We have flights booked to fly into Australia and out of Auckland, NZ. We depart the US on March 30 and fly into Cairns via Sydney, arriving April 1. We also have booked a late afternoon flight from Cairns to Sydney on April 6. We depart Auckland on April 18. I am thinking that we would spend 5 nights in Cairns (GBR, Daintree), 4 in Sydney (Sydney, Bondi beach), 5 in Queenstown (Milford Sound, Franz Josef) and the final 3 in Auckland. Does this sound reasonable? Should I adjust the number of nights anywhere? What's the best option for getting from the South Island to the North Island of NZ? Any recommendations for activities and places to stay are welcome!
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
It's approx 4-4.5 hours drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound and Franz Josef, in opposite directions.
My thinking would be to ...
Fly from Sydney to Queenstown.
Pick up rental car and drive to Milford (1 night).
Drive to Queenstown (3 nights).
Drive to Fox/Franz Josef (1 night).
Return rental car.
Fly from Hokitika to Auckland via Christchurch.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Oh, and don't stay in Cairns. Look at Port Douglas or Palm Cove.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2822 posts
You can't go wrong no matter how you do this but...
Suggest deleting one of your days in Cairns and spending the extra day in Sydney. While there are some fun things to do in Far North Queensland (the reef, Daintree, Kuranda, etc.) it really can't compare to Sydney (IMO). For a first time visitor just exploring the beautiful city using the ferries could easily take a week, and that's before you add in day trips to the Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley, and the gorgeous beach community of Manly - worth a day all by itself - and a totally different experience than Bondi.
I agree that staying in Port Douglas or Palm Cove would be a better alternative than staying in Cairns itself.
Check Jetstar for low fares on direct flights between Sydney and Queenstown. With such limited time available I'd skip the trip up to the glacier...nice but not worth the amount of time it would take to get there, and is therefore a bit of an outlier in my opinion. Better to concentrate on Queenstown and its environs: suggest a day trip down to Glenorchy, maybe continuing around the lake to hike part of the Routeburn track. The Deer Park just above Queenstown is a little hidden gem of a place. It featured prominently in the Lord of the Rings trilogy - you'll recognize several filming locations as you hike around.
The village of Te Anau is a pretty little place and would be a good base for a day or two exploring Milford Sound...about an hour away as I recall rather than the long, long day it would take to get to the Sound from Queenstown. There are several other excursions available from Te Anau. The boat trip to see the glow worm caves on the other side of the lake sounded pretty corny but turned out to be great fun. Te Anau was another LOTR film location. Some nice hikes there as well.
If you could carve out an extra day or two the college town of Dunedin near the Otago peninsula is quite nice, and the penguin colonies are very well done.
Air NZ has plenty of flights connecting all of the major cities on the South Island to Auckland. I think that a full 3 days there would be overkill, quite honestly,. Better to spend the extra time enjoying the South Island - one of the most beautiful places you'll ever visit.
Safe travels.
Posted by
NSW Australia
703 posts
Stephen, I think you have received some very good suggestions thus far. Robert has given you some great advice.
Posted by
Adelaide, SA, Australia
977 posts
Another vote to stay in Port Douglas or Palm Cove rather than Cairns. Whilst I agree there is so much to see in around Sydney, Far North Queensland is a 'must see' in my opinion. One of my favourite places in the world.
Posted by
USA (previously India)
145 posts
The day before your visit to the Great Barrier Reef, I would suggest you stay no farther that Palm Cove or Kuranda unless you are a morning person. From both of these places, it would take you about 45 minutes to an hour to drive to the wharf. Port Douglas, I believe, would add another 30 to 45 minutes at least.
- Porcupyn
Posted by
2 posts
Hi mate,
You've got Cairns covered. I recommend spending a day visiting one of Sydney's city beaches and topping one night off with drinks under the Opera House, any bar in Darling Harbour another night, and perhaps another in Sydney's heart, The Rocks. Other points of interest include the Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney Tower, and Hyde Park. You could also make a day trip to the Blue Mountains. It all depends on what you like. Sydney and the surrounding region have so much to offer.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4044 posts
I'm glad to hear you're touring New Zealand, excellent in all ways for visitors. But Queenstown, charming as it is (and a centre for the adventure stunts the country likes, home of the bungee jump) remains a small place. You might consider dropping a day or two there in favour of hitting the capital, Wellington, for a stopover on your way to Auckland. Or the eerie geothermal attractions of Rotorura, from geysers to bubbling mud on the golf course, would be a change of pace. http://www.fourcorners.co.nz/new-zealand/rotorua/