Australia and New Zealand trip planning

[Boiler_81]

My wife and I are planning a trip to Australia and New Zealand in the next year or so. It will be a balance of sight seeing and diving. We are thinking of 1-2 months duration. At least one week will be for diving. My buddy will be flying in for the dive portion. We are thinking we may do a live aboard.

We are soliciting ideas for itinerary and time of year to make the trip. For the sight seeing portion, we are more interested in nature than cities.

 

[ibj40]

My wife and I are planning a trip to Australia and New Zealand in the next year or so. It will be a balance of sight seeing and diving. We are thinking of 1-2 months duration. At least one week will be for diving. My buddy will be flying in for the dive portion. We are thinking we may do a live aboard.

We are soliciting ideas for itinerary and time of year to make the trip. For the sight seeing portion, we are more interested in nature than cities.

First, the obvious thing is that their seasons are backward to ours.

Second, I am jealous, so posting so that I can see all the other comments.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I've been to both and dived both. You could do a liveaboard to the outer Great Barrier Reef in Australia with Spirit of Freedom or Mike Ball that goes out to the Ribbon Reefs and Coral Sea/Osprey Reef. You must also dive the SS Yongala while you are out towards that way. I did it before I arrived in Cairns for the liveaboard.

In New Zealand, you could dive Poor Knights Island. There is some diving around the Bay up north as well. I did not dive it, but there are folks who also dive Milford...Not sure what there is to see.

New Zealand is amazing. Do see the north, but focus on the south island. It is stunning. We did it in a campervan and didn't want to leave. We swam with wild dolphins and saw baby seals in a river on a hike in Kaikoura , treked Franz Joseph glacier after a sweet helicopter ride, had AMAZING hikes and treks along Milford, Mt. Roy, Mt. Cook, the list goes on and on. You will LOVE it if you love the outdoors. We parked our camper next to the most amazing backdrops and beaches and woke up and fell asleep to the most stunning scenery. We saw the glowworms up north in a group of 4 on a family owned property in their caves which required trekking through mud in knee high boots - none of that lit walkway stuff and tour buses for us! PM me if you need recommendations or ideas and websites to visit!

 

[btscott]

Have been to the GBR multiple times. Have been out with Spirit of Freedom and am diving with Mike Ball in December. Spirit of Freedom is a great boat and trip. Expect the same from Mike Ball. I got certified with Deep Sea Divers Den 25+ years ago. I have also been out with Pro Dive. While Deep Sea Divers Den and Pro Dive are fine trips, they don't compare with getting out to the outer reef and Coral Sea with either SoF or MB.

 

[Glenndini]

I can agree on diving part with recommendation for outer northern reefs with SoF or Mike Ball live aboards (I prefer Mike Ball but that's just me). Down the east coast there are also plenty of sites to see Grey Nurse sharks and/or Manta rays etc. on day trips. (Wolf Rock at Rainbow beach, Fish rock at South West Rocks are 2 I'd recommend). SS Yongala out from Ayr is also highly recommended.

When planning your itinerary please remember Australia is big. Many people make the mistake of attempting to see too much and spend half of their time traveling.

Time of year is tricky. Winter (June to August) is colder down south but mild in the north). Summer is hot down south and hot and wet in the north. Once again, it's big so crosses many climates.

 

[Bubblesong]

We went in November Springtime and saw lambs and flowers everywhere, However it was Box Jellyfish season and we did not dive.
One thing not to miss is Black Water Rafting the underground river at Waitamo caves with their million glow bugs dotting the cavern ceilings.

 

[AniMaL Diver]

In New Zealand, you could dive Poor Knights Island. There is some diving around the Bay up north as well. I did not dive it, but there are folks who also dive Milford...Not sure what there is to see.

Rain runoff from the steep fjords at Milford results in a layer of tannin heavy fresh water that tricks the coral into thinking it is much deeper than it really is. That freshwater is really cold, though, so it might need a dry suit.

Personally, I’d skip diving Milford and spend the time doing the Milford Track hike. It’s a multi-day journey, but there are huts along the way so you don’t need to haul much camping gear. The huts book out many months in advance, so I’d recommend checking availability for that first and then building the itinerary around those dates.

If you’re looking for a break from nature, head up the west coast to Barrytown. There’s a guy there with a backyard forge who teaches you to make your own knife. Sounds like a weird and ridiculous waste of a day, but it was a genuine hoot. His wife makes everyone a celebratory champagne cocktail when they finish their knife (white wine run through her soda stream carbonator).

 

[mwerle]

Australia: Another vote for a week liveaboard with Mike Ball to the outer GBR; was an awesome trip. Cairns is also a great place as a base to do some nature (rainforest etc) sight-seeing.

Further south the HMS Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast is a great dive if you like wrecks. While near Brisbane, Australia Zoo is a good outing; not quite nature, but a great way to see most of Australia's wildlife up close.

If you want to experience the Outback, do a trip out to Uluru (Ayers Rock), spend a night sleeping under the stars in a "swag" and go for an early-morning sunrise hike around Uluru. Be aware you'll need to fly there - Australia is big.

I haven't been out West, but my sister says the diving around Perth is pretty awesome too.

In general, most places in Australia have something outdoors/nature to offer; without a more concrete itinerary it's difficult to suggest specifics.


EDIT: PS: Box-jellyfish are generally not a problem when diving; especially on the Outer Reef. Yes, we have more than our fair share of things which can kill you Down Under, but the dangers are way overblown. Be aware of what might be around, don't poke things, and you'll be fine.
---

NZ: haven't dived there, but there's Hobbiton (not exactly nature, but still pretty nifty).

The Tongariro Crossing provides some spectacular views of active volcanoes (we could only go half-way due to eruptions) and is just a daytrip. You'll need to plan either a return hike or someone to pick you up at the other end if doing a one-way hike.
My mum's done the Milford Track and loved it, but that's a bit more of an investment (time and fitness).

Generally NZ has TONS of volcanic areas to visit. Some have facilities such as bathing in volcanic water or even mud.

The Coromandel Peninsula has spectacular scenery and home to the "hot water beach".

NZ is small enough that you can get everywhere driving, although be aware that most roads are single-lane and curvy and will generally take much longer to cover a distance than in other countries.

Haven't been to the South Island so can't personally recommend anything there.

 

[David Novo]

I recently spent a month (3 weeks in June and 1 in July) in Australia. It was my first trip and also focused on nature / landscapes:

1) 3 days in Sydney (it was too long for me as I am not a museum's person);
2) 3 days in Kangaroo Island: excluding diving, the location I enjoyed the most by far (loads of kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, seals, sea lions, echidnas, wild goose in the wild);
3) 3 days in the Red Centre (Uluru, Kata Tjuta and King's Canyon): walks were nice in the first half of the day, when there were no flies (millions by lunch time) - there were dingos and camels in the wild;
4) 3 days: Cape Hillsborough (kangaroos and wallabies) and Whitsundays (mantas but was only snorkeling here);
5) 4 days: Daintree Rainforest (spiders, insects and more spiders) and Port Douglas;
6) 6 days diving: Mike ball liveaboard and SS Yongala wreck;
7) Remaining: around Queensland and traveling: Atherton Tablelands (platypus), Wallaman falls (cassowaries), etc.

I strongly recommend a liveaboard in the GBR (such as Mike Ball) in late June, early July for Minke whales. SS Yongala wreck is also well worth the trip to Ayr.

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

Great comments above and also agree with an overnight trip to the GBR. Cairns has a lot if decent options with daiky departures.

Book well in advance for Mike Ball or Spirit of Freedom as they fill up months in advance. June to September is Minke whale migration and if travelling then you can dive with them.

Yongala definitely