I recently got it into my head that I'd like to visit Australia and New Zealand. I've been interested in both places for many years.

I understand that there are people on this Board from both places? I'd like some advice...

I'm thinking of spending one week in each country.

What places would you recommend a retired visitor to see and do?

What time of year would be best to go?

Any other advice/recommendations?

I would love to know as well. :) That will hopefully be my retirement trip, although it's still a ways off.

Add to that -- is it best weather-wise to see the South Pacific (Tahiti, Fiji, etc.) at the same time, or a different time?

I went to Rarotonga.It's in the Cook Island chain.It's basically a part of NZ, Kind of like Hawaii is to the States. Not near as touristy though. It was fabulous. The beaches were mostly vacant, the snorkeling was spectacular with no worry about sharks. The reef prevents them from coming in. The water was so warm, clear, and beautiful. Raro is like going back in time. No stop lights, too expensive to go online, and a very laid back atmosphere.Our hotel room was right on the beach and was only $100 a night. Food was simple but good everywhere we went.

If you go there, be sure to fly to Atatuki for at least one day to go on a boat and snorkeling tour. It's worth every penny. We stayed overnight in one of those little thatched huts that sit out in the water. It was pure heaven.

I can't wait to go there again. The only downside to any of it was the 10 hour flight out of LA.

I was there in February, it was beautiful perfect weather.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2016 08:02PM by madalice.

Please do come.

Australia is a fantastic place to visit and there is loads to do and see. Depends what you're into, but we have plenty of culture, the outdoor life is endless, great wineries etc etc

It gets bloody hot in summer, autum / spring is beautiful, winter does have some decent skiing around Thredbo, although the skiing in New Zealand is awseome - do heli-skiing - it'll make your balls tingle!

Superb whale watching in September/ October

The Aboriginal rock art is not to be missed and there is plenty of it.

Kakadu and Katherine National Park in the Northern territory is stupendous.

New Zealand is amazing - Bay of Islands on the North Island has fabulous local oysters.

There is a lot of travelling with rather large distances to be covered - you might see the inside of a few airports!!

I'm sure the other Aussie posters on here will chip in.

I live in Sydney. Come visit the Rocks with me - oldest pub in Australia that still brews its own beer on site.

"It gets bloody hot in summer, autum / spring is beautiful.."

I'm in the far North, so I'm assuming that the seasons down under are opposite to ours.

Specifically, what would be the best months to go there?

All of Australia is wonderful. Come between March and August to Melbourne, come to the MCG with me

When my wife's cousins went they spent a month there. The saw Sydney and then went into the outback to visit Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and then up to the Gold Coast and Brisbane....and they just scratched the surface. NZ would be an awesome place to visit. Just watching LOTR made me want to see it. I'd like to do a farm tour to compare notes (I'm a retired farmer).

RB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2016 11:33AM by Lethbridge Reprobate.

I did my mission there. I lived as far north as Mackay, up on the Great Barrier Reef (for eight months), and as far south as the Gold Coast on the QLD/NSW border. I wouldn't go there between about November through March. That's the rainy season, when it rains almost every day, and is oppressively hot and humid. When I was in Mackay, in December, it rained for literally two straight weeks without letting up, sometimes so hard that you couldn't see the houses across your street. The best weather is from around May through July. Queensland is tropical anyway, so even in the cool months, it's pleasant. Brisbane can get down in the high 30s on the coldest nights, but the further north you go, it's warmer.

IMO, the most interesting things to see are the Great Barrier Reef and the countryside around Mackay. Small planes fly tourists out to the islands where you can tour the reef. There are sugar cane fields all around, beautiful mountain ranges, and of course the beaches. On the Gold Coast, there's Lamington National Park, Steve Irwin's zoo, Currumbin bird sanctuary, Mt. Warning, the gorgeous beaches, surfing, etc.

I visited NSW for work in February. Once I got out of Sydney is was extremely hot but still a nice trip. It's a great place to drive around and explore in. Wonderful road trips if your into farmland and wildlife.

Lethbridge Reprobate:

If you ever go I can hook you up with some growers in the region. You can go out in the paddock and have some fun. I know a bunch of them from all over the country.

Thanks. There have been a number of NZ-OZ farm tours over the years. We've just never been able to afford them. Still hoping though.

RB

Visit in January, which is their summer. I would plan on spending at least 2 weeks just in NZ. The south island is the most beautiful part with high mountains, fjords, rugged coastline. Very wild and pristine most places.

Weather is warmer on North Island with forests with dense vegetation. Excellent surfing.

My favorites were Stewart Island, Doubtful Sound, most of the west coast of south island. Surfing on the North Island: Taranaki coast and Raglan, climbing Mt. Taranaki, Tangariro Crossing hike, Glaciers on south island, climbing Mt. taranaki. Kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park along the coast.

Queenstown has become a major tourist trap, reminds me of many resort towns in the US, stay on either side along the Highway Te Anau or Wanaka etc. Leave plenty of time for exploring national parks, beaches and rivers along the way.

The towns by the major glaciers have become tourist traps too, but tolerable.

September/October are "spring" down under.
Don't miss Adelaide...great weather, friendly people, one of the best of Australia's wine regions, lots to see & do. Sydney is vibrant and fun as well. You can skip Melbourne and not miss anything :)

I spent many months in Sydney & Adelaide. Summers (now) are hot, spring is wonderful. Go see & enjoy. Be sure to get outside at a dark location and enjoy the stars of the southern sky, which you can't see at all from up here.

Australia is a vast country and there is so much to see and do that that you would need to spend a lot longer than a week here.

As a couple of posters have said, "summer can get bloody hot ". Where I live in North Eastern Victoria we have recently had temperatures of up to 38 celsius (over 100 fahrenheit). So unless you really love the heat summer may not be the best time to visit. As a matter of personal preference, Autumn in the southern states is lovely.

The further north you go, the more tropical it becomes and summer (from December lst to the end of February) is usually the rainy season.

To quote -ificouldhietokolob - "Don't miss Adelaide...great weather, friendly people, one of the best of Australia's wine regions, lots to see & do. Sydney is vibrant and fun as well. You can skip Melbourne and not miss anything :)" I agree with the first part of his statement about Adelaide and Sydney, but I think he must have meant to say whatever you do DON'T miss Melbourne. It's a beautiful city, famous for it's restaurants, wide tree lined streets,and great public transportation system (which sometimes runs on time).

From the Great Barrier Reef up north, to the gigantic rock Uluru in the middle of Australia and the journey from east to west across the Nullarbor plain, Australia really does have something to suit all tastes.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2016 05:22PM by silvergenie.

So fall would be March, April and May? With spring being September and October? Which would be better?

It's a little hard for us "north of the equator" types to grasp. :)

Sort of.

Australia spans several climatic zones, so it's probably not useful to thing of the traditional 4 seasons you might see in North America.

The North of Australia has wet and dry seasons (no spring, summer, autumn, winter).

The further south you come, the seasons do become more recognisable as 4 seasons and are essentially opposite to your seasons ie: your spring us our autumn and your winter is our summer.

silvergenie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...I think he must have
> meant to say whatever you do DON'T miss Melbourne.
> It's a beautiful city, famous for it's
> restaurants, wide tree lined streets,and great
> public transportation system (which sometimes runs
> on time).

Sadly, no -- that's not what I meant.
Yes to all you said. I have to admit, though, that it reminded me somewhat of that empty Myanmar capital city, built so grandly, but with no people in it, just for show. Personally, I found the hotels overpriced, the restaurants mediocre & pricey (especially compared to Adelaide!), and little to no "vibe" in the place. Maybe I was there (3 times) when all the locals were on vacation? ;-)
I do have a great big super-sized Starbucks coffee mug that says "Melbourne" on it, though! Woo-hoo!

ificouldhietokolob wrote:-

"...it reminded me somewhat of that empty Myanmar capital city, built so grandly, but with no people in it, just for show".

Had a good belly laugh at this description of Melbourne. You must have been here when everyone was at the beach or clogging up the roads commuting back and forth to work.

Seriously though, every capital city in Australia has something to offer. Melbourne and Adelaide are my favourites with Hobart a close third.

The best advice I could give to anyone from overseas wanting to visit Australia would be:

- allow yourself as much time as you can possibly afford, but definitely more than 1 week.

- spend some time on google to determine what the various states and territories have to offer then choose where you want to go and what you want to do according to your particular interests.

- familiarise yourself with distances between the different capitals, (we use kilometers not miles over here) and interstate plane and rail travel is not very cheap and can vary by season. There are also a lot of companies which hire campervans, a reasonably economical way to go if there are two of you, but maybe a bit scary at first if you are not used to driving on the left hand side of the road.

- accomodation is plentiful and ranges from some free camping spots (in South Australia at least) to back packers hostels, caravan parks, motels, hotels, holiday houses and bed and breakfasts.

- enjoy your visit, Aussies are laid back friendly people, but don't try petting kangaroos or wallabies. I have seen them turn on people and those back legs have long claws.

I would suggest autumn as well. The summer wet has ended and the place is at it's greenest. If you only have a week I would recommend the wet tropics in North Queensland. You would also be near the Great Barrier reef.
If you visit the Northern Territory Lichfield NP is well worth a visit and trumps Kakadu IMO.

I can understand your confusion summer. Spring or autumn would probably both suit you, although I confess spring is my favourite time of year. In spring the weather would be fairly constant but slowly warming up and the opposite of course in the autumn where it would be cooling down. We are coming into Autumn now and it is cooling down somewhat, which I love. I always advise anyone visiting here to be prepared with clothing for all temperatures. Layers are the answer, and as long as you can layer clothing, you will be comfortable.

It is not as cold here as some parts of the US. UNless you intend to go skiing at specific places you will not need snow clothes etc. Simple layers with a warm beanie for night times and a pair of woollen gloves will do you fine. A windbreaker coat for over everything would be a good idea, but not too heavy a one (if you are going to desert areas). All of this stuff is available here and it may be best to purchase them here.

As to where to go, it depends on what you are wanting to see. If you love the cities, they are all unique and wonderful, so feel free to choose. I am biased towards Brisbane as I grew up there and it has a semi-tropical laid back feeling to it. Sydney on the other hand is very busy, and has a lot of history that can be explored as well as cultural things. The other capitals have their own flavour and are lovely.

If you want to visit country areas there are the coastal country towns and the inland ones, then the 'outback', once again each is different and very interesting. I recently went to Uluru and LOVED it. If you like beautiful scenery, the little town totally set up for tourists, and lots of Aboriginal history and traditions, you will love it. It is best to visit there in the winter in my opinion, NEVER summer although if you are careful autumn and spring would be suitable. YOu must be prepared for HUGE temperature shifts, it is desert country.

I have never seen the Barrier Reef but it is one of the wonders of the world and I can recommend from anyone who has seen it.

Please do come and see us, we would LOVE to have you!!

"I am biased towards Brisbane as I grew up there"

Fluhist, when did you live in Brissie? I was on my mission there from '74-'76. I knocked on doors all over Woollowin, Clayfield, Hendra, Bowen Hills, and Newfarm.

"I have never seen the Barrier Reef but it is one of the wonders of the world and I can recommend from anyone who has seen it."

I was in Mackay for eight months. I never saw the reef, of course, but I got to some of the beaches and offshore islands. Just north of Mackay are Cape Hillsborough/Halliday Bay national parks. On one of our off-days, a branch member took we four missionaries up there in a Morris Mini Moke. If you check out this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cA0PjTE1-M

We walked out to that island across the land bridge at low tide and spent a couple of hours wandering over it. The water is clear, and you can see coral, sea cucumbers, etc. Fantastic experience.

I lived in Brisbane for twenty years - it's a beautiful city, but a bit quiet for me.
I now live in Melbourne and I love it here - it's actually my favourite place in the world.
Australia has something for everyone - it's a huge and diverse country.
October is my favourite month - the jacarandas (particularly in Queensland) are stunning and the weather is mild.
A week, in my opinion, I not nearly long enough :-)

The "Top End" is tropical / subtropical in climate.

It only has 2 seasons - wet and dry.

"The Wet" is generally around November to March and is exactly as described.....temperatures often exceed 40 celsius and the humidity is mostly 100%. It's the sort of place where you get wetter out of the shower than in it! This is cyclone season and we usually expect a fair few cyclones to come ashore. If there aren't cyclones, the daily storms can be pretty impressive in their own right. The Wet is not really tourist season.

"The Dry" is marvellous - it is comfortably warm - t-shirts/short type weather. It is very pleasant weather and a great time to visit the Northern Territory - lots of fishing, boating, hiking. Some of the world's most beuatiful and famous National Parks, amazing indiginous culture and art.

It's just a shame you can't go in the water in the Top End

The "red centre" is not particularly welcoming during the hot summer - unforgiving sun, temps into the high 40's - not a great time to enjoy travelling. The winter is definatley best for places like Uluru.

Autumn in the South is fabulous and don't forget good old Tasmania, which does have distinct four seasons, except the other way round to you Northerners.

There is quite a few of us on this board who roam this gorgeous land, and I'm sure you'll receive a warm welcome wherever you go.

I live in Sydney, but also work in Darwin - hey, whats wrong with a 4,000 km commute?? I'd be happy to shout you guys a few cold ones in either place.

I can't speak for Australia. But for New Zealand, the best time to come over is from October/November around to April/may. That gets the best weather.

Essential places to visit here...

- bay of Islands: lots of picturesque sub tropical islands and beachs with crystal clear water.

- Rotorua: described as a thermal wonderland with plenty of Maori culture and things to see. Lots of natural untouched lakes surrounded by beautiful native bush. Mud pools, geysers, volcanic blah blah's

- Lake Taupo: trout fishing and plenty of tourist things to see and do. Snow skiing 45 mins away at Mount ruapehu

- Matamata: the Hobbiton film set exactly as it appeared in the movies. This is hugely popular with tourists. I visited it once and loved it.

- South Island: any of it is nothing short of amazing scenery. Lots of Lord of the Rings locations if thats what you're into.

Do not visit north Australia in Jan Feb or March. Hot and humid. Outback regularly over 100F at this time.

This time is good for the coast from Central QLD south. Warm to hot but not ridiculous. The Southern states and New Zealand get cold in winter but nothing like parts of the US. I think Spring or Autumn is best for Australia, summer for NZ unless you want the snow.

Remember Perth is further from Sydney than New Zealand is. Probably see the Barrier Reef, Sydney, Melbourne, then NZ - Rotorua Mount Ruapehu, and maybe the Southern Alps.

2 weeks is pretty short considering the flight out and distances in Australia.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/2016 08:13AM by ozpoof.

I have been to NZ and Oz twice and love both. Last trip I spent several days in Tasmania. If I go again in my lifetime, I will go straight to Tassie and spend the bulk of my time there. I loved the remoteness and the beauty. It is a well kept secret.

I'm in sunny Perth, capital of the very large state of Western Australia. It's best to visit here in spring....summer is very hot ( we've just had a run of days over 40 C). We tend to have hot , dry summers over here in the south west ( think southern California) so spring is a good time to visit. Things tend to be a bit dry and dusty after the summer heat until the rain starts again in late autumn.

Even though my state is beautiful with an amazing diversity of wildflowers and even trees found nowhere else if you have only a week to spend in Oz I'd recommend staying on the east coast.

If you ever do make it to Perth give me a shout. I'd happily show you around.

New Zealand is wonderous! I would really consider living there. The green emerald hills, sapphire glacial lakes, the fiordlands and rugged mountains of the South Island are truly spectacular! Bunjy jumping, yacht racing, and water-tubing the glowworm caves are must do adventures!

Hello randyj, I am glad to hear that you got to spend some time in Brissie even if your reception as a 'peddler of religion', may not have been overly friendly at times.. I lived over the other side of the city from where you were, but had left by the time you were there. I was married to my 'eternal companion' and having children willy nilly. The biggest mistake of my life ..... but that is a whole nother story.

It would be lovely if you could get back and visit us again, I hope that can happen!


All the very best from OZ!!!!