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Planning Oz and NZ trip

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  • 07-12-2009 4:48pm
    #1
    celestial
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,602 ✭✭✭


    Hey folks

    Myself and a mate are heading to Oz and NZ next March for 3 weeks and it'd be great to get advice on how to plan it. We wanna see Syndey but also the coast - Whitsundays, Great Barrier Reef, Byron Bay etc - as well as heading to New Zealand for at least a week.

    Any ideas on how to plan this re getting from one place to another? E.g. fly into Brisbane, travel round the coast (the Whitsundays/Great Barrier Reef are very far from Brisbane though!!) then fly from Brisbane to Sydney and on to NZ?

    Another option is to just base ourselves in Sydney and get internal flights, but doesn't seem to make sense to fly to Syd and then double back going up the coast...


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    #2
    goonbob
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭goonbob


    Hi Op, I'd suggest either extending your trip or cutting down on things you want to see.

    The place is bigger than you expect and the distances between places are huge. Personally, I spent almost 6 weeks travelling around NZ and about 7 weeks on East Coast Oz. Granted, I did spent time boozing and working on my tan but 3 weeks in total is very little.

    Maybe pick up a Lonely Planet guide book and try to prioritise what you have to see. Or maybe look into a package tour where you can see the Reef and they'll get you on the bus to see the Whitsundays immediately, etc.

    But definiely internal flights are the way to go if time is an issue. For example Brisbane to Airlie Beach (where you depart to see the Whitsundays) takes a minimum of 18hrs by bus.

    In NZ a car or campervan is a must as the majority of sights are way out in the sticks and it would probably take 6 months to see the place using public transport.


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    #3
    Delorian
    Registered Users Posts: 198 ✭✭Delorian


    Yeah, goonbob (good name!) is spot on. You may be able to drive to most of the things you want to see if you intend sleeping while travelling and not getting out of your transport. But you are completely underestimating the size of this place, and apart from that, it's a holiday, so you shouldn't try and squeeze things in no matter how long you have.

    Either expand your trip (massively) or cut your loses, realise you'll be back for a longer time if you like it, and enjoy properly seeing one or two areas. With 3 weeks your dealing with jet-lag, overnight transport, relying on transport times, day tours, etc. You'll sacrifice your enjoyment and memories if you try and do too much.

    In 3 weeks you could consider doing New Zealand or Queensland alone quite well. If you're hell-bent on Sydney (I don't see the attraction myself), you could nicely do Sydney, Melbourne, Great Ocean Road and Adelaide.

    I didn't do the remote areas of Aus, but I thought Queensland was the most amazing part, Melbourne was the nicest city with Brisbane second, and I just totally love NZ, so I guess I'm biased.


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