4 Wk Trip to Oz or NZ 2008

[pipyoung]

Hi, we're just starting to plan a 4 wk trip to Oz or NZ (but not both) in March and April 2008. We're just wondering what we can do with a DD in tow in either country (she'll be 2 at the time)? We've been to both places as young(er) childless backpackers and had a great time, but obviously cannot do most of those things now.

Initially, we have thought that hiring a campervan for 3 of the weeks would be best, but don't want to spend all that time and money if our activities will be limited.

Any help on itineries would be great.

We went to NZ for 4 weeks in Aug 2005 (I think) to watch the British Lions (dh idea!).
Our dc were 5 and 2.5 at the time. They loved it.
We manged to get them to do quite a few walks, went whale watching and swimming with dolphins (though dd went in the water briefly - it was far too cold for her). The whales and dolphins are dependent on the weather as to allowing young children to go - if its too rough they stop them.
They both had a great time - and the best thing they remember are the trampolines in all of the parks we stayed in.
They loved the camper van. I'd say go and have a good time.

Can post some of the places we went if interested. I'll check later.

BoredatWork - yes please that would be really useful.

I'll have a look at the weekend and post something on Tuesday - so long ago I can't remember the names of the places.
I do remember the dc were happy doing anything together as a family - and we went on boat trips, a plane ride (courtesy of MIL), parks where they did pony trips (even our 2.5 yo ds did this - but only for 30mins as they tend to fall asleep apparently!), walks, swimming in thermal pools.
There were some out of the ordnary things, but also lots of normal stuff.
We didn't go out drinking every night, but as we travelled around every few days, being drunk was not really an option.

We did NZ for just short of a month in Jan. first thing to bear in mind about campervan ( which we loved) was 2 seats in back and 2 seats in back.. a long way from driver. So who sits where?
I would do NZ as you can see more with less driving. don't bother with a campervan, save your money and hire a good sized car and stay at the cabins at Top 10 campsites. They have fab cooking facilities, scrupulously clean bathrooms and great playgrounds.

we are now in Oz and there is lots to see especially if you want to do say Sydney and some beaches up and down the NSW coast.
If you want spectacular stuff then I would go for NZ- a month will give you enuogh time to see a lot whereas it won't be enough by a long chalk inOz.
hth

too tired to proof read !

We did Australia twice without kids, partly backpacking, partly staying with relatives.

We are now living here for 12 months with a 21 month old daughter. It's very very different to when we've been here before.

I've never been to NZ so can't comment. I do know a couple of Aussies with a child the same age who are questioning us wanting to go to NZ for a fortnight with our little one. Perhaps it's better with older kids, but our 21 month old really doesn't enjoy long car journeys, even though we stop off and she has a DVD in the car. They don't think there's much for us to do with a 2 year old, so we are questioning whether we really want to go.

I can vouch for Sydney with a 2 year old. There's a great book called "Sydney for Under Fives" by Seana Smith (ISBN 1-920727-06-X). This is a 2004 version - I don't know whether it's been updated. It's written by a mother who has really done her research and divides into:

Beaches, baths and pools
Playgrounds
Child-friendly restaurants
Culture
Scenic stroller walks
Zoos and wildlife reserves

The only thing I'd say is it depends what sort of holiday you want. When we came to Aus, our toddler took a long time to adjust to the jetlag and new surroundings. I don't think you can keep changing the environment for a child of this age without paying the price (unsettled child). In that respect, you might be better off to do the campervan in New Zealand thing because at least the campervan will remain constant!

Also, there may be lots of things you would want to do/see in Sydney that are impossible with a toddler. In particular, not being able to go out and enjoy the nightlife and restaurants might upset you if you've been used to this in the past. We are fortunate enough to have daycare and a couple of babysitters but without that I'd feel very deprived. At least if you weren't in the city you wouldn't be thinking about the things you can't do.

We are yet to do our proper exploring. The only advice I can offer is not to book your accommodation too far in advance. You can save a fortune at that time of year (look on the website wotif.com for bookings up to 28 days in advance). We've done a trip to Murramarang National Park where we stayed in a beach cabin and hand fed wild kangaroos on the verandah every morning. Our daughter loved it. CAT me if you want any more deatils.

If you stay in touch, I can let you know the outcome of our travels with a 2 year old. We are planning:

The Entrance (next week)
Brisbane and Fraser Island (May)
Melbourne and Great Ocean Road (? when)
The Hunter Valley, NSW (End of April)
Great Barrier Reef (August)
The Whitsundays (?November)
Adelaide, the Barossa and Broken Hill (Oct)
Jervis Bay, NSW (? when)
Alice Springs (? when)

Mogwai,

Thanks for the info. ALl of those places except Barossa Valley and Jervis Bay are places we have visited without kids, so it would be great to find out how they are with a little one.

I'm afraid I'm new to this forum lark so don't know what CAT means (although I can do smileys ).

I am wondering if it is worth the expense and stress or whether we should wait until she (and any siblings she might get) are a little older?!?

Mogwai,

Thanks for the info. All of those places except Barossa Valley and Jervis Bay are places we have visited without kids, so it would be great to find out how they are with a little one.

I'm afraid I'm new to this forum lark so don't know what CAT means (although I can do smileys ).

I am wondering if it is worth the expense and stress or whether we should wait until she (and any siblings she might get) are a little older?!?

Sorry, only meant to post that once - told you I was new!

Well after I posted I thought about whether it was actually worth doing with a 2 year old.

When my little one was younger, she was more adaptable. At 18 months she became more difficult to please, which co-incided exactly with our journey to Aus and the first few weeks we were here.

We got a night flight from Heathrow to Hong Kong and despite sleeping for about 9 hours (she usually has 12) she wouldn't sleep the night we got there or the second night either. The first week in Aus she was waking up 2/3 times per night, which is unheard of for her. Things settled down in the second week. I don't know how much of this was her reacting to how stressed we were feeling (we had to find somewhere to live, buy cars etc).

Then again, it would be more difficult to do it with two kids. You'd be looking at getting the youngest one to four years old before you might feel you could handle it. So it depends how soon you want to go!

At 2, my daughter wants a swimming pool, a calm beach, a park and some animals. If we weren't here for a year I don't think it would have been worthwhile coming all this way when you can get all of that in Europe without shelling out for the flights (realistically she will need her own seat even if it's before her 2nd birthday - our daughter's seat cost £550).

Sorry, I don't mean to sound all doom and gloom. I've had to accept that we have to put her first on holiday otherwise everyone has a miserable time.

CAT means "contact another talker". If you click on it on the top panel, it means your message is passed to the other person's email.

sorry, final thought, if you can do a month, it's probably worth it. 3 weeks is pushing things!