troyhouse

I would really appreciate if you can provide feedback/guidance on the following Aus/NZ itinerary in Dec 2015.


Day1-3 LAX-ZQN
Day4-Day6
-Milford Sound, Wanaka Lake, Queenstown Skyline
Day 7 ZQN-SYD
Day 8-10 Opera House, local attractions, Blue Mountain
Day 9 SYD-MEL
Day 10-11 Local attractions
Day 12 MEL-CNS
Day 13-14 snorkeling, scuba, great barrier reef, other stuff
Day 15 BNE-LAX

I will be using Skymiles for travel between LAX-ZQN/BNE and Avios for travel between cities in Australia, and buy tickets for travel from ZQN-SYD.

I would really appreciate if you can provide feedback,
-on the must see places for all of these locations
-is the number of days/dates too aggressive, or this should be enough to enjoy sights and locations.

thanks in advance.

im-headed-west

> too aggressive

Looks like a fun trip ! Seems a little busy but doable at first glance.

I'd check out rules on diving and air travel. I don't dive but I think there might be restrictions on min time required between the two.

Also, be aware that with such a tight schedule, weather could totally disrupt your GBR snorkeling/diving. I was in the area for 8 days and less than 1/2 were good to go out. You might consider planning in a backup plan for those days.

In addition to CNS for the GBR ... check out Port Douglas

Enjoy

kcupp95

So you've got two full days in Cairns? Do you fly to Brisbane morning of day 15?

Be aware that December is the wet/cyclone season. There's a good chance that it will be raining whilst your here.
It's also stinger season so you will need to wear a full body wetsuit/stinger suit whilst on the reef and swimming at beaches will be restricted.

I would spend one day at the reef and the other day going to Kuranda on the train/Skyrail.

Reef trips rarely get cancelled (unless there's a cyclone) it just might not be ideal weather if it's raining/choppy.
Look for a smaller operator not one of the massive ones - I found SeaStar really good.

You won't have time to go to Port Douglas or Cape Tribulation.

Depending on what time your flight from Melbourne arrives and your flight to Brisbane leaves, and you have access to a car you may have time to go to Palm Cove which is quite a nice beach 25 minutes north of the CBD.

bigapples

When in Sydney -
Walk the Harbour Bridge
Catch a Manly ferry and have fish and chips at Manly
Catch a ferry to Watson's Bay and have dinner at Doyles on the beach
And of course the Opera House
All can be done in one day

troyhouse

thanks everyone, very useful feedback

what is the best place to view nye fireworks in sydney? should i book a ferry/cruise or just find a good vantage point for new years fireworks?

number_6

NYE is SYD can be challenging ... the better hotels have minimum stay requirements (often 3 or 4 nights) and cost a fortune (triple the normal rate). The fireworks can be seen from your hotel room if you plan ahead, otherwise you are competing with several hundred thousand people. Lots of SYD NYE info already in FT if you care to search. Getting accomodation is your primary constraint, so take care of that now.

JClasstraveller

Can't stress this enough. OP MUST book accommodation NOW. There will not be any cheap deals. And be prepared to spend $AUD400/night for 3.5 star.

Minimum stay requirements are correct. There was a thread here towards the end of last year about NYE in Sydney - some good info in there.

im-headed-west

I'd suggest PD as an alternative to CNS ... much nicer IMO ... and has GBR operators also. Additionally, if the weather is too bad to go out and enjoy your snorkeling trip, PD is closer to alternatives such as Daintree/Cape Trib ... although in Dec, outside temps/humidity will most likely feel like you've walked into a sauna.

troyhouse

great point, thats the first thing i did, even before booking the flight tickets.

booked 4 nights at Westin Sydney for 12k spg points per night. I am debating between Westin and Sheraton on the the Park which is for same amount of points. Btw, Westin & Sheraton are both around 800 AUD per night without points for these dates, crazy rates.

i will check out the sydney/nye thread. thanks again.

cavemanzk

Agreed - I wouldn't goto Sydney for NYE done it an couple times and really wasn't as great as its made out to be. It's way to over crowed and expensive..

Just did the past NYE in Melbourne, way better experience. No problems with hotels, free transport, did have to que up all day and 20 minutes after the fireworks was back at the hotel.

faceboy

OP, had the same debate as you as I am also visiting NYE. Ended up booking the Westin as I preferred that location from my last visit to Sydney. Still trying to decide where to book to see fireworks.

troyhouse

thanks for the feedback, i was originally in westin but moved to sheraton on the park.

lets keep in touch on fireworks item. if u find something please pm and i will do the same.

NZbutterfly

For ZQN Have a look at the queenstownnz.co.nz website for attractions etc

Been down before but taking the nephews this time and am finding quite a few more attractions (well... for the kids to go to too) on the website.

Wanaka has a similar website. Puzzleworld might seem like a kids thing to do but I quite enjoyed it

The area is great in both winter and summer. I prefer summer/spring to see the colours. If you're into the outdoors there's plenty for you to do that time of year.

NZbutterfly

Bookme.co.nz is a website for discounts on activities etc. just plug in queenstown when you google it too.

troyhouse

wow, thats a great site. thank you very much.