Fall trip to Australia and New Zealand

[rfk318 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rfk318]

Australia and New Zealand

Hi,
We went to Australia and New Zealand last year for two months. We have a fabulous time. We started in Cairns were we were able to get the Trinity Links timeshare. It was great. We were also able to get timeshares in Noosa Heads and Neopean CC South of Melbourne. We have a driving trip that I planned. We did fly from Cairns to Brisbane and from Brisbane to Sydney. The rest of the trip we drove. I guess tours are ok but I think we saw a lot more than on a tour. We also went to Queenstown, Te Anau, Fox Glacier, Christchruch, Nelson, Lake Taupo an Auckland. If you can go to Milford Sound and take a tour. It is beautiful. Another great place was Nelson. It is a great small town with Able Tasman nearby for touring. Another favorite is Dunedin. There we visited Larnach Castle and Penguin Place. The latter was super. Auckland is an nice city and easy to get around using the local transportation. Taupo was another great place with Huka Fall, and other local sights just were great. It will be a tough decision of what to pick and what to not see.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

Only another month until we campervan around the North Island for a week. WIll make sure we visit Huka Fall at Taupo. Thanks for the tips on NZ.

Any other tips on Nth Island would be appreciated.

[djyamyam Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close djyamyam]

Two years ago, we spent a month travelling both the north and south islands. Things you have to do!!

Go to Rotorua which is close by Taupo. It is a major geothermal activity area, lots of hot springs and other activity. You'll want to visit the Mauri Arts & Crafts institute. You'll see some amazing carvings, catch the geothermal spa and the world famour Pohutu geyser. You must go to the Mai Ora dinner at the Tamaki Maori Village. You'll experience an evening of Maori song and culture and a traditional Hangi dinner.

Here's the link for that stuff:

http://www.nzmaori.co.nz/

In Waitomo, it's worthwhile checking out the glow worm caves. You're going through underground caves partial lit up by glow worms. I won't spoil it by telling you how they do it.

Depending on how adventurous and active you are, you can also do abeilling in Waitomo area as well. There are a couple different options, but we did the Haggas Honking holes where you are abseiling through 3 waterfalls, through underground caves and water and then climbing so underground formations! Also in Taupo, you may want to check out the Tongariro Crossing, rated as one of the best day hikes in NZ. (might be the wrong time of the year for it). If you're going to Huka Falls, you can also stop by Craters of the Moon, another geothermal activity area.

There's lots more and I'm sure you'll enjoy it all.

I'm so excited looking back at our pictures!

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

That is mine & Kelli's dream trip. Before I die I want to go to NZ and do the famous shotrover jets boats. I saw that on the travel channel and said , Oh, yeah!! I'll skip the bungee jumping but would also like the whitewater rafting. I don't even know what part of NZ it's on. I just know I want to do it!! shaggy

[djyamyam Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close djyamyam]

Before I die I want to go to NZ and do the famous shotrover jets boats. I don't even know what part of NZ it's on. I just know I want to do it!! shaggy

The Shotrover boating is down by Queensland, on the south island. All of NZ is a adrenaline junky's paradise but Queensland is the main lauching area. You also would catch the bus going to Milford Sound from there as well. If you're into bungy, you can go from there to the Nevis. It's 150 metres (495 ft) structure over a river where they take you out a on a sideways elevator with a glass bottom. Nothing like that to freak you out. We didn't do the jet boats though. Some folks that we were travelling with did and enjoyed the rush.

I forgot to mention that if anyone saw the Amazing race form a couple years ago, there was one challenge in NZ called the Zorb where you were inside a clear giant ball rolling down a hill. You can do that too near Waitomo (I think).

[rfk318 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rfk318]

N Island

Another short trip around Taupo is Oreki Korato. They have some nice thermal springs. You have to take a boat over to them. The mountain S. of Taupo looked interesting. They were in the clouds the entire week we were there. We went to the Mauri show in Taupo vs driving to Rotrua. It was very good. The Craters of the Moon hot springs was ok but not great.

I saw some comment about the Shotover jet boat. There are those kinds of rides all over New Zealand. There was one out of Taupo.

Don't forget Auckland. It is a wonderful city with boat tours to Devenport, walk up Mt Victoria to see some great pics of the harbor and Auckland. I will try to copy a link of some of my picture here from NZ. The PW is 852631 to see the pics. Let me know if this works. I have lots of Australia/New Zealand Picture online at Club Photo.

If the album is not clickable, cut and paste the following URL into your browser:
http://www.clubphoto.com/reward.php?...28352&pwd=44cb
If the album is not clickable, cut and paste the following URL into your browser:
http://www.clubphoto.com/reward.php?...28352&pwd=44cb

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

Great photos. Thanks.

If the album is not clickable, cut and paste the following URL into your browser:
http://www.clubphoto.com/reward.php?...28352&pwd=44cb
If the album is not clickable, cut and paste the following URL into your browser:
http://www.clubphoto.com/reward.php?...28352&pwd=44cb

[vinolover Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vinolover]

More movies

NZ have very diverse scenery. Queenstown is very dramatic with the southern alps and Milford sound is very interesting. Christchurch area is more english like and North Island is different again.

If you want to see some beautiful NZ scenery, try watching the Lord of the Rings movies or the Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe.. On my way to NZ, I watched Return of the King 1 full run and a couple partial runs of the movie..

Be sure to add "The Piano" and "Whale Rider" to your movie lists. Both have wonderful scenery of New Zealand.

[chubby Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chubby]

Hi All and Sydney
We have just spent two weeks in the North Island the Bay of Islands is out of this world with so much to see the best to see is going to see the hole in the Rock where they go though with the boat with just one metre each side of the boat to get though we went on what they called the cream boat run in which we stopped at a lot of islands and dropped off mail and goods
All so go to the Kauri Museum at Matakohe it is very good to and learn about how they get the kauri logs out of farm land they have been buryed under the ground for hundreds of years yet the timber is as good new and go to the forest on the west side going north Kauri trees thousands of years old this is all North of Auckland

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

I saw The Piano on a date with my husband and we did not enjoy it at all. Eww.

Anyway, Chubby, do you remember who you used for the cruise. I have found a few operators but not sure which one to use.

Am leaving next Sat for NZ and Tahiti so please tell all!

[chubby Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chubby]

Hi Sydney

We we went on Fullers cruise and went on what they called the cream run it goes around most of the islands and drops of mail and goods its called the cream run because it use to do that years ago it is an all day cruise in a twin hull type of boat they all so have a trip that just goes to the Cap Brett and the hole in the rock and also they have fast boat which goes like the wind you will get wet and cold if it is cold as you sit out side .
We also went on the Cape Reinga bus trip you go up to the very northern tip of NZ and see a lighthouse and on the way back they take you along the ninty mile beach for most of the way it is also a full day
An other trip we went is to the old town of Russell it is where the first capital of NZ was we went on a small bus trip and got all the history
Do take the side roads of the highway you see so much more we stayed at the Bishop Selwyn timeshare in Paihia it was very good there is two other timeshare there also we was only there a week ago and had a very good time hope do all so

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

Thanks for the info chubby. We decided against a timeshare this time because we only have a week on the Nth Island and really wanted to see several places.
I found the Fullers cruise website and will check it out.

We weren't really looking forward to the trip before as felt tired just thinking about travelling all the way to Tahiti and NZ with the kids, but now that it's only a wk away and we're reading up more about NZ and Moorea, the excitement's starting to kick in.