New Zealand Tasmania

New Zealand was very beautiful. Tasmania (Australia) was an incredibly welcoming experience. Each is vastly different from the other for culture, landscape, wildlife, etc. I would gladly return to both.

I believe Air NZ are going to be flying direct from Auckland to Hobart starting 22 April. Otherwise simply fly to Melbourne then take a 1 hour flight to either Hobart or Launceston.
Tassie is severely underrated by international tourists coming to Australia. I just jotted down a basic outline of places to visit and had a list of 30 towns/areas just off the top of my head. That didn't include some of the best as they would be too difficult for most tourists to get to.
So if you need any itinerary ideas let me know.

I would appreciate seeing the list of places you suggest in Tasmania.

A basic list without listing specific sights.

Hobart and Mt Wellington.
Richmond.
The Tasman Peninsula and especially Port Arthur.
Maria Island.
Most of the East Coast (special mentions. Swansea, Coles Bay, Wineglass Bay, Bicheno, St Helens, Binalong Bay, Bay of Fires).
Ben Lomond.
Launceston and Cataract Gorge.
Beaconsfield.
Great Lake.
Waddamana and Tarraleah hydro works.
Mole Creek (caves) and Alum Ciffs.
Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain.
The Tarkine Drive.
Zeehan.
Strahan.
Queenstown and West Coast Wilderness Railway).
Lake St Clair.
Mt Field National Park.
Strathgordon, Gordon Dam, Lake Pedder.
Recherche, Cockle Creek.
Huon Valley.
Bruny Island.

A lot of the best parts of the island are pretty inaccessible except by foot so I haven't listed those.
For example we did the 7 day South Coast Track Wilderness hike. We flew in on a light plane to a sand airstrip then hiked for a week before coming out of the wilderness at Cockle Creek to meet Australia's most southerly road and a bus back to Hobart.
Tassie has a great blend of stunning natural scenery and historic sites.
Port Arthur historic site and the Tasman Peninsula is perhaps the best example of this.

Anyway that should give you a bit of a starting point.

https://www.australia.com/en/places/tasmania.html

https://tasmania.com/

https://www.tourismtasmania.com.au/

If you’re keen on Rick Steves style small group tours of New Zealand and Australia, have a look at www.mondumo.com

I lead Rick Steves tours in Scotland and set up Mondumo Tours in New Zealand where I live most of the year.

At present (April 2022) we don’t have any tour dates set just yet, as the borders are just reopening. However, you can join our mailing list and follow our social media accounts if you’d like to be kept in the loop about future tour dates.

Best regards,
Colin Mairs

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/1323586514397609/posts/4236341443122087/?d=n

We have toured and worked in both countries. It’s easy. If you really need a tour, I would go with Colin Mairs. I think you would get the same Rick Steves experience you are looking for. Hopefully next year.

As a kiwi who has toured Tasmania- they are pretty similar in landscapes - Tasmania has an older European colonial history (and a more brutal one) - but over all they are not dissimilar. If you are looking for a contrast I'd consider northern Australia or Sydney.

The both have equally poor weather - so don't do what we did and camp in late April in Tassie - the season really is only Dec-Mar