Best way to see Australia / New Zealand?

[shygirl724]

We are looking at going to Australia and/or New Zealand in the coming year. I don't know whether to take a cruise, a guided tour, or just go on our own.



For those why have been - any insights would be appreciated.



Shy ~

[kyshel]

I am just beginning to do my research. My husband went 10 yrs ago (cruise) and parents went waaay before that
spending most of the 20 days in NZ.
I have some airline friends who work there, so i will happily pass on info as I get it.
I find it interesting that LL advertise alot of Oceania travel on the site yet offers so few properties.

I was quite excited the other day when I saw LL link. It was very disappointing--a handful of offers--nothing more.

[shygirl724]

Kyshel,



Thanks for the quick reply. I will look forward to the information you gather. I will post the same for you. I do have one co-worker that has been. The couple spent 5 weeks seeing both Australia and New Zealand on a self-guided tour set up by their travel agent. I can't take off for that long, and not sure that I would want to. We prefer 2 trips to the same local if we feel the need to do lots of sight seeing.



Perhaps if LL sees customers on the message boards looking at Australia, we will see more LL offers in that part of the world. We can always hope!



Shy ~

[kyshel]

we're thinking 2 wks total, but that has to include our "standby allowance" (usually 1-2 travels days to the farthest destination)
Currently, Delta has nonstop service form LAX and connections thru some Asian cities. It's still almost a year away for us.

[shygirl724]

Kyshel, Do you know anything about the Bill Peach Air Tours there? Shy ~

[kyshel]

sorry--not my type of tour
I'd rely more on TA ideas for input

[exflygirl]

If you don't mind driving long distances or driving on the left side of the road, the self-guided drive tour may be for you.

We wanted to celebrate the real millenium in Sydney and Samoa and decided to add New Zealand while we were at it (and are we ever so glad we did). We worked with a travel agent who booked our flights, rental cars, hotels and some excursions for us. Nowadays, with all that the internet has to offer, you could do this on your own. As we only had a little over two weeks, we concentrated on Eastern Australia and New Zealand's South Island.

Prepare yourself for a loooong trans-Pacific flight. We based ourselves in Port Douglas for a few days so we could explore the Great Barrier Reef area as well as Daintree National Park. We then flew from Cairns to Brisbane and picked up our rental car for the road trip to Sydney. We spent the night at Surfers Paradise and Port Macquarie. We spent a couple of days in the Hunter Valley area to taste some wine before spending another few days in Sydney before flying to Apia for our few days in Samoa.

We picked up our car in Christchurch where we spent the night prior to driving to Greymouth. We then proceeded to Fox Glacier for some glacier hikes then onto Queenstown for a few more days before heading back to Christchurch.

Australia more than met our expectations; however, New Zealand blew us away (probably because we had no expectations and new nothing about it). We found both Australians and Kiwis to be helpful and friendly. We covered a lot of miles driving, but there were always lookout points and interesting stopping places.

The next time we go, we will do another self-guided drive--maybe hit Western Australia and the North Island. That Bill Peach flight tour looks awfully interesting but is way out of our budget.

efg

[shygirl724]

Thanks for all the information. It is wonderful! We are prepared for the long flight, so not too worried about that (it is amazing how much time can pass listening to all the Mystery Theater radio shows on an iPod).



I am going to have to look up all the great places you said you went, since I am just starting to learn about Australia and New Zealand.



Bill Peach has been offered on LL in the past for a great price, so I am keeping my eyes out and my fingers crossed.



One question, was it that difficult to learn how to drive on the other side of the road? The thought of it is freaking my hubby out.



Shy ~

[kyshel]

EFG has some great info! We can never "commit" to a set tour due to standby flying, so winging it works better for us. Driving on the left isn't too bad--getting used to making right turns into the left lane improves with time and repetition.

[exflygirl]

shygirl724,



I'm sure you and your husband are reasonably good drivers. It should not be a dfficult transition.



For us, it was a matter of perspective. The driver's side is on the right side of the car. The turning signal is on the right side of the wheel while the wipers are on the left. Numerous times we meant to signal and the wipers would turn on.



It was harder to be the passenger. It seemed as if the other was veering left and close to crossing the lane or hitting the curb. However, as kyshel indicated, time and repetition provided confidence in the other's abilities, enabling both of us to relax. Of course, as one with back-seat driving tendencies, it helped to shut my mouth and close my eyes every now and then. It's a long way from Brisbane to Sydney, after all.



I'm not sure how much has changed as this was over nine years ago. We came across several roundabouts; and in the South Island, there were a lot of one lane roads/bridges (one even had railroad tracks--luckily there was no train at the time, but I'm sure drivers in all directions would give way to the train). Brushing up on roundabout and one lane road/bridge etiquette would not hurt.



We armed ourselves with maps of the road and the sky. Today, one has GPS and an iPOD app called Planet to helpone find one's way and an excuse to look up every now and then.



Happy Trails!

efg