Travelling Oz and NZ in March and April

I'm looking to back pack across Austrailia in March '04 and then going
onto New Zealand in April. I'd like to spend less than £1,000 in each
country and would like to do things as cheaply as possible.

Is it feasible to get across the two countries in this time frame and
on this budget?

I am looking at purchsing a bus pass that allows me travel around each
country, hopping on and off, but could someone recommend an itinerary?
For Austrailia I'd start and finish in Sydney and for NZ I'd probably
start in Christchurch and finish in Auckland. If I can't cover the
whole thing what would people recommend that I go see and this doesn't
have to be the main tourist attractions.

I'm into good food, adventure, culture and architecture. I also have
an interest in Environmental Health and would like to see how this
operates in the two countries; a little obscure perhaps but can anyone
help?

General questions I could do with some help on a weather at this
time and hostel recommendations - I've been told that the independent
run hostels are less restrictive than the YHA ones. Any comments on
this?

Thanks,

G

SoloG wrote:

I'm looking to back pack across Austrailia in March '04 and then going
onto New Zealand in April. I'd like to spend less than £1,000 in each
country and would like to do things as cheaply as possible.

Is it feasible to get across the two countries in this time frame and
on this budget?

I am looking at purchsing a bus pass that allows me travel around each
country, hopping on and off, but could someone recommend an itinerary?
For Austrailia I'd start and finish in Sydney and for NZ I'd probably
start in Christchurch and finish in Auckland. If I can't cover the
whole thing what would people recommend that I go see and this doesn't
have to be the main tourist attractions.

I'm into good food, adventure, culture and architecture. I also have
an interest in Environmental Health and would like to see how this
operates in the two countries; a little obscure perhaps but can anyone
help?

General questions I could do with some help on a weather at this
time and hostel recommendations - I've been told that the independent
run hostels are less restrictive than the YHA ones. Any comments on
this?

Thanks,

G

NZ: best time of year. Do allow more time in the South Island: far
better scenery, nicer people. You should meet hospitality almost
everywhere. YHA used to be rule-ridden, but then I am old and there were
few alternatives. http://searchnz.co.nz/ will find you most information
you want. A lot of people miss Dunedin; it's worth including in your
route. Any risks are few and obvious. Have fun here.

in article , SoloG at
wrote on 3/11/03 11:17 AM:

I'm looking to back pack across Austrailia in March '04 and then going
onto New Zealand in April. I'd like to spend less than £1,000 in each
country and would like to do things as cheaply as possible.

Is it feasible to get across the two countries in this time frame and
on this budget?

I am looking at purchsing a bus pass that allows me travel around each
country, hopping on and off, but could someone recommend an itinerary?
For Austrailia I'd start and finish in Sydney and for NZ I'd probably
start in Christchurch and finish in Auckland. If I can't cover the
whole thing what would people recommend that I go see and this doesn't
have to be the main tourist attractions.

I'm into good food, adventure, culture and architecture. I also have
an interest in Environmental Health and would like to see how this
operates in the two countries; a little obscure perhaps but can anyone
help?

General questions I could do with some help on a weather at this
time and hostel recommendations - I've been told that the independent
run hostels are less restrictive than the YHA ones. Any comments on
this?

Thanks,

G
If possible reverse the countries - NZ is better in March (best month imo) &
Aust is fine in April. In NZ GBP1000 is still nearly $3000 or $100 a day -
you can certainly live on that - $20 pn for accommodation; $10-$20 per day
for food, depending on your tastes, average $20 per day for bus pass
($600??) - that leaves extra for expensive adventures - I alway suggest
people budget for those "must do" items like jet boats or bungy separately.

I used to teach in an Environmental Health Programme at UWS - Hawkesbury
Campus (Richmond - 1.5 hr NW of Sydeny). They are part of a WHO Centre for
EH in Asia-Pacific & also have links with NSW Govt aboriginal health
programmes.

Vicki

Hi,

I'm from Scotland, and I'm visiting NZ in january, mainly to attend a
computing conference at Dunedin, but also to get a bit of a holiday
afterwards. I've got about 3-3.5 weeks to wander around at random,
starting from Dunedin and ending up at either auckland or preferably
wellington. Regulars in this newsgroup may remember I was asking questions
about spiders+beasties in NZ a few months back

How good is transport along each side of south island? I will be trying to
get from Wellington to Christchurch to Dunedin in about 5 days and I
suspect I might need to take a plane. It might be more fun to travel down
by bus/train though, which is why I ask.

Also, how good is transport up the other side of south island? It would be
nice to have time to go back up that side and then maybe have a quick look
around north island. How much good stuff would I be missing that lies in
the middle of south island? (I'm not into mountaineering!)

Also, I'm guessing it will be pretty hot. How much cooler is south island
compared with north island in january? Will it be pretty much unbearable
during the day (e.g. not too good for travelling around in a bus?)

I will probably be back in the next couple of years if I enjoy myself so
I'm kind of hoping for more of a quick look at both islands this time.

All advice welcomed.

Graeme.

vicki Steven wrote in message ...
in article , SoloG at
wrote on 3/11/03 11:17 AM:
....
If possible reverse the countries - NZ is better in March (best month imo) &
Aust is fine in April. In NZ GBP1000 is still nearly $3000 or $100 a day -
you can certainly live on that - $20 pn for accommodation; $10-$20 per day
for food, depending on your tastes, average $20 per day for bus pass
($600??) - that leaves extra for expensive adventures - I alway suggest
people budget for those "must do" items like jet boats or bungy separately.

I used to teach in an Environmental Health Programme at UWS - Hawkesbury
Campus (Richmond - 1.5 hr NW of Sydeny). They are part of a WHO Centre for
EH in Asia-Pacific & also have links with NSW Govt aboriginal health
programmes.

Vicki

Thanks to both Classix and Vicki for your posts. Info. taken on board.

Vicki,

How would I go about organising a couple of days with an Environmental
Health agency when I travel? It could be governmental or more
independently project based. I studied EH at uni and although I never
went into the profession I still maintain an interest in the subject
and am keen to discover how it works internationally.

Also, would you be able to recommend one location where skydiving is a
must for the view? Is there a good skydiving club that you know about?

Thanks,

G

On 4 Nov 2003 11:50:01 -0800, (SoloG) wrote:

How would I go about organising a couple of days with an Environmental
Health agency when I travel? It could be governmental or more
independently project based. I studied EH at uni and although I never
went into the profession I still maintain an interest in the subject
and am keen to discover how it works internationally.

Also, would you be able to recommend one location where skydiving is a
must for the view? Is there a good skydiving club that you know about?

Chiming in...

the view in Queenstown is amazing while skydiving, but being a tourist
area it's expensive. If you're on a budget I would recommend that you
try skydiving in Taupo, where you'll get the lake and the volcanoes.
The view isn't quite as good, but the cost is less than half the price
of Queenstown.

Geodyne

Graeme Bell wrote:

How good is transport along each side of south island? I will be trying to
get from Wellington to Christchurch to Dunedin in about 5 days and I
suspect I might need to take a plane. It might be more fun to travel down
by bus/train though, which is why I ask.

To get from Wellington to Dundein you could take the ferry over Cook
strait, then catch the train down to Christchurch. This would get you to
Christchurch by early evening if you got the morning ferry. Note there's
only 1 train per day, so if you took a later ferry you'd have to wait in
Picton for the next days train.

You'd have to take the bus to Dunedin, which is about 4 hours by car, so
probably 5-6 by bus.

Easy to do in 5 days, even if you stop along the way.

Also, how good is transport up the other side of south island? It would be
nice to have time to go back up that side and then maybe have a quick look
around north island. How much good stuff would I be missing that lies in
the middle of south island? (I'm not into mountaineering!)

I would strongly reccommend this - the West Coast is IMHO the best bit of
the South Island. You'd have to travel by bus. You're not missing much in
the middle.

Also, I'm guessing it will be pretty hot. How much cooler is south island
compared with north island in january? Will it be pretty much unbearable
during the day (e.g. not too good for travelling around in a bus?)

It can be hotter in the South Island in summer than the North Island,
especially in inland areas. Just how hot will depend on the weather at the
time - the hottest places tend to be inland Canterbury & Otago. The West
Coast is more likely to be moderate.

in article , Geoff McCaughan at
wrote on 5/11/03 2:49 PM:

Graeme Bell wrote:

How good is transport along each side of south island? I will be trying to
get from Wellington to Christchurch to Dunedin in about 5 days and I
suspect I might need to take a plane. It might be more fun to travel down
by bus/train though, which is why I ask.

To get from Wellington to Dundein you could take the ferry over Cook
strait, then catch the train down to Christchurch. This would get you to
Christchurch by early evening if you got the morning ferry. Note there's
only 1 train per day, so if you took a later ferry you'd have to wait in
Picton for the next days train.

You'd have to take the bus to Dunedin, which is about 4 hours by car, so
probably 5-6 by bus.

Easy to do in 5 days, even if you stop along the way.

Also, how good is transport up the other side of south island? It would be
nice to have time to go back up that side and then maybe have a quick look
around north island. How much good stuff would I be missing that lies in
the middle of south island? (I'm not into mountaineering!)

I would strongly reccommend this - the West Coast is IMHO the best bit of
the South Island. You'd have to travel by bus. You're not missing much in
the middle.

Also, I'm guessing it will be pretty hot. How much cooler is south island
compared with north island in january? Will it be pretty much unbearable
during the day (e.g. not too good for travelling around in a bus?)

It can be hotter in the South Island in summer than the North Island,
especially in inland areas. Just how hot will depend on the weather at the
time - the hottest places tend to be inland Canterbury & Otago. The West
Coast is more likely to be moderate.
However it is seldom hot enough to be unpleasant for travelling. I'm not
sure if Intercity coaches are air-conditioned?? On a rare NW day in
Canterbury you might get mid 30s but 25 is more common. OTH 25 might be
unbearably hot for a Scot ;-Q (and duck for cover).

Vicki

vicki Steven wrote:

in article , Geoff McCaughan at
wrote on 5/11/03 2:49 PM:

Graeme Bell wrote:

How good is transport along each side of south island? I will be trying to
get from Wellington to Christchurch to Dunedin in about 5 days and I
suspect I might need to take a plane. It might be more fun to travel down
by bus/train though, which is why I ask.

To get from Wellington to Dundein you could take the ferry over Cook
strait, then catch the train down to Christchurch. This would get you to
Christchurch by early evening if you got the morning ferry. Note there's
only 1 train per day, so if you took a later ferry you'd have to wait in
Picton for the next days train.

You'd have to take the bus to Dunedin, which is about 4 hours by car, so
probably 5-6 by bus.

Easy to do in 5 days, even if you stop along the way.

Also, how good is transport up the other side of south island? It would be
nice to have time to go back up that side and then maybe have a quick look
around north island. How much good stuff would I be missing that lies in
the middle of south island? (I'm not into mountaineering!)

I would strongly reccommend this - the West Coast is IMHO the best bit of
the South Island. You'd have to travel by bus. You're not missing much in
the middle.

Also, I'm guessing it will be pretty hot. How much cooler is south island
compared with north island in january? Will it be pretty much unbearable
during the day (e.g. not too good for travelling around in a bus?)

It can be hotter in the South Island in summer than the North Island,
especially in inland areas. Just how hot will depend on the weather at the
time - the hottest places tend to be inland Canterbury & Otago. The West
Coast is more likely to be moderate.
However it is seldom hot enough to be unpleasant for travelling. I'm not
sure if Intercity coaches are air-conditioned?? On a rare NW day in
Canterbury you might get mid 30s but 25 is more common. OTH 25 might be
unbearably hot for a Scot ;-Q (and duck for cover).

Vicki

25 would be about right for a Scot. Fahrenheit, of course, none of this
new-fangled metric nonsense. Aha, Dunedin! Perfect!

Thankyou for the replies. If anyone feels like recommending any nice wee
villages / tourist attractions / bits of countryside scenery on the way up
the west side of south island, I'd appreciate that too.

Graeme.