New Zealand or Oz for 3 weeks christmas 07

[AntEater]

Have promised my long suffering family a 'hot' holiday.
I fancy NZ (outdoorsy type stuff) DW likes the look of Oz.
We have 3 children who will be 10, 8 and 5.

Where should we go???

We spent 3 weeks just after xmas in new zealand and it was fabulous but not always hot..Excellent for outdoors stuff and excellent value for money.
Arrived in Oz at the end of Jan and it is too hot to do anything in the middle of the day unless you are really really used to it.
The flights are long long long.
You need at least 2+ weeks to do NZ.
How long can you spare?
Are you loaded!?

We have 3 weeks, maybe 4 at a push.
Cash OK.
Tell me what you know

Decide on aim of holiday. Do you want to do stuff ie walking climbing sailing kayaking type stuff or do you want to pootle around looking at Touristy stuff?
Fly into South Island spend time in Queenstown doing active stuff, go via the glacier upto Abel Tasman National Park and spend time there walking, kayaking, beach etc. Go to North Island, visit Rotoroa and see thermal wonderland and Maori experience and then head via Lake Taupo( Tongairo crossing?) up to the Coromandel Peninsula for a bit of chill out time before back to Auckland and fly home via fiji to treat dw.

bottom of south island is beautiful but may well be chilly and wet and is a long way to drive.

OK.
Which airline is going to be favorite?
Looked at BA, Singapore and airNZ so far..

we had excellent flight with Cathay out of LHR, but flight from HK also with Cathay was crap. Book cheapest imo

Anyone else have any airline gossip

Malaysian is usually the cheapest. Try and go via Singapore, there is a swimming pool in Terminal 1, so useful for stretching the muscles and exhausting the kids.

If you go East then go SINAPORE airlines

if you go WEST then go Air NZ {get upgrade to premium IMHO and IME}

We love Australia and New Zealand

deffo good idea to get a motorhome in NZ but we were there for 6 weeks the holiday camp grounds are deffo brill and you don't need to keep packing and unpacking {which we hate doing}

Also loads to do in Australia we flew around OZ

If you go EAST deffo spend time in CHANGI airport

The best airport in the world imho

Deffo go to FIJI or COOK ISLANDS

we love south Pacific - the best place in the world

This all sounds great, (no packing)
So who wants to organise our holiday?

14th Dec
Leave for NZ
Fly into South Island
Queenstown
via the glacier up to Abel Tasman National Park kayaking..
Go to North Island, visit Rotoroa
thermal wonderland and Maori experience
via Lake Taupo( Tongairo crossing?)
Coromandel Peninsula
Auckland

2rd Jan Cook Islands ir Fiji
6th Jan Return

Have I missed anything?

OH lucky you!!

ahhh Coromandel Peninsula... Hahei - my most treasured place on this earth!! This time 2 weeks ago I was there ... sigh ... anyway back to you ...

Your 'itinerary' sounds great, and I like the idea of 3 or so days near the end at a 'beachy'type location ... sounds like a fantastic holiday to me

Had a month at Christmas a couple of yrs ago when children were 7 and 9. Flew to Cairns and drove down east coast - lots to see and do and then flew back from Sydney. Stopped off in S'pore on way out (did night safari - fantastic) and HK on the way back. Stayed at YMCA hotel which was next to E&O and just great for kids lots going on in hotel itself (great pool, climbing wall, great views) Agree about Changi airport. We managed to see outback rainforests and barrier reef - Heron Island and Hamilton Island just unbeatable - esp Heron saw turtles laying eggs on our doorstep!
Children talk of it often now and say they can't wait to go back! Enjoy whatever you decide

When you go to rotorua make sure you go on the 'bobsleigh' type ride...you get a cable car up and then ride these bike/bob things down three different tracks...we had one of the best afternoons entertainment there ever!

Also go to Wanaka (near queenstown), gorgeous and the cinema there has sofas instead of normal seats and even a morris minor you can sit in..plus fab cafe attached.

We had longer than you but the dunedin penninsula was fab if you can fit it in, lots of penguin colonies which were amazing!

Our itinerary was other way round did N island then south, got ferry over from Wellington, then train down to christchurch, drove over to Wanaka via Lake tikapee (sp??) which was the most amazing road, views of the Alps awesome as they seem to rise up out of nothing.

Personnlay felt S island was more spectacular than north so would finish there and spend more time ther proportionally.

here is our hotel in AITUTAKI cook islands

it is deffo paradise

We also spent a week on ROROTONGA COOK ISLANDS

YOU must go to "hot water beach" in NZ

also go on trip on boat out to swim/snorkel with WILD dolphins from NZ

We did that too, on Akaroa near christchurch...was amazing!!

14th Dec
Leave for NZ
Fly into South Island
Queenstown
via the glacier up to
Abel Tasman National Park kayaking..
swim with Dolphins at Akaroa
Go to North Island, visit Rotoroa
thermal wonderland and Maori experience
via Lake Taupo( Tongairo crossing?)
Coromandel Peninsula
Auckland
leave for
Cook Islands or Fiji?
6th Jan Return

Is this about right?

Lake Tekapo on South Island. Hot water beach is great as long as you get there early and there is a fabulous cafe there.. all organic and yummy.
The yellow penguins at Oomaru were a real unexpected bonus for us and dh loved the antarctic museum at Christchurch.

We did it in a campervan and had a ball.. not sure if with 3 kids it would be quite so much fun.
what will you do for accomodation? The campsites have fab cabins all equipped and we found communal cooking a great way to meet really nice people.

Make sure you do MAITAI maori experience in Rotoroa- better and cheaper than the one out of the town. The luge and skyline gondola in Rotoroa are fab. allow at least half a day to get your moeny's worth.. unless your kids are wimps!

DEFFO GO TO MILFORD SOUND

We didn't get as far as the Milfors sound sadly but are considering going back very soon. Some people recommended the Doubtful Sounds as being quieter but just as spectacular as the Milford Sound.
Don't bother with the Moeraki boulders.. they are bloody pebbles!

Oz is hot Jan/Feb time.

Have flown singapore and air NZ - both are fab.

bear in mind mid Dec to end Jan is our summer holidays to premium time for accommodation etc.

Fiji has been having a lot of political instability at present - just something to think about. Perhaps cook Islands might be the go instead.

We have flown with Malaysian airlines twice, once to NZ and once to OZ last xmas, they were fab with baby. The first time we also had a 1 week stopover, 3 days in KL and 4 nights on langkawi island...gorgeous and was v. cheap as was an offer that the airline did.

We did Doubtful and Milford sound...both fantastic but Doubtful less touristy and quieter but TBH you cant go wrong with either...stunning. The drive up to Milford sound form the town you stay at is spectacular also.

From the perspective of a Kiwi, here's what I'd do..
14th Dec
Leave for NZ
Fly into Christchurch, fly straight down to Queenstown (a short flight). Chill for a couple of days to recover from flight while doing touristy things which are easily accessible in the area.
Pick up campervan and drive
via the glacier up to
Abel Tasman National Park kayaking..
or alternatively go via Kaikoura coastline where you can swim with dolphins, go whalewatching, seal watching etc en route. I'd forget about Akaroa - it's absolutely lovely - but is a bit out of the way given you're on a shortish visit. It's an hour's drive east of Christchurch.
Cross via ferry to North Island from Picton. Visit Rotoroa thermal wonderland and Maori experience via Lake Taupo( Tongairo crossing?)
Coromandel Peninsula
Auckland
leave for
Cook Islands or Fiji?
6th Jan Return

It's quite a bit of driving but doable. Can you leave earlier than 14/12? If you can go before 8th you'll save a lot of fares. After that is peak time.

As for airlines, to save time and hassle fly via East. Singapore Airlines will fly you direct into Christchurch via Singapore. You could always have a couple of days in the sun somewhere in the East on the way back. I think Singapore Airlines are great. Alternatively, AirNZ is only round the world airline. You fly out via Hong Kong and back via USA, if you want to stop in Fiji or Cook Is. However, flying through States is very hassly and not much fun at the end of a holiday. Air NZ okay but went off the boil a bit a few years ago. Emirates also v good and they stop in Oz on the way or way back, if that would make your DH happy.
Happy planning!

Thanks all and Maggie!
Could leave on or before 8th if we pull the kids out (sshhhh)
This will give us a more sedate 4 weeks.

Will start planning!