Brenda King

We are avid power boaters and are interested in chartering a boat in the Whitsunday Islands (Austrailia)or Marlborough Sounds (New Zealand)in November or December. Looking for advice from anyone who has done this before, charter companys, itinerarys, favorite islands, etc. If you have done both which was your favorite.<BR>Thanks...<BR>Brenda<BR>

liz

You are asking a question like " shall I sail in the Carribean or Alaska"? Both are nice but quite different from each other.

Brenda

Funny you should mention "alaska vs carribean as I have been in both places. Yes, I realize the Whitsundays are quite different from Marlborough Sounds and was hoping to hear more details from folks who had boated there.<BR>Thanks anyway.

liz

Whitsundays would be absolutely beautiful ( and yes I have boated in both areas) with their 80 or so islands where you can get off on an uninhabited island and just do your own *thing* for a day or join in the activites on the other islands around. Fishing, diving and snorkling are fantastic. The outer reef of course is wonderful as are the little coral cays around. Whitehaven Beach is accessible to you much more easily if you have a boat and that is a must do area. You only need a pair of bikinis and thongs with perhaps a sarong for your entire time there. <BR>Marlborough Sound is a lovely place with many quiet little bays to explore and nice little beaches in out of the way areas. Is much more restful i.e. less of a tourist area than the Whitsunday Islands so you can spend more time just lazing about and fishing if thats your thing. Weather should be mild but the water may not be warm enough to do any swimming or diving - depending where you are from of course.

brenda

Thanks for the additional info ...Pictures of Marlborough Sound remind me of our San Juan Islands and East side of Vancouver Island BC.<BR>This will be a tough decision, perhaps we should just do both !