South East Asia and Australia/NZ with a toddler and preschooler - advice please!!

[ChocolateIsMySleep]

Hi all,

So we've taken the plunge and DP has booked 9 weeks off work for a grand trip before DD1 starts school in 2016...

We're planning a week or so in Malaysia/Thailand/???? then on to Australia then New Zealand then another week somewhere on the way back. Any recommendations for places to go/avoid and tips very gratefully received!

Thank you!

I would suggest visiting Singapore, HK, Bali, Sydney, South Island NZ, Phuket and Hanoi.

However I think this trip with two such small children would be very hard. Personally I would wait until they are older, when they will be able to cope with bugs better and will be able to remember the trip.

I think that age would be fine. We took dd to Australia when she was 2 and Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei/Borneo when she was 4.

Borneo was lovely - we visited an orang-utan sanctuary and stayed for a few days in the jungle (google Uncle Tan).
Thailand and Bali are very relaxing and child-friendly - took dd to both of those when she was older.

In Australia, whale watching in Hervey Bay was one of our highlights. We went to the Great Barrier Reef, but that would have been better if dd had been older. We took turns staying on the beach with her, but it would have been lovely to go out snorkelling or diving together. We also liked the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Platypus Bushcamp in Eungella (we managed to see a platypus swimming in the river), Muddy's Playground in Cairns and Daintree Rainforest (we stayed at Crocodylus village).

I've just looked through a couple of old photo albums cos I'd forgotten where we've been. I'm feeling very jealous of you. It'll be an amazing trip.

NZ - north Island
Rotorua and thermal parks and the on to hobbiton
Hawkes bay for wine and Napier for Art Deco architecture
Glow worm caves
Te papa museum in Wellington is fab
Coromandel peninsula and hot water beach
Waiheke Island is lovely
Auckland has good museums

South Island
Golden Bay Area is lovely
Whale watching in kaikoura and lots of seals there too
Penguins in omaru and then visit moreraki boulders
Nelson is nice and near lots of wineries
Dunedin is nice - can take the train along the gorge and there's a cadbury's factory too

For Australia - recommend Tasmania it's amazing and easy to combine with Melbourne and Sydney. Lots of national parks and driving distances are not massive. Western Australia is also great, but huge distances.

Recommend Borneo (prefer Kuching to Kota Kinabalu). - long houses, orang utans, national parks and great food.

HK might be a good stop over point. Disney there is ideal for younger children as park is not too big. From HK Auckland is 11 hours and Perth only 7. Perth is also on same time zone as HK which may help with jet lag.

What an exciting trip - am envious.

what time of year is this? It affects the practicality of NZ and where you go in Oz.

Just wondered if OP on this was still around and how the trip went? Am thinking of taking my 4 year old to Australia /NZ in July before starting school. We have four weeks. Where did you go and how were he flights?

Resurrecting this zombie thread for inspiration! Amazing suggestions above - thinking about something similar