"Far and Wonderful" wine countries in AUS, NZ
My wife and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary next year and I have promised to take her away someplace "far and wonderful" as she puts it. I am working on an early March date for heading out. I was hoping to get some input on a few areas I am researching from people who have actually been there. First a bit about the trip...
The lovely Mrs. mdc definition of "wonderful" involves beautiful outdoor areas with plenty of creature comforts. Not 5 star, but nice sans stuffy.
We like being outside. Our running joke on vacations is we can judge the quality of a vacation by the number of meals we are able to eat outdoors (we live in Chicago so this is a special treat in March). We love to trail run, easy mountain bike, etc. Wine tourism is also fun for us (to a point). One of our favorite summer places in the US is Jackson, WY if that helps.
The key to this trip is we aren't looking so much for a bunch of tourist sites to check off our list as we are looking for places with a great feel. A 2 hour cup of coffee at a cafe, dinner on a rooftop terrace; that sort of thing.
So with that long introduction in mind I've been researching places in Australia and New Zealand that might work. Comments on my summaries and further suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. (I took her to Galena, IL for 10 years so I have major making up to do)
1) Waiheke Island - Looks nice, close to Auckland so easy to get to. It looks like a lot of people day trip here so I'm not sure what spending 3-4 days would be like. A bit pricey and not a ton of accommodation options.
2) Hunter Valley - It has the advantage of being close to Sydney (where we will be for a few days) but I guess it also has the disadvantage of being close to Sydney. ;-) I'm not quite sure if people stay here or just pop up for the day. No clue what the actual area is like except for the wine tours.
3) Barossa Valley - I love Shiraz. I have heard great things about Adelaide and this area. A bit more difficult to get here but it sounds like there are a lots of options and Kangaroo Island would be a nice side trip.
4) Queenstown etc. - Seems to be #1 on most peoples NZ list. That isn't necessarily good but I also hear a lot of "touristy but not in a bad way" which is encouraging. Seems like the center of the outdoor activity universe.
5) Marlbourough? Margaret River? Others?
Again, any and all help appreciated. Thanks All
mdc in Chicago