My parents and I decided to go to these 4 places next Spring (America's Spring) and would to go for about 3-4 weeks. We would like to see Sydney in Australia and perhaps Kangaroo Island, but not sure do to it might be overly crowded. In New Zealand we would like to see Milford and Doubful sound. We looked at pictures of Tasmania and it looks stunning and so does Fiji. What else is there to do in these countries to keep ourselves occupied?? Thanks!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Holding off on Tasmania for a bit, the other three places form a triangle with legs from about fifteen hundred to two thousand miles. Australia is about three quarters the size of the United States. Three or four weeks ? No way!
Fiji has to be tossed since it's more of a curiosity, anyway, and it'll rob three days just to get about a day and a half of looking around.
Tasmania is a place that's hard to get around. I've spent over a month there and haven't seen everything I want to.
Australia is so huge, you couldn't appreciate it in three months. You've got to pick one corner or something.
New Zealand is worth a month on each of the big islands, but you'd still miss a lot.
You'll see plenty of kangaroos, depending on where you go, without having to make a special excursion.
Here's a starting point. Two weeks in Australia and two in New Zealand.
For Australia, limit yourself to NSW, ACT, and Victoria, essentially the area from Sydney to Melbourne. Sydney alone is good for at least four days.
For New Zealand, limit yourself to South Island but only south of Christchurch. Spend as much time in the Southern Alps and on the coast as possible. You could include Stewart Island for three or four days if you hustle.
You don't have time for both sounds. Make it Doubtful.
Research these areas and you'll find way more than enough to do.
The good thing is that there is no part of either New Zealand or Australia that isn't magnificent. All I tried to do was give you a geographical concentration that makes pretty good use of the limited time you have available. An equally strong case could be made for anywhere else in either country.
Posted by
Seattle
4637 posts
We were five of us and flew to Melbourne in March 2005. Traveled around for one week in Tasmania by rental car. We never booked anything ahead and always were able to find a villa or apartment rarely hotel or motel. The same in Australia mainland. We had 2 weeks to travel from Melbourne to Sydney, on the way visiting wineries, conquering the highest mountain of Australia Mt.Kosciuzsko, stopping in the capital Canberra and several ocean resorts. While returning car in Sydney we found out that there was an un-welcomed passenger in our car (for how long we did not know) funnel web spider -- the most poisonous in the world. Well it was not our time. Australia was pleasantly uncrowded even in its most populous part where we traveled. It looks to me that you are trying to do too much in just 3 to 4 weeks.
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3299 posts
The only places they mentioned wanting to see in Australia w are Sydney and maybe Kangaroo Island. So they probably don't need two weeks for OZ,,especially if they skip the island.
Sydney is a good stop on the way between Seattle and New Zealand. Mthey could fly open jay into Sydney and back from Auckland. Travel between the two by air on a separate ticket.
If they are using Alaska Airline miles from Seattle, then Fijimcould be a plausible stop, as some mileage plan routines use Fiji Air and go from LAX to Fiji to Sydney. They would just need to ask for a stopover in Fiji.
Posted by
Adelaide, Australia
51 posts
Greetings from Australia!
The northern spring is autum in Australia and a great time for travel as the weather is lovely and school has gone back so tourist spots are less crowded. Your trip sounds great but not realistic in 3-4 weeks. The distances in Australia are huge and the national rail network is limited although flying between major cities is quite easy. Sydney is a great place to visit and would fit in well with a trip to New Zealand. Tasmania is easy to get around by car, lots to see, you could easily fill in 2 weeks there. Kangaroo Island is a little gem (I am South Australian so perhaps a bit biased!) but it is a bit difficult to get to, there are flights from Adelaide or the ferry from Cape Jervis (about 90 mins from Adelaide) and you need a car to get around unless you join a tour, 3 or 4 days would be plenty. I can't really comment on New Zealand other than having been told that a month there wasn't enough and that travel times are longer than expected in the South Island due to the winding roads. Fiji is great but a bit out of the way from Australia and New Zealand. I would suggest having a look at the state and national travel bureau sites to get a feel for what you want to see and how to get there, hop onto Skyscanner or something similar to check out flights and then see what is possible. The rest you save for future trips. Happy travels.