. Drive Adelaide to Alice<BR><BR>3. Drive around Red Center from Alice(Uluru, etc)<BR><BR>4. Drive from Center to Top End<BR><BR>5. Fly from Darwin to Cairns<BR><BR>Is there a website where I can find distances and driving times? <BR><BR>Also, thank you for your weather warnings. I do appreciate it since I am concerned about traveling in the winter, although I have heard that the winters are not as bad as here (NE United States).<BR><BR>Keri

It would have been better if you didn't have to fly out of Auckland but nevermind, if your travel agent can book a flight for you from Christchurch or Dunedin back to Auckland before you leave, this might work out okay.<BR><BR>Trying to see both islands in 2 weeks will be a tight squeeze but can be done.<BR><BR><BR>It would probably entail a one- way hire if you want a rental car which will probably cost a bit more.<BR><BR>Starting in Auckland I would head straight through the North Island, taking in Rotorua, Taupo, desert road to Wellington.<BR><BR>Ferry to Picton, Nelson, Kaikoura, Christchurch, Arthurs pass to west coast.<BR><BR>Queenstown, Dunedin then fly back to Auckland for your flight to Sydney.<BR><BR>June/ August is mid winter here in NZ so swimming will be out. You may encounter bad weather and road closures on the mountain passes due to heavy snowfalls but each winter is different and you can't rearrange your plans too much. You need to have a couple of alternate itineries up your sleeve just in case you find a particular road is closed for the day.<BR><BR>Good luck with your planning and I hope all goes well.

Keri<BR>In no particular order ( these are my opinions...)<BR><BR>you are probably looking at a boomerang pass or similar for flights to get around both nz and oz.<BR><BR>Weather<BR>It will snow in the south island of nz<BR><BR>It will not snow anywhere you r going in oz.<BR><BR>Adelaide and KI follow a four day winter weather cycle<BR>day 1 front passing...50 F rainy squally<BR>day 2 50 F showers weather clearing<BR>day 3 65F sunny <BR>day 4 70 f glorious clear blue skies day<BR>day 5 repeat cycle<BR><BR>The centre will be 70-80 f during the day and cold at night.No possibilty of rain.If you are camping out there could be a frost on the ground when you wake up.<BR><BR>top end/cairns<BR>80 f balmy days<BR>mild nights 60 f beautiful weather day after day.<BR><BR>Itinerary<BR>fly sydney-adealide<BR><BR>Adelaide -alice..you may wish to get the train the Ghan.. if you like trains.<BR><BR>i would take a safari ,camp out trip around uluru kings canyon etc lots available<BR><BR>i would fly centre to darwin and get a safari type trip to kakadu or litchfield<BR><BR>fly darwin cairns.<BR><BR>from what i have heard the cc cruise is dominated by the "blue rinse "set.

Hi, KEC!<BR>If you are going to be in Sydney for your husband's 30th, and you want something different and adventurous, how about an early-morning balloon ride?<BR>August is one of Sydney's driest and clearest months, so you would almost ceratinly have the right weather conditions. The balloons actually take off from Camden, which is a good hour's drive from Sydney, and they depart EARLY, so either you will have to stay out in the Camden area for one night or get up before daybreak, but it would be a never-to-be-forgotten experience, I think. Look at www.balloonaloft.com/ for more details. It will blow your budget, but maybe you can save in other areas.

Thank you again everyone for helping. These responses are giving me a lot to think about...and I definitely appreciate the weather information. I am not afraid of the cold, but definitely like to be prepared!<BR><BR>Christina- I like your ideas for the NZ itinerary. Do you think that I should make all of my hotel/B&B reservations ahead of time? I usually do because I am a major planner. Maybe I could plan some alternatives to the itinerary based on weather and then cancel reservations that I have made if the forecast looks bad?<BR><BR>John - your information is very helpful. Do you live in OZ? I will look into the boomerang pass (on the Qantas website?), and also the Ghan train.<BR><BR>Alan - the balloon idea is absolutely PERFECT! I was actually trying to book one here last week because my husband has never been on one, and it is a dream of his. I haven't looked at the website yet, but here it costs $365 USD for an hour! But I don't mind splurging for my husband!<BR><BR>Thanks again everyone, and keep the suggesting coming<BR><BR>Keri

June-Aug : there will be some tremendous off season deals all over New Zealand and Australia.<BR><BR>Wait until March or April , before booking your flight or itinerary. The Sydney Morning Herald website is propably the best resource .<BR><BR>NZ - stay away from the south island June-Aug (it's too cold) . A week in the North Island is probably enough during that time period.<BR><BR>Tasmania - we were in Sydney in Aug of 1999 - at that time you could get a seat sale flight to Tasmania for $100 Aus - we bit and had a great time .<BR><BR>Brisbane - the Hyatt near Coolum had an off season special of $175 Aus for a self contained luxury flat , on the golf course - absolutely spectacular value .<BR><BR>Anyways , what I am trying to say is - do your research , wait , and pounce on the deals . We have never been burnt in Australia - here in North America , if you see a deal that's too good to be true , you're setting yourself up for angst - not so in Australia.

phil,<BR>Thanks for the advice. After doing some more research, it seems like I might be able to find some good flight deals on the web if I wait until closer to June. I was thinking about buying boomerang passes (although I still have not been able to find prices for them anywhere), but I will probably wait to see if the internet prices are better at that time. <BR><BR>I am too much of a planner to wait to make an itinerary or find hotels, but I will wait to book flights.<BR><BR>Does anyone know if there is a website for last-minute hotel deals in OZ/NZ? Also, are there advertised discounts for the GBR island resorts at that time of year - or is it the high season? Should I book in advance for a resort or wait until it gets closer and see if there are discounts?<BR><BR>Thanks for your advice,<BR>Keri<BR><BR>

Hi Keri<BR><BR>I too am researching a visit to Aus. I have found that the Boomerang pass isn't such great value. it is about &pound;100 for a single zone trip, and about &pound;130 if you start crossing the country, ie sydney to ayres rock. Look up the pass on a google search and you'll see more..<BR><BR>I have found by looking on the Qantas site the individual flights are far cheaper, and Virgin Blue has some great deals too.<BR><BR>For last minute accomodation, have a look at www.wotif.com <BR><BR>Hope this helps<BR><BR>Good luck!<BR><BR>Sonia

You can also use Needitnow.com.au. We used this service and Wotif for a lot of our reservations in Oz. It worked very well for us. Good luck and have a great trip.

Hotel bookings shouldn't really be necessary but with B&B's, you probably need to book in advance.<BR><BR>A great website for last minute deals is www.wotif.com.<BR>I have used it many times and you can get some good deals in the main centres.<BR><BR>The only place that probably requires a firm booking would be Queenstown, it is extremely popular all year round and rooms can be hard to find.<BR><BR>Winter can be a bit dicey weather wise but don't be put off heading to the south island, it is one of the most spectacular times to visit.

Thanks for all of the replies and advice. I am researching like mad...takes my mind off of work<BR><BR>Anyone else?

A further thought on the balloon thing. I think they do balloon flights out of the Hunter Valley, too. It might make a special trip to spend a day in the Hunter, have a look at some wineries, (and the odd taste or two) and stay overnight, and then do the balloon flight the next morning. They go up at sparrow-fart, or dawn, so you need to be close. I imagine a 7am take off, approximately, at the end of June, and it will be cold when you get up there. If it's a clear day, a balloon flight is just magic.<BR>Another place with ballooning is Canowindra, in central-western NSW (a couple of hours drive from Sydney). It's a small town, again there are some wineries around there and Orange, and accommodation will certainly be cheaper than the Hunter. I think Balloons Aloft fly out of there - that's where I took my ride.<BR>Feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Any more advice?<BR><BR>Thanks!

Hi Keri<BR>Can't believe all this advice about bad weather in the south of NZ during June! It is not &quot;wild with snow on the roads&quot;, you will be very unlucky to be forced to change any plans due to snow. the weather is usually very settled in June/July with frosts (be wary on roads if there is a frost) and crystal clear days, especially thru central &amp; Fiordland areas, its really spectacular. mid winter is one of the best times especially to see Fiordland/Milford Sound with less rain, snow on the mountain tops and crystal clear sunny days (albeit cool due to frosts in the morning). NZ (even the south) does not get the extremes in temps. The road into Milford is usually only closed during spring (Augustish) in extreme circumstances due to avalanch, other than that it is one of the most beautiful drives in the world, just don't do it from Queenstown in a day cause its too far. Te Anau township is two hours closer and a great place to visit too.<BR>A good guide for accomodation in NZ is the &quot;Friars Guide&quot; or &quot;boutique lodges&quot;. They have an excellent range of accomodation and its all been checked by the writers. You prob don't need to book everything before you go, except places like Queenstown which may be busy due to the ski season. I would contact the accom places directly and ask for their off season rates, they usually have them.<BR>hope this has helped!?<BR>good luck, Rachel

I spent 2 1/2 weeks in NZ - a little more than 1/2 in the S island (I liked it better). There are several hotel chains that offer clean, reasonable rooms. I think you can get some deals with them from the states if you book prior. I did Milford Sound and thought it was fantastic (absolutely the highlight of our trip). We took a plane from Q-town which was great. Q-town is VERY nice (lots like the Colorado mt towns) and there are some good wineries in the areas. We did Dunedin and thought it was worthwhile - the area is very pretty and we took in the penguins and the albatross place which was cool. One thing to know - when I went Air NZ -had a special deal you could buy in the US - you paid a flat fee for 3 flights within NZ. It was a good deal and allowed for us to do less driving. BTW - we got bait and switch on the international car rentals (weren't getting the prices they told us in the US). We ended up renting for the last leg of our trip from one of the NZ local rental companies that rented cars that were about 5 years old. The price was 1/2 the Hertz, Avis prices and the car was VERY clean and dependable. I think it was called APEX? I missed the north part of the south island (Marlborough area) which I hear is great. Christchurch wasn't much to see. I also think Rotorua is overrated. Auckland is a nice city for a day or two. North of Auck is supposed to be nice (semi-tropical) but I did not get there. Have a great time!<BR>

Keri-<BR><BR>Not sure if you're already done with all this, but if not and you want some thoughts, drop me an email. I have just organised my cousins 6 week NZ/Oz adventure (she starts it in a week) so I am up on all the skinny. Also, I'm a Yank down under who's done it all myself...the Cairns/Whitsundays/Fraser Island/Byron Bay trip, the Darwin/Kakadu trip, the Broome trip, Melbourne and Tasmania (up the wazoo) and am heading to Ayers Rock in a few weeks.