Short Hop to Aus from NZ?
 

I will be in New Zealand, southern island, one week. Fly into Queenstown. 2 days there. Over to Dunedin, where my son lives. Is it practical to fly over to Aus for two days and then come back and finish up around Dunedin? Or is that just too much to do? We'd like to see even the "edge" (Brisbane?) of the GBR. Thanks!

LynnLee, Where are you coming from? One week is a very short time to spend after a flight from North America or Europe
While it is certainly possible to fly for a couple of days to Sydney or Brisbane - the flight is only a couple of hours - IMHO I think you would get much better value for your time by spending it in NZ. You could very easily spend a month in the South Island and still find more to do. Save Australia for another longer visit.
BTW Brisbane is a few hundred miles south of the GBR.

I appreciate your remarks about my short stay in NZ. I am coming from US. My son is in school in Dunedin. Only have short time, as it will be Fall break for my other son coming with me. I think you're right - just focus on NZ and come back another time! It's just such a long flight over and I wanted to do both!!! But not enough time. I'm too old for all that!

Forget Queenstown, you could spend a month is Dunedin. Queenstown is geared to tourists. Dunedin is a real university city.

Great trip down the harbour on the Monarch, an old fishing boat to go out to sea and see seals, albatross and other sea creatures.

Trip down peninsular to Larnachs Castle.

Have lunch at Best Cafe, a cheap diner opposite law courts where you can have a dozen bluff oysters and chips for about $10NZ.

Visit Temple Gallery in Moray Place in what was Dundein's first synagogue. Cutting edge art to take home.

Can you tell I loved my time in Dunedin?

Hey, thanks for all the info! We'll do all of the above. Is it difficult driving on "wrong" side of road? I have rented a car.

Good advice in the previous posts. As you son has been in Dunedin for a while he will certainly know the best places to see, although as he's a student this might not extend past the Capt Cook Tavern.
Driving on the wrong side is not difficult, but you have to keep your wits about you. Take particular care at intersections, particularly if there is no other traffic about, as you will tend to instinctively go onto the wrong side. Also when pulling back onto the road after a photo stop. Many roads have arrows painted to show the direction of travel after photo stops. Also most rental cars have a sticker on the windscreen with an arrow saying DRIVE LEFT.
The most dangerous time is after you have been here a while and grown complacent, then your old instincts rear up and bite you.
If you can, fit in a trip to Milford Sound. It's one of the great scenic trips in the world, and as you are so close it would be a pity to miss it.

have a great holiday.

BTW, i don't know when Stevan was last in New Zealand, but a dozen Bluff oyster with chips now costs between $18 -$20 as a take away, and up to $30 as a meal. They are getting so expensive that weonly have them as a special treat. I agree the Best Cafe is a great place to eat, as is the 1906 Cafe at Portobella. Most unasuming (delapidated) exterior, but inside absolutely beautiful polishe wook paneling, and fabulous meals.

Dunedin also has (I think) the only Albatros colony in a city. It's fantastic - can't remember exactly where now, but so well worth the effort to find it. You'll see Albatross chicks in season and learn a heap about these fascinating birds.

We didn't find it difficult to drive on the left side of the road. Once you stop turning on the wipers instead of your turn signal, you'll be fine. :-D We even survived the dreaded roundabouts!

Lee Ann

Hi LynnLee, hope you have a wonderful NZ holiday.

A couple of tips about driving on the left – what we have found a great rule of thumb is to check that you as the driver are always positioned closest to the road dividing lines, i.e. the ‘middle’ of the road. As countries with left-hand drive usually have steering wheel positioned on the right of the vehicle, and right-hand drive countries have steering wheel on the left, this rule works everywhere, especially when you ‘return’ after several weeks of being a leftie back to a rightie but find your driving brain still in holiday mode. All the controls are reversed, (but not the pedals, tg! ;) so if it’s a manual, you’ll be using your left to change gears, instead of your right. The most difficult of all is clicking the indicator turning lights – you’ll be surprised at how often the windscreen wipers start their dry-rubbery screech across the windshield when you think you’ve indicated a turn, as these levers are usually ‘reversed’ as well. (See ElendilPickle has had the same experience, :o) hi 5, Lee Ann)

Oh, my gosh, what great help you all have given me! Must say, though, that now I'm more frightened than ever!!! about this driving-thing. I'm blonde and not all that young! Can't wait to try it all. Anyone with any ideas on best overnight company at Milford Sound? Don't want super $$$, but mid-to upper experience. Thanks!

Brizzie unadvisable but very accessable from Dunedin, as is Sydney and Melbourne which all have direct nonstop service with Dunedin on a discount airline. In fact just recently they ended a sale where they charged almost nothing - less than the fees and (sizable) Ozzie departure tax! It's just KILLING me that I missed it, and will probably have to skip Dunedin and arrive via those overpriced, overloaded turboprop flights to Queenstown instead.

No car should be needed; Dunedin looks amazingly handy to fiord country. You can take the bus to Te Anau (changing at Goss I gather since the 2 buses to/from Invarcargil cross at the same moment there) in 4 hours. That is a wonderful base for the fiords; so much better than Queenstown where you have to drag between there and Te Anau 5 hours round trip every day.

From Te Anau, don't use any car but take the bus down the Milford road so you can sightsee. See the web site at bottom for a company that shows various tours avail with big discounts for non Queenstowners. They do Milford sound but I set it to Doubtful sound which you should strongly consider in addition - another delight I may have to skip.

I thought everything in Dunedin was walking distance except the penninsula attractions, which you can knock off on a local tour bus according to the web. I avoid cars not just for the normal reasons, but I have a way of thinking "everything is reversed" past the point where I start to be accustomed to the reversal. Then I start reversing the (reversed) normal, which can be deadly.

http://www.realjourneys.co.nz/Main/Doubtful

viking, where the heck is "Goss"? Seems silly to bus from Dunedin back to Te Anau if Lynn Lee is flying into Queenstown. You can do the Milford Sound as a day trip from Queenstown. It is a long day, but not as long as it will take you to add a round trip by bus from Dunedin.

Dundedin is a wonderful city. Lots to see & do. The Taireiri Gorge (sp) rail trip is interesting and departs from the Dunedin Rail station.

Just to add my 2c worth. Go to Queenstown. We were there last Sept. and were blown away by how beautiful it was. Dunedin was also lovely but I think its well worth the trip to see Queenstown. Even though you are coming a long way, Brisbane (my home town) or other Aus. choices can't be given justice for 2 days. Just enjoy NZ, I know we sure did.

thank you! thank you!