Auckland NZ and Sydney AUS hotels and sights

I haven't been to Australia. In Auckland, we stayed 3 nights at the Travelodge Hotel Auckland Wynyard. Very clean, helpful staff, great location and a large room. It is right in the midst of the downtown sights and by the dock for the ferries. Comparatively speaking, the rate was excellent.

Jules m,
thank you, this looks like a good Auckland option

The Mondumo tour I took in New Zealand stayed at this hotel. It was very nice and well-located.

QT Auckland Viaduct Harbour
4 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland
(entrances on Viaduct Harbour and on Customs Street West)
https://www.qthotels.com/auckland/

I actually just flew back home to Australia from Auckland on Saturday.
Sorry I am no help re hotels as we travelled by campervan. We did stay at a cheap ($USD60 a night) near the airport our first night due to a hiccup picking up the campervan. But I doubt you want to stay in the 'burb of Mangere.

What would I do if I had 4 nights in Auckland?
Well I probably wouldn't stay in the city, it's a very nice city but there is much to see elsewhere.

Purely my choices on recent experiences.

Number one option would be doing the 2 hour trip to Hobbiton even if you haven't seen The Hobbit movies. I hadn’t but I loved this place. You need to book in advance and it does cost quite a bit, about $USD70 a person. I thought it well worth it.
Instead of heading back to Auckland afterwards I would head to cute little Te Aroha for the night. It's an old spa town. It has some lovely walks, not sure of your fitness but there are some big Kauri (giant native trees) not far into the forest. There is a nice little museum costs $USD3. Gives a good insight into the town history. This is only really an option if you have a car. There are plenty of options to get out and back tours to Hobbiton from Auckland if you don't have a car.

Number two option, only if you have a car.
Up the East Coast about 90 mins away is a lovely little town called Waipu. Magnificent coastline, great beaches. Interesting town history. Check out the Scottish Museum $USD6. Head out to Waipu Caves. You can pay $USD26 to do the Milky Way glow worm cave tour or be like us and go 2kms further up the road and self guide yourself for free in the Waipu Cave (12kms from town). You need a light and spare shoes as it is wet under foot. Piece of cake no more than 100 metres and plenty of glow worms.
A bit of a local secret is a beautiful waterfall in the Waipu Gorge. Easy little jaunt from the road, you might get wet feet again if you want great photos.

Number three option closer to Auckland (45 mins) if you do want to stay in the city but again needing a car is Piha Beach. Lovely black sand beach. Great rock formations. Nice hilly forest drive to get there.

Sydney.
Again I am no help with hotels.
When I visit Sydney I don't stay in the city but head up to either Katoomba or Blackheath in the Blue Mountains. Plenty of speccy scenery up there. Nature aplenty.
Mechanical options near Katoomba offer some cool experiences.
A train runs from the city up into the Blue Mountains so you can get there without a car.
I usually just do the city stuff on the days of arrival and departure as I find Sydney city too big and crowded to hang about too long.

Probably not part of your plan but I thought I'd throw them out there anyway.
Cheers.

Renee
Thanks for the hotel recommendation. I will check it out.

Eatsrootsandleaves
Thanks for the Hobbiton recommendation. I have heard of this before and sounds quirky and fun. We won’t be renting a car so will be using uber for short trips and maybe a tour or two. Ant thoughts on Waiheko Island day trip?
Outside Sydney, a train trip to the Blue Mountains sounds nice. I’ve also seen there are tours that go there.

Just popping on to say that I think you will really enjoy your Azamara Cruise. I’ve gone on them twice and each was a very positive experience.

I took my children to Waiheke Island 24 years ago. We caught the ferry then the local bus out to a lovely beach. So it is very doable without a car.
I didn't get there on our recent trip.
24 years ago we visited the Auckland Museum and were very impressed. My wife and I turned up at the front door a week and a bit ago only to find it locked. Unfortunately during works they uncovered asbestos and had to close it temporarily. I am sure it will be open again soon.

There are some alternative transport options to get to Piha Beach and the surrounding forest areas if you don't have a car. I believe Zippys run a shuttle bus and I think there may be some public buses out to those parts. It is quite a beautiful spot and in Feb the weather should be nice for a swim or splash. Also misses the summer school holidays so during the week it shouldn't be too crowded.

I recently spent 4 weeks in Australia, returning home a month ago today. We finished our trip with 5 nights in Sydney and never ran out of things to do. We didn’t go to the Blue Mountains because my friend wasn’t interested. We stayed at Adina Apartment Hotel in Surry Hills. The hotel was very nice and I loved the location.

What is your budget for hotel?

Sydney Museums (I'm a museum lover)- these are some that I visited, walkable (a distance for some) from the hotel I choose. Should be easy to find info to see if to your interests - generally popular places:
Australian Museum
Australian National Maritime Museum
Anzac Memorial
The Rocks Discovery Museum
Susannah Place
Art Gallery Of New South Wales

Sydney Zoo is excellent - terrific exhibits of Australian animals. Access is by ferry - easy and good views from harbor

Sydney Opera House has guided tours of the inside if interested. You can also walk into the building, but won't see the theater areas on your own. (unless things have changed....)

Botanic Garden is vast and city center - guided tours available

There are a number of good walks/hikes in and around Sydney. From the link below, I did the Congi to Bondi walk and Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay Walk. Not rugged hiking, but some ups and downs on rolling hills. https://www.sydney.com/things-to-do/nature-and-parks/walks/best-walks

Chinese Garden of Friendship surprised me. I'd lived in Asia and thought I knew a lot about Chinese Gardens by culture, philosophy and botany, but I had extra time and stumbled on a free tour of this small garden. Quite enjoyed it. Probably not a "must see", but if this is a particular interest, I can recommend a stop. https://www.darlingharbour.com/precincts/chinese-garden

Blue Mountains (mentioned above) is a popular day trip from Sydney by train. Because it is into a gorge for good hiking trails, trails can have many stairs. It is possible to walk along the top of the gorge from viewpoint to viewpoint or take a bus. Not sure I would find that appealing as an option with a limited number of days in the area - top of the gorge is sidewalks and crowds and views less stunning than going into the canyons (my opinion). https://www.australia.com/en-us/places/sydney-and-surrounds/guide-to-the-blue-mountains.html Some like the Scenic Railway, Cableways, Skyway, and Walkway. It can become very busy with long lines, but you do go down into the gorge. https://www.scenicworld.com.au/attractions/scenic-railway

I had over a week in Sydney - you will have no lack of things to do in a shorter time frame!

Auckland Museums (again from the museum lover) The obvious, but I enjoyed:
New Zealand Maritime Museum
Auckland Art Gallery (limited - but I can't pass up an art museum. I don't feel the need to return)
Auckland War Memorial Museum (currently closed)

I think I had five or six full days in Auckland - I took a couple ferry trips - a birding trip to Tiritiri Matangi Island, hiking - Rangitoto Island Summit Walk, Waiheke Island - wineries and hiking. Check the offerings from Fuller Ferries if you are interested. https://www.fullers.co.nz

ORDtraveler
Thanks for all the recommendations. Just what I was looking for. Our budget for a Sydney hotel is about $200 US,

Andrea
Thanks for the info on Alina in Sunny Hills. I am not familiar with that area, is it in a good location to get tonsights. We will be using uber or public transport to get around

Auckland-day trip to Tiritiri Matangi Nature Preserve
definitely Hobbiton
day trip to winery on Waiheke Island
Auckland Museum
day trip to the Glowworm cave
Can you tell that I really loved this part of NZ?

Sydney-Taronga Zoo-be aware that there are two zoos in Sydney-we had purchased tickets online for the other one
We didn't do this but maybe attend a performance at the Opera House
We went on a Blue Mountains tour and I don't feel I would have missed much if we hadn't gone
4 nights in Sydney might be too much for me

From Adina Surry Hills https://www.adinahotels.com/en/apartments/sydney-surry-hills/ we walked to many places, took buses and trams, and after a performance at the Opera House we took an uber back because it was late and we were tired. We also took an uber from the airport and then back again. Surry Hills is a pretty cool area. We took a 10 day tour mid-trip and our tour guide told me that if he lived in Sidney he would want to live there. A plus is that it has a lot of restaurants. You could be there for weeks and never go to the same place twice. Of course there are restaurants in other areas as well.

Lucky for us the US$ is strong against the AUS$.

There are day tours from Auckland that include both Hobbiton and a glow worm cave. Many providers, here’s an example. Don’t panic at the NZ dollar price shown - much less in USD!!!
https://www.newzealand.com/us/plan/business/navi-outdoor-tours-new-zealand/

I have never seen a Hobbit movie. I went on the tour because of all the recommendations. The sets were cute and impressive. Lunch was terrific. Not really “me”, but a pleasant outing and something different. ( I had time for extras that weren’t “must sees” for me during my Auckland stays.)

The glow worm caves I found rather fascinating. I had spent time outside of Auckland where they are located and visited several different caves; a joint tour like posted above would give you a good experience of the glow worms if that is of interest to you.

Another day tour I took to the Cormandel Penninsula: https://www.everythingnewzealand.com/coromandel-day-tour-and-driving-creek-railway-auckland-1906/?gc_id=22149797004&g_special_campaign=true&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22149817104&gbraid=0AAAAAo0JpHZFgshhKBAbTmv1flylBk0yI&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6Mb9vuGyjQMV_SXUAR0LZCWEEAAYAyAAEgJ3ifD_BwE

Good point about Sydney’s Taronga Zoo above. That is the big one on the harbor.

As noted, there is a much more commercial “zoo”, Wild Life. Indoor, can get very crowded, I did visit, early AM. There were some good presentations and “animal encounters “, but check current reviews if you think you might be interested. It is next door to Sea Life - aquarium franchise (or general corporate enterprise - there are Sea Life’s in many cities on multiple continents.).

For 5 nights in Sydney post cruise, I am looking at the Meriton Suites on Sussex. Those of you familiar with Sydney, does this look like a good location? The studio suite is very affordable.

We stayed at the Meriton on Sussex a few years ago and to be honest, it wasn’t a wonderful experience. The rooms were a bit tired, the staff offhand and the location isn’t the nicest.
Actually, our favourite place to stay in Sydney is the Adina in Surry Hills, so I was interested to read Andrea’s recommendation. It’s not right in the centre of the city, but easy enough to catch the light rail to Circular Quay - tap on and off with a credit card. It’s just such a nice leafy area to stay in with lots of local cafes, pubs and restaurants, and a supermarket around the corner. And it’s moderately priced for Sydney.

Is there anything in the Circular Quay or Rocks area that fit your preference for hotel type and budget?

Ethel and ORDtraveler
Thank you for your frank feedback on the Meriton, I will eliminate that one. I will also revisit the Alina in Surry Hills as it sounds easy to access ferries and sights in Sydney. I love beach towns. Is it easy to explore some of the beaches from Surry Hills? I’m trying to keep it affordable ($250US range) so we could extend our stay a week. We won’t see much of Australia on the cruise, just Eden and Sydney. We could break it up with a couple nights at the Rocks or Quay, and then move elsewhere, but it is nice to just settle in at one convenient place
ORDtravelor
Thank you for the link to walks around Sydney. This is great.

In addition tonEden and Sydney, there is a day and a half in Hobart, Tasmania on the cruise. Really looking forward to that

I know I had "loyalty points" that I used for my hotel in Sydney - I get the price can be high otherwise.

The public transport was good and easy to use in Sydney. I'm "out of shape" on that - a few years since I was there and things change. For instance, life has become easier (in my opinion) since contactless CC payment options have become available. Maybe taking an over view look at generalities like on this page would open up possibilities for hotel location:
https://www.sydney.com/travel-information/transport

I empathize with you - finding a hotel in a city for a first visit is not always easy.

Remember that the prices you see are in Australian dollars. It will be far less in USD. We took a bus to Bondi Beach. The bus stop was walkable and not far away. In February it is still their summer. We were there in Sydney in mid-April and the bus was standing room only. It was the Friday before Easter so that may have made a difference.

I forgot to mention that you might consider going to Manly Beach by ferry. If you walk to the right hand side of the main beach you can walk to Shelly Beach from there.

Thank you for all your help and great ideas. I think I have penciled in a plan. We booked our flights to Auckland using points and will arrive 3 days before we start the cruise. You have given me 2 great options for hotels close to the harbor. Planning museums on day one while dealing with jet lag, then Hobbiton tour and a ferry trip on the following two days.
Sydney
I am thinking that the Adina Apartment Hotel in Surry Hills which is a neighborhood of Sydney will be perfect for us. I realize now that it will be easy to get to the CBD of Sydney to see the zoo, museums, the Botanical Gardens as well as catch ferries to several beaches and walks. The apartments look great for a week long stay without the hustle of being right downtown, plus I get a balcony for my morning coffee and evening beverage. Also it’s very affordable so we can stay longer. I would have never found this place without your input. Thanks so much!

Surry Hills isn’t really near any beaches. I don’t think there are any right in the Sydney CBD area - plenty of waterfront but I can’t think of any beaches as such (I’m happy to be corrected if someone knows of any, as I don’t claim to be a Sydney expert).

A popular easy trip from Circular Quay by ferry is to Manly which does have beaches and walking tracks.

We have stayed in Coogee quite a few times which is a nice laid back Aussie beachside suburb with a swimming beach and ocean baths. The Coogee to Bondi walk as mentioned above is well worth doing. There are buses to the CBD but it is a reasonable distance, so I wouldn’t think very suitable for commuting to the main sites like the Opera House, Rocks, Art Gallery. Unless you would like to split your time between two locations if you have time. I’m not sure if the Coogee Crowne Plaza would be in your budget but it has nice views. It also has relatively easy access to the airport.

We did an Azamara cruise last year although we departed from Sydney, rather than arrived. Don’t miss the cruise into the harbour, it’s spectacular. The only slightly sad part is that Azamara had to dock at White Bay, not Circular Quay (we had 2 nights on board in Sydney) but they do offer shuttle buses. We walked from the White Bay dock to Balmain to have a look around, lunch and swim in the Dawn Fraser baths.

Lyn I didn’t see your most recent post before my last reply. I think it’s a great choice to stay at the Adina - nice to be settled for a week. Enjoy Sydney :)

I have been mulling over Ethel’s suggestion of Coogee beach. It looks like a wonderful beach location to end our trip. I am now considering 2 or 3 nights in Sydney’s CBD, the Radison Blu or QT Sydney are within budget. Any thoughts on either of those or other CBD hotels in a good location around $300US? From there taking an uber to Coogee beach for 3 or 4 nights. The Coogee Bay Boutique hotel is within budget and there are a few others. Again thanks for your input.
Thoughts?

Our Moatrek tour stayed at the M Social on Quay St. in Auckland. Nice hotel in a great location for sightseeing and restaurants.

I’ve stayed at the Radisson Blu, although it was a few years ago, and it’s a nice hotel. I haven’t stayed at the QT. I think they are both in good central locations. If you enjoy drinks/cocktails outdoors with a view, check out the Library Bar on the top of the State Library of NSW which is not far away from the Radisson (you may need to book, but can easily be done online).
I hope you enjoy Coogee if you decide to go - I think it’s got a bit of a quintessentially Aussie beachside holiday vibe.