No choice - only have 12 days next month - 4/23 - 5/7 Australia and New Zealand!

I am also planning a trip to Australia and New Zealand. I am currently looking at taking a tour due the great distances and number of airplane flights it will take to see the places I want to see. I realize that a tour will probably not work for you since you are committed to your dates, but you might get some good ideas on where to go by looking at various tours and seeing where they go.

thank you so much.........good luck planning your own trip!

A year ago January we went to Sydney, NZ South Island, and Melbourne, but we had 23 days, not 12. Most of our time was in New Zealand where we did lots of hiking. Some of the hikes we did, such as the Milford Track, are difficult or unavailable after April. Not sure if even the cruises on Milford Sound run in May. This is late autumn there and it could be quite cold at higher elevations.

Where in New Zealand does your daughter want to go?

If you choose New Zealand, it is easy to get there and back from either Sydney or Melbourne. We flew open jaw, Sydney to Christchurch and then Queenstown to Melbourne. I booked each flight one-way, one on Emirates and one on New Zealand Air. There are other options as well. I recall the flight time as about three hours but my be wrong on that.

It might not be the best time for the Barrier Reef either, or it may be fine. But you should look into it before committing to that excursion. I know my husband went in July and it was too cold and rough to snorkel, but July is mid-winter.

On a previous trip to Australia we arrived on April 25, which is Anzac Day, an important holiday. We had great weather for ten days in Sydney and the Outback----warm and sunny, but not hot.

Maybe it would have been better to put your question under Beyond Europe than General Europe.
I just came back from NZ, had almost one month for it. 12 days seems too little for NZ and Australia where I was about 10 years ago and in three weeks did Tasmania and leisure drive from Melbourne to Sydney. To enjoy my trip in 12 days I would do just Sydney and surroundings, maybe GBR. Theoretically of course it is doable what Lola suggested, you can fly from Sydney to Christchurch, rent a car, go to Queenstown, stop at Mt.Cook village (if the weather cooperates) and then from Queenstown to Milford Sound (worth it only if the weather cooperates). Then fly from Queenstown to Melbourne. But personally I would not do it. Too hectic, too much hassle.

Personally, given the time you have I would consider not going to NZ. it is a great place but time is not on your side. there really is so much to see in and around Sydney. if you are considering GBR or Melbourne then look out for some budget flights with Jetstar etc.
if you are here in April/may the weather should be nice, starting to get cooler. but not cold as such. (The south island of NZ would be getting cold by comparison)

Your daughter no doubt might know all the interesting things to see around the harbor and no doubt will want to take you there. eg: the rocks, the bridge climb, the opera house, ferries on the harbor, the zoo, botanic gardens etc etc. this will take some time out of your time
While I don't live in Sydney it really is a spectacular harbour to visit ( particularly if the weather is nice) compared to other major cities around the world.

A few hours travel from Sydney are places like The Blue mountains, Port Stephens, the Hunter valley vineyards to name a few
http://www.visitnsw.com/
www.bluemts.com.au/
www.portstephens.org.au/about-port-stephens/visitors-guide

you should be able to book day trips or short stays at these. they should give you a real taste of Australia, without spending all your precious time travelling. Think of Australia like the USA ( about the same size) its impossible to see it all. so enjoy the scenery in a select few places without too much travelling and airports.

I hope this helps

If your flights are already booked R/T to Sydney then I agree that you really don't have enough time to include NZ in your plans. If the flights aren't already booked, and if you can do a multi-city trip (USA-SYD-AKL-USA) then it might work, but you'd still be short-changing Australia in my opinion.
Sydney alone is worth 4-6 days. Buy a multi-day pass on the ferries and use them as a hop-on, hop-off service to explore the most beautiful city on earth. I also agree with a previous poster regarding day trips to the Blue Mtns, Hunter Valley, etc. There's plenty to keep you occupied there as a first time visitor.
Using Jetstar, the Aussie low-cost airline (their motto: "we may be cheap but we're also uncomfortable") you could string together a very affordable itinerary to get you up to Cairns for the GBR, and thence to Adelaide (a very pretty city in its own right) where you could rent a car for the drive along the Great Ocean Road back to Melbourne, from where you could either return to Sydney for your flight or just fly back home from there directly. Might even be able to add a day trip to Uluru for a taste of the outback.
Lots of options, but I'd save NZ for a future trip. The South Island alone deserves several weeks to explore it properly.

if you do happen to investigate options like Port Stephens, then please consider a short stay ( even one night) if that is possible. places like Port Stephens have a lot to offer (that is why so many aussie locals holiday there in the summer etc) while doing say a day trip from Sydney would be very good ( perhaps going on a dolphin cruise etc) it can be a big day.

whereas if you "could' stay that little bit extra time (in these places) you get to explore the natural beauty.
one example of this is, there is a spot at Port Stephens called Fly Point where you can snorkel in a marine reserve or just walk into the water ( literally meters from the road) and feed reasonably large fish ( with a bit of bread etc). all for free. or walk the nice cycle-way path to Dutchies beach or walk to the lookout cafe on Nelson Head/ Inner light house at Little Beach,perhaps climb Tomaree head land. these activities are typically only a short distance from the main shops of Nelson Bay. ( There is so much more to discover)
All of these activities are often lost on day trippers who often only get to see the main mariner of Nelson Bay ( where the bus drops them off to get the dolphin/whale watching boats)
I see it happen year after year, unfortunately.
so perhaps rather than spending lots of time travelling , spend a little more time investigating whats special about a particular place.
hopefully this may help your planning.

This has already been incredibly helpful!......thank you everyone who has taken the time and energy to respond to a stranger in Atlanta, Georgia!!

As mentioned, unfortuntately we cannot extend our trip.....my daughter has to be back to work on that Monday. I know it is a very short time to explore that part of the world, but I'm grateful that I have daughters, 22 and 27, who want to travel with me.

Though i know there is much to see in the huge country of Australia, we have decided that we are going to go to the south of New Zealand for 5 nights. We can then spend time in Sydney the first days. Fly to NZ for 5 or 6 nights, then spend the last 5 nights doing some day trips outside of Sydney.

My daughter who is studying abroad has classes all day on both Tuesdays, so we have to be back for those, which breaks up our trip. That's ok

For NZ, a travel agent is suggesting us flying to ChristChurch= spending 2 nights at a new'ish place called Hotel Montreal by The George - doing a small group excursion one day of Akaroa, then the next day
doing an all day Coach bus with stops in Mt Cook then eventually Queenstown. Not really excited about an all day bus trip.
Then she has us staying in Queenstown for 3 nights at the Peppers Beacon on the lake........ one day doing the Milford Sound Nature Cruise, and following day doing the Dart River Wilderness Safari.

A friend just suggested flying in and out of Queenstown, and avoid the 12 hour bus day. Said to maybe helicopter somewhere instead. She also said that the earthquake several years ago really did a toll on Christchurch, and it's not necessary to really see it.

Any thoughts, my new friends?

seeing you asked. my son and girlfriend just got back from a 2 week driving tour of the south island. ( I have been there twice before) and yes Christchurch has suffered a lot. they flew into and spent time in and around queenstown. if I only had 5 nights there I would spend it around queenstown etc.
New Zealand is a spectacularly nice place, but If I can be brutally honest, you have to be very prepared for bad weather( cold and rainy) I never got to see milford sound, due to weather and my son had a boat trip on milford sound in pouring rain. most of his trip was under cloudy rainy skies. he did visit christchurch, the photos show a lot of empty places where buildings once stood. maybe someone else can give you more details?

when I went to the south island we either skied an/or caught helicopters/planes over the glaciers and mountains. the scenery is breathtaking up high. driving around at 'ground level' it is very nice but you don't get to see the lakes and mountains in their true splendor. if you know what I mean. if you like extreme sports then queenstown has it all. it really depends on what you are after.

i really hope this has been helpful and not dampen your enthusiasm.

Not being one eyed, but it's a much better time for tropical North Queensland than South Island of NZ.

23-26/04 Sydney (for class)
27/04 Blue Mtns (overnight or day trip)
28/04-1/05 Palm Cove or Port Douglas for Barrier Reef (book return flights Sydney-Cairns)
2/05 Sydney (for class)
3-4/05 Melbourne

5-6 days in the Queenstown area will give you a reasonable taste of what this glorious area has to offer. If you can get to Glenorchy (just down the road along the lake from Queenstown) try to go there.
Taking a long bus ride in the South Island of NZ is not a hardship. Gives you an opportunity to take in the stunning scenery. If you fly to Queenstown, that will give you more time on the ground there. Bit of a balancing act. Spending a couple of days in Sydney before heading to NZ is a good idea.