Kelly

We are planning a trip to travel around the south pacific my main objective is Australia and New Zealand but my airfare includes Fiji, Tahiti and the Cook Islands. We are planning for 2003 March, April & May. Need help deciding on how long in each location.<BR>My main idea is like this<BR>March/April: <BR>1 week in Fiji<BR>1 week in Tahiti<BR>2 weeks New Zealand <BR>April/May:<BR>7 weeks in Australia<BR>1 week in the Cook Island<BR>Thanks for the help.<BR>Kelly<BR><BR>

Mina

Kelly:<BR><BR>I'm afraid I can't answer your question due to sheer envy.<BR><BR>Have a great trip!

Alize Clough

Hello,<BR><BR>I'm planning to go to Australia for 3 months before Christmas, and the more I look the more things there seem to do, i don't know how to pak it in in 3 months, and I wasn't even planning on going anywhere other than Australia...<BR>Also, does anybody have any idea how long it takes by bus/train to get from melbourne to Cairns? Or the alternative is Sydney to Cairns? Which one is cheaper or fatser, bus/train? How much would it cost to fly?

Mina

Alize, from Melbourne to Cairns OR Sydney to Cairns is quite a distance. I don't know how fast trains go, but it's about a 3 hour flight. If you're from the US, it's about a 3.5 hour flight from Los Angeles to Chicago. That's a big chunk of land to take a train through. Oz is as big a country.<BR><BR>I flew from Sydney to Cairns for about $160 one way through the Qantas Boomerang pass (which must be purchase from outside the country). Check a few airlines for the dates you want to go, and see if you can do better.<BR><BR><BR>

Melodie

Kelly...I side with Mina, but will answer you anyway, just picture me green with envy. I think you've got a pretty good schedule (although it's hard to make a determination as as I don't know where you're planning to go, or what you're planning on doing in each area, how much ground you're going to cover)...<BR><BR>I'm an Aussie and Kiwi Specialist and I just got back from Tasmania and I could easily spend 10 days or so there alone (don't know if that on your itinerary). 2 weeks or more in NZ is about right but for Tahiti, you should just transfer right out of Papeete and head for Moorea and Bora Bora (save the best for last). You might want to add some time there and deduct it from somewhere else - again, it's difficult to say without knowing specifics. Hope this helps!<BR><BR>Melodie

emi

If you have 3 months, you can take an escorted bus tour around Australia. There are several co. that offer camping trips. One co that comes to mind is AAt kings. The bus drives you everywhere, you are with a group, tours are included, they provide you with a tent and sleeping bag and you stay at<BR>campgrounds that have bathroom facilities. Also in Fiji- I highly recommend a seven day cruise. you get to see different islands (usually 2 a day. <BR>

marg

Have you thought about hiring a car? Organised coach trips are reasonably expensive. With a car, you can do the things you want to, when you want to. <BR>With a combination of flying between major centres and hiring a car, you should be able to cover quite a lot of ground. In Australia, I'd suggest starting in the south and gradually moving north - this way you should have good weather all the way.

Mike

G'day Kelly, <BR>lucky you to have that much time for a trip. <BR>Your itinerary looks pretty good to me. <BR>There is only one thing I would change if you can. <BR>Try getting to Australia earlier. March & April and Sept./Oct. are the best times to travel here and visit any part of the country. However there are optimum times for specific areas - the country is just soooooo big. <BR>How to travel when in Australia depends very much on the type of traveler you are. <BR>If you like all your creature comforts then Resorts, organized Coach Travel with 4* hotels is the go. <BR>If you are a bit more adventurous and really want to experience the country then look for small group tours that also include camping in more remote areas and which often include areas and travel routes that's never visited when on a coach. <BR>Then, if you can afford it, try to find one or two operator who'll customize an <BR>itinerary for you to YOU preferences. They often operate and specialize in specific areas and know them well. <BR>( yes, and before I get 'flamed', I'm one of them, but a search on the internet will turn up others for you. ) <BR><BR>Lastly, come to OZ with an open mind, especially once you get out of the cities and away from Resorts, most preconceived ideas will be proven wrong. <BR><BR>Enjoy your trip, <BR>Mike.

To Kelly

Hi Kelly,<BR><BR>I would reverse your trip flying to Australia, New Zealand, etc.<BR><BR>Australia is a wonderful place to start. I would rent a car and drive, most of all I would drive up the coast visiting Port Douglas last, way back try driving the inland route, may take more time but definetly worth it to hit all the little towns, etc, really see the outback. As Australia is such a long flight, you can get that out of the way first and then hop your way back visiting your other stops.<BR><BR>The Cook Islands are great. Very beautiful and layed back. It was one of the nicest vacations I have ever had.<BR><BR>Do not stay in Papeete if you want to see Tahiti, spend a little more and go out to some of the other islands.<BR><BR>I too envy you, have a wonderful journey and keep a diary.

Scot Burbank

The only snag in this plan (in my opinion) is that you are only planning on spending two weeks in New Zealand. New Zealand is without a doubt the most beautiful country I have ever visited. I am actually going back next week. It has just about every type of landform imaginable. It is adventurous, beautiful, and the people are great. I just think that after two weeks in NZ you will wish that you were staying longer. There are black sand beaches, volcanos, glaciers, skyscrapers, fjords, beautiful coastlines, and incredible countryside. It is an amazing country.

mandy

I agree with Scott. 2 weeks in NZ isn't enough. If you really want to see and explore the place, hiking / kayaking / adventure activities etc, you'll need at least a month.<BR><BR>As far as travelling around Australia. A friend did this in 1998 and used 30,000 qantas frequent flyer points to fly melbourne - perth - broome - darwin - cairns - sydney - melbourne. <BR><BR>If they still have the same deal set up, it's worth trying. Qantas &amp; American Airlines are connected.

Patti

Hi<BR>Can't have anything but green-eyed envy from me. Have a super time but then I know you will. We spent a month (March) over there and enjoyed every last minute. Next time we're sure to do three. A thought for you would be that we used Needitnow.com and Wotif.com for some of our reservations. We also made some of them just a week or so before we arrived at that destination using the many internet cafes that abound in Australia and New Zealand.