2-3 weeks each in Oz/NZ- what to do?
Discussion
Folks,
Planning to fly from Japan to Santiago around the start of Sept. I've worked out it's only actually a few hundred more to include Oz and NZ and, since I have the time it seems worth it.
I'm not a great love of cities although wouldn't mind some beach time and would really like to get out in the country walking/biking etc. gut feeling is that I want to spend longer in NZ.
The flights I have priced up look very good...
Dates are fairly flexible.
Any ideas of itineraries? Can't deviate massively from the chosen destinations as costs go up enormously.
Churs
Planning to fly from Japan to Santiago around the start of Sept. I've worked out it's only actually a few hundred more to include Oz and NZ and, since I have the time it seems worth it.
I'm not a great love of cities although wouldn't mind some beach time and would really like to get out in the country walking/biking etc. gut feeling is that I want to spend longer in NZ.
The flights I have priced up look very good...
Dates are fairly flexible.
Any ideas of itineraries? Can't deviate massively from the chosen destinations as costs go up enormously.
Churs
Plenty of hiking/biking in New Z !!
Queen Charlotte sound trek in Picton.
Abel Tasman NP near Nelson.
Not much to see in Christchurch so I wouldn't bother.
Franz Joseph/Fox Glacier but not really for the glacier as such, retreated somewhat, unless you intend to fly up/around it.
Wanaka, Te Anau - loads of treks and biking.
Really is loads of stuff everywhere to do in New Z, its more difficult to know what not to do.
I'm 3 weeks into 4 just on the south island and running/run of time.
Queen Charlotte sound trek in Picton.
Abel Tasman NP near Nelson.
Not much to see in Christchurch so I wouldn't bother.
Franz Joseph/Fox Glacier but not really for the glacier as such, retreated somewhat, unless you intend to fly up/around it.
Wanaka, Te Anau - loads of treks and biking.
Really is loads of stuff everywhere to do in New Z, its more difficult to know what not to do.
I'm 3 weeks into 4 just on the south island and running/run of time.
For walking /biking in NZ the south island is the place. There is Abel Tasman NP in the NW and then all sorts of walking, biking and trekking from Wanaka or Queenstown.
In Oz there are walking trips but we did road trips, basically city to city. We did go to Tasmania which is great, very much like NZ, and there are lots of walks and trips to be had, there is a 4 day + walk around the bay of fires i have heard of.
In Oz there are walking trips but we did road trips, basically city to city. We did go to Tasmania which is great, very much like NZ, and there are lots of walks and trips to be had, there is a 4 day + walk around the bay of fires i have heard of.
Thanks all, I've been working out the dates for the early parts of the trip and the plan is to arrive in Oz probably around 1st Oct and spend a couple of weeks there before moving on. I have a feeling that spending much longer will just drain my funds!
Anyone done Melbourne-Sydney up the coast? I can find a decent flight combo which goes from Japan via Phillipines to Melbourne then direct Qantas/LAN flights to Auckland and Santiago.
As it stands it looks like tinkering too much with the Japan/Oz flights doesn't really help the overall price as the Santiago flight is the bulk of the cost.
Coming in around £1050 for all of the above, which is reasonable. I can't find any AKL-SCL flights for much less than £700.
Most of the other destinations in Oz end up going via Sydney anyway so bump up the cost.
Anyone done Melbourne-Sydney up the coast? I can find a decent flight combo which goes from Japan via Phillipines to Melbourne then direct Qantas/LAN flights to Auckland and Santiago.
As it stands it looks like tinkering too much with the Japan/Oz flights doesn't really help the overall price as the Santiago flight is the bulk of the cost.
Coming in around £1050 for all of the above, which is reasonable. I can't find any AKL-SCL flights for much less than £700.
Most of the other destinations in Oz end up going via Sydney anyway so bump up the cost.
Oz is a lot of open space between places you want to see tbh, I'd think twice about using the roads to get to places when you are on a limited timeframe. Having done NZ and Oz I agree that NZ is definitely the place to be for the outdoors. That said, there are a few fun trips in Oz that are well worth doing such as sailing the Whitsundays or doing a 4x4 on Fraser Island - but I'd fly to those from Sydney.
Regarding having enough time, we had over three months in NZ and it wasn't enough! With hindsight we'd have chopped down our similar-ish length OZ stay and added it onto NZ.
SimonTheSailor said:
Queen Charlotte sound trek in Picton.
Abel Tasman NP near Nelson.
Franz Joseph/Fox Glacier but not really for the glacier as such, retreated somewhat, unless you intend to fly up/around it.
Wanaka, Te Anau - loads of treks and biking.
Really is loads of stuff everywhere to do in New Z, its more difficult to know what not to do.
I'm 3 weeks into 4 just on the south island and running/run of time.
That's a good list to get you started to which I'd add the Tongariro Crossing (awesome one day trek over a volcano and a wilderness kayak down Wanganui (absolutely mega). Re: the glaciers you can do a heli-hike which is a fantastic experience.Abel Tasman NP near Nelson.
Franz Joseph/Fox Glacier but not really for the glacier as such, retreated somewhat, unless you intend to fly up/around it.
Wanaka, Te Anau - loads of treks and biking.
Really is loads of stuff everywhere to do in New Z, its more difficult to know what not to do.
I'm 3 weeks into 4 just on the south island and running/run of time.
Regarding having enough time, we had over three months in NZ and it wasn't enough! With hindsight we'd have chopped down our similar-ish length OZ stay and added it onto NZ.
Don't know about Aus, but I'll tell you after Saturday, but NZ is.
Somethings are very pricey, pint of beer (which I don't think is actually a pint) is 5 quid in Wellington, Queenstown, Christchurch, ok gets down to 8 in other places but its not a pint !!
Dairy products seem expensive so no cheese whilst you are away.
Cup of tea/coffee 4.5/5 dollars. Standard curry 20 dollars.
I guess similar in prices to alot of things in the UK but some are a lot more. Heard cost of living in Aus/ Nee Z has risen 30% in last 3-4 years.
But hey, New Zealand is f*cling great mate !!
Somethings are very pricey, pint of beer (which I don't think is actually a pint) is 5 quid in Wellington, Queenstown, Christchurch, ok gets down to 8 in other places but its not a pint !!
Dairy products seem expensive so no cheese whilst you are away.
Cup of tea/coffee 4.5/5 dollars. Standard curry 20 dollars.
I guess similar in prices to alot of things in the UK but some are a lot more. Heard cost of living in Aus/ Nee Z has risen 30% in last 3-4 years.
But hey, New Zealand is f*cling great mate !!
I've done Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and a loooong drive from Gladstone to Sydney (also did Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef). Australia is big (as in, mahoosive). My favourite city was definitely Melbourne. Sydney in the centre (apart from such obvious landmarks as the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House) is a bit like any other big city and a little too homogenous for my liking. That said, some of the suburbs/just outside the centre have a lot to recommend them.
Melbourne is relatively compact and for foodies is brilliant. I didn't have a single bad meal there. I did look at driving to Sydney from Melbourne along the coast initially then via Canberra. The very South East corner just looked a bit dire so I ended up flying in the end for peanuts. I did have a car and did a few days in Melbourne, then Great Ocean Road and Mornington Peninsula before back to Melbourne then onto Sydney.
Brisbane was ok, but hot and humid. Byron Bay, just over the NSW border from Queensland is well worth a few days, even if it's a bit more commercial now than it used to be. Nice and chilled. Gold Coast is like Blackpool/Daytona Beach. I'd avoid. Noosa is nice, but pricey.
I'd also look at renting serviced apartments in Oz, one chain I used previously was Quest Apartments. More room and often no more than a hotel (and sometimes cheaper if you haggle for a couple of nights). I'd also look at airbnb.
Melbourne is relatively compact and for foodies is brilliant. I didn't have a single bad meal there. I did look at driving to Sydney from Melbourne along the coast initially then via Canberra. The very South East corner just looked a bit dire so I ended up flying in the end for peanuts. I did have a car and did a few days in Melbourne, then Great Ocean Road and Mornington Peninsula before back to Melbourne then onto Sydney.
Brisbane was ok, but hot and humid. Byron Bay, just over the NSW border from Queensland is well worth a few days, even if it's a bit more commercial now than it used to be. Nice and chilled. Gold Coast is like Blackpool/Daytona Beach. I'd avoid. Noosa is nice, but pricey.
I'd also look at renting serviced apartments in Oz, one chain I used previously was Quest Apartments. More room and often no more than a hotel (and sometimes cheaper if you haggle for a couple of nights). I'd also look at airbnb.
I'd also recommend two or three days in a wine region doing a tour (not a coach, a smaller on). Hunter Valley is only a few hours drive north of Sydney and there are vineyards NE of Melbourne (forget the names now).
Deals can always be had on hotels. The other site I used was ratestogo.com.au
Deals can always be had on hotels. The other site I used was ratestogo.com.au
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