As an attempt to organize these blog posts and to provide recommendations for travelers, the following is the finalized schedule that Brandon and I created as we explored Australia and New Zealand:
Jan 23
- Leave the Atlanta airport for Los Angeles
- Flight from LA to Sydney is full
- Layover in Los Angeles, exploration of Santa Monica
Jan 24
- Visit to Hollywood and the Walk of Stars
- Stay the night with GT grad Scott in Manhattan Beach
Jan 25
- Chill at Manhattan Beach
- Fly to Sydney, Australia!
Jan 26
- Australia Day! We're still up in the air.
Jan 27
- Arrival in Sydney, Australia in New South Wales! G'Day Mate!
- Check in to Base Sydney Hostel on Kent Street
- Wander down George Street
- Explore Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House
- Wander through The Rocks
- Walk across the Harbor Bridge
- Visit the 2000 Sydney Olympic Pool
- See a show in the Sydney Opera House!
- See Sydney's Harbor at night time
Jan 28
- Take early morning ferry across the harbor to visit the Taronga Zoo in Sydney
- Play cricket and have a BBQ at Coogee Beach with other backpackers from Base Hostel
- Accidentally swim with the Bluebottle Jellyfish at Coogee Beach
- Take the Coastal Walk to Bondi Beach along the steep cliffs and meandering through several bays
- Eat dinner at Bondi Beach and watch the surfers
Jan 29
- Take a day tour to the Blue Mountains with OZ Experience
- Hike to Wentworth Falls
- Hike along the old coal mining trails through the temperate rain forest with views of The Three Sisters
- Ride the world's steepest passenger railway
- Eat kangaroo steak for dinner in Katoomba
- Explore the Vintage Car Show in Katoomba and make friends with fellow Ford Model A 1930 drivers
- Catch the sunset at Cahill's Lookout
- Stay the night at the YHA in Katoomba (the BEST, nicest, and cleanest hostel I've ever stayed at!)
Jan 30
- Canyoning and Abseiling day trip with High 'N Wild
- Abseil three dry mountain cliffs, slip and slide through the canyon river, abseil down the face of Empress Falls
- Enjoy a beer/lemonade with the abseiling crew
- Head off to the lookout of The Three Sisters
- Catch a train from Katoomba back to Sydney
Jan 31
- Fly from Sydney to Ayer's Rock in Australia's Red Center and Northern Territory
- Join three day tour with OutbackSafaris.com and Adventure Australia
- Walk through Kata Tjuta (The Ulgas)
- See Uluru (Ayer's Rock) for the first time and explore some sights along the base
- Watch the sunset at Uluru
- BBQ kangaroo and camel for dinner
- Sleep outside in a swag and gaze at the thick blanket of stars overhead
- Find the Southern Cross constellation that can only be seen in the Southern Hemisphere
Feb 1
- Watch the sunrise at Uluru
- Take an early morning base walk around Uluru
- Visit the Cultural Center to learn about the Aborigines
- Cook a pasta medley dinner with the tour group
- Watch a thunder and lightening storm in the Outback
- Sleep outside in swags, find three shooting stars, and admire Orion's Sword, which you can't see in Atlanta due to the city light
Feb 2
- Hike the King's Canyon Rim Walk
- Make the 5-hr, single-road drive to Alice Springs, the city in the middle of the Outback
- Spend a couple hours rebooking flights. Unable to fly to Cairns due to Cyclone Yasi. Book a flight to the beautiful land of New Zealand instead.
- Enjoy dinner in the city with the tour
- Experience Aboriginal hostility when returning to your hostel
- Stayed the night at Toddy's Hostel (NOT recommended), stay at Haven or the YHA instead
Feb 3
- Fly to Sydney, dash to the International Terminal, fly to Christchurch in New Zealand's South Island
- Arrival in Christchurch, New Zealand!
- Check into Base Christchurch hostel
- Attempt to get a rental van for the next two weeks. The better known companies were out of vans, so we rented with Road Runner Rentals who had one van remaining.
Feb 4
- Do laundry :)
- Explore Christchurch's main square
- Pick up the rental van
- Wander through Christchurch's botanical gardens
- Go grocery shopping for meals for the road
- Eat a big lamb shanks dinner before being subjected to camping stove cooking ;)
- Park van next to the Christchurch Cathedral for the night
Feb 5
- Drive from Christchurch to Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest peak
- Stop at Lake Tekapo and Mount John along the way
- Drive to the top of Mount John for a 360 degree view of the region and to check out the world's southern-most observatory
- Hike the 3-hr return Hooker Valley Track to get a view of Hooker Glacier
- Stay at the White Horse HIll camp site right by the Hooker Valley trailhead, don't forget to get a camping permit from the park office near the lodges
Feb 6
- Drive from Mount Cook to Queenstown
- Stop in the township of Twizel and brush up on some Lord of the Rings facts
- Drop by a vineyard in Cromwell to taste (and buy) some wine
- Drive along the Kuwaru River until reaching the Kuwaru River Bungy, the first bungy ever in the world and still the most popular
- Go for the 43-meter bungy into the river, or watch and take pictures :)
- Marvel at Lake Wakatipu, The Remarkables mountain range, and Mount Aspiring National Park on the way through Frankton and in to Queenstown
- Book some activities in Queenstown at the iSite (info center)
- Eat a giant hamburger at Fergburger with a plethora of fixin's!
- Camp at either of the Holiday Parks for the night
Feb 7
- From Queenstown, take a day trip to Milford Sound and backwith Eco-Tours
- Take a cruise through the Sound and admire the mountains, waterfalls, and wildlife
- Eat another Fergburger on the lake front while watching the sun set on the Remarkables
Feb 8
- Drive from Queenstown to Haast (one of the most beautiful drives in NZ!)
- Plan to do a half-day adventure activity, like the 134-meter Nevis Bungy or jetboating on the Shotover River with Skippers Canyon Jets
- If I go choose again, I'd choose para-gliding or zip-lining
- Drive from east to west across the Great Divide and read about the weather differences of the two coasts
- Arrive in Wanaka and get new tires put on the camper van
- Drive by the beautiful lakes of Hawea and Wanaka
- Drive through Mount Aspiring National Park and do a couple short hikes through the rainforest along the way (I recommend Fantail Falls and Victoria Falls)
- Arrive in Haast, park on the beach for the night, and dip your feet into the Tasman Sea. Watch out for the blood-drawing sand flies!
Feb 9
- Drive from Haast, through Glacier Country, to Greymouth
- Stop for a break at Lake Matheson near Fox Glacier
- Choose one of the several hikes in the Fox Glacier township (we chose the 3-hr return Fox Glacier Lookout due to time constraints)
- Drive to Franz Josef Glacier and choose another hike (I recommend the hike through the glacier valley to the mouth of the glacier)
- If you have extra time, consider booking a tour where you wear cramp-ons and pick axes to actually walk ON the glacier (It's less expensive to do this at Fox Glacier rather than at Franz Josef Glacier)
- Park in Greymouth for the night, there's a neat lookout over the town that is good for cooking dinner and watching the sun set over the ocean
Feb 10
- Drive to the east coast from Greymouth, through Marlborough wine country, to Picton
- Hop on the 3-hr Interislander Ferry, across the Cook Strait, to Wellington (I recommend buying ferry tickets in advance. Warning: it is expensive)
- Drive off of the ferry and meet up with GT professors and classmates at Victoria University in Wellington
- Do some more grocery shopping and explore a bit of Wellington
Feb 11
- Drive from Wellington to Waitomo (with big stops in between)
- Stop at Egmont National Park and choose a hike at the volcano called Mount Taranaki (we chose the hike to the Translator Tower, then traversed across the face of the volcano, and down the Razorback Trail)
- Refuel in New Plymouth (if time, visit the Sugar Loaf Islands that you can see from Mount Taranaki)
- Continue on to Waitomo, make sure to stop at the Black Sand Beach (not marked, but there's a gravel pull off) just beyond the town of Mokau for a brilliant sunset
- Finish the drive to Waitomo and park for the night
Feb 12
- Wake up bright and early for a caving adventure in Waitomo
- I highly recommend the Black Abyss tour with the Black Water Rafting Co. It includes abseiling, zip-lining, black water rafting, seeing glow worms, and climbing an underground waterfall to get out of the cave
- Drive to Tongariro National Park and stay at Discovery (highly highly recommended)
- Cook a big dinner and get plenty of rest for a big hike in the morning
Feb 13
- Take the 5:45am shuttle to the trailhead of the Tongariro Crossing
- Hike the Tongariro Crossing, one of the best day hikes in the world
- If there is good weather, I recommend doing a detour either to the summit of Mount Ngauruhoe or Mount Tongariro. We did Mount Ngauruhoe, it was fantastic!
- Celebrate a day full of hiking with a good dinner, drinks, and dessert :)
Feb 14
- Happy 80th Birthday Grandpa, and Happy Valentine's Day
Make the uneventful drive from Tongariro National Park to Wellington (if you have more time, visit Taupo and possibly go skydiving over Lake Taupo)
- Catch a ferry across the Cook Strait to Picton (again, book tickets in advance)
- Drive from Picton to Kaikoura and make sure to stop at the seal colony along the road right outside of Kaikoura
- Treat yourself, or a special somebody, to an awesome seafood dinner
- Park in Kaikoura for the night
Feb 15
- Swim with the dolphins off of the coast of Kaikoura with Dolphin Encounter (it is amazing!)
- Fix a hearty lunch and drive to Christchurch
- Return the van in Christchurch with 30 minutes to spare
- Celebrate with a big dinner at any Christchurch restaurant
- Spend the night at the airport
If I had more time in New Zealand, I'd hike the Queen Charlotte Track, explore Abel Tasman National Park, and hike around Arthur's Pass (all in the South Island). In the North Island, I would enjoy the thermal hot springs in Rotorua, visit Hobbiton and the Shire from LOTR, visit Auckland, and go to the northern-most point in New Zealand.
Feb 16
- Catch an early morning flight to Brisbane, Australia
- Check in to Base Central Hostel in Brisbane
- Catch a bus to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, hold a koala, and play with the kangaroos
Feb 17
- Happy birthday, Brandon!
- Take a half day to Gold Coast learn how to surf with Beach Bum Surfing
- Relax on the beach and watch the surfers at Surfer's Paradise
- Explore Chinatown in Brisbane, there's a very good BYOB Thai restaurant called Bow Thai :)
Feb 18
- Take a day trip to Moreton Island with Eco-Tours for some sandboarding and kayaking/snorkeling
- Tip: Don't go to Moreton Island unless you're sick of Brisbane, and if you go to Moreton Island, just book the currently cheapest tour, they're all the same. Instead, maybe plan to do an overnight trip to Fraser Island and/or the Whitsundays. Actually, an Aussie told me that Australia's best kept secret is Magnetic Island...
- Take a late night flight from Brisbane to Cairns
- Check in to Gilligan's Hostel in Cairns, especially if you are the party type as there's a club right next door
Feb 19
- Take a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef with Reef Quest
- Scuba dive, snorkel, or do introductory dives on the reef (I recommend doing three dives) and take in all of the brilliant colors. Bring an underwater camera or purchase one, it's worth it
- Eat a free spaghetti dinner at the Gilligan's club and hang out there for the night with the locals and backpackers
Feb 20
- Take a day trip to the Daintree Rainforest, the oldest rainforest in the world, with Tropics Explorer (for this tour choose the cheapest offered at the time, they're all the same)
- Visit Mossman Gorge, eat ice cream, hike among the mangroves
- Eat amazing seafood at Fetta's Greek restaurant that is near Gilligan's Hostel
Feb 21
- Fly from Cairns to Sydney
- Wander around Darling Harbor
- Meet up with friends from Uluru Tour
Feb 22
- There was an earthquake in Christchurch at noon today
- Relax on Manly Beach
- See an IMAX show
Feb 23
- Bid Brandon goodbye as he goes back to the US
- Fly to Hobart, Tasmania
- Wander around Hobart's wharfs and check into Montgomery's Hostel
- Eat fish and chips, yum!
Feb 24
- Join a five-day tour across Tasmania with the company Under Down Under
- Climb to the summit of Mt. Amos to get a great view of Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park
- Stay the night in Bicheno at Bicheno Backpackers
- Take the sunset tour to see the Little Penguins in the Bicheno rookeries
Feb 25
- Drive along the East Coast to the Bay of Fires
- Visit St. Columba Falls
- Hang out at Cataract Gorge in Launceston
Feb 26
- Drive to Cradle Mountain National Park
- Hike to Marion's Lookout
- Continue on to the base of the summit track and observe the weather
- Decide to climb to the summit of Cradle Mountain
- Eat a big bowl of pasta at the only Cradle Mountain restaurant, good but pricey
- Stay in the Cradle Mountain Park tonight
Feb 27
- Hike the Dove Lake Circuit in the morning
- Drive across Tassie to the west coast
- Along the way stop at the Henty Sand Dunes and climb to the top
- Stay in Strahan beside Macquarie Harbor for the night at the YHA
- Bake cookies
Feb 28
- Drive to Hobart today
- Make stops at Lake St. Clair for lunch and at the Land of Giants to walk among the tall gum trees and see Russell Falls
- Stay at Montgomery's again in Hobart
- Eat more fish and chips
Mar 1
- Fly from Tasmania to Sydney
- Hang out in the botanical gardens and in the shadow of the Sydney Opera House
- Meet up with friends from the Uluru tour again
Mar 2
- Fly from Sydney to Los Angeles today
- Dominate the duty free mall in the Sydney Airport
- Arrive in Los Angeles and fly to Atlanta!
- Eat sushi with mom!
If I had more time in Australia, I would go to Melbourne and drive the Great Ocean Road, then explore the West Coast and visit the cities of Darwin and Perth.
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