A dream come true! In my 42 years, I've never dreamed I'd make it back across the world and to the Southern Hemisphere to visit Australia and New Zealand. With only 2 weeks to see this large continent, I packed as much in as I could visiting Sydney, Melbourne, the Gold Coast and then Auckland, New Zealand.
Our trip started with the much appreciated flight provided by Qantas Air. At first I was scared that this 18 hour flight was going to be packed with other travelers but was hugely surprised and extremely pleased to learn that the plane was intentionally scarce. My family of 8 was able to take up 2 full rows of 11 seats each row, all to ourselves. My 8 year old son and my self had 5 seats all to ourselves. It was wonderful! Qantas was equipped with individual television screens which included many new release movies, older movies and television shows with kid friendly options as well as adult rated options. The screens also included private a game console. The flight also included tasty food. The food provided was kid-friendly and gluten free for those who desired it. These amenities made the flight comfortable and helped pass the time. They made my job as a parent, easy!
Now on to the main agenda!
Sydney: I spent 1 night in Sydney and wish I had scheduled more time however I stayed at the Holiday Inn Old Sydney which was pleasant and in the middle of it all! We had wonderful views of the Harbor and walking distance to everything we wanted to see that evening. Of course our first stop was Pancakes on the Rocks - and I indulged in chocolate pancakes covered in chocolate ice cream and strawberries! I enjoyed walking throughout the city and seeing this historic land. I am a criminal justice adjunct instructor and teach about the prisoners shipped from England to take residency in Sydney. It was an experience to see the barracks that these prisoners built for themselves. At night I enjoyed the scenic views of VIVID Sydney - the light extravaganza that occurs once a year.
Gold Coast: If i surfed, the Gold Coast would have been top notch! As it was however, I don't surf. I spent a week at Gold Coast in a condo timeshare and I will say the weather was perfect for it beginning to be winter in Australia. Temps were a comfortable 70-80 degrees. Navigating the area was very easy utilizing the public transportation. With public transportation, we were able to go to Surfer's Paradise (a popular shopping area) as well as to Movie World which was a bit further but worth it for the kids to enjoy seeing their fave characters and to ride some thrill rides. I also went to Sea World which was a bit of a disappointment due to Australia not having whales but I do understand why. This Sea World was more of an educationally based theme park. One day at Sea World is plenty. Sea World does offer other options besides their park. My family enjoyed their Whale Watching cruise and watched a mother humpback whale frolicking with her baby and the pod of dolphins. On the way back from Sea World, stop by Capt'n Pete's Seafood Market! The place had all different kinds of seafood to purchase as well as a menu with variety. The market was not smelly as one would expect to have at a fresh seafood market and the dinner options were the best my family had! My 8 year old wanted more and more. Fresh fish, calamari, shrimp and more!
Melbourne: Well, yes I will admit it, Melbourne was my least favorite city. The streets were more dark and smoke filled but please stop and go to Chinatown for authentic dim sum and atmosphere. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Melbourne on Flinders. The rooms were modern and included black out shades. The hotel also had a very nice breakfast that I feel was worth the price and gave me the opportunity to try authentic Australian foods. The hotel is convenient to the city centre train station. I took public transportation from airport to the hotel and it was cost effective and pleasant.
Melbourne is the city to see the penguins march in their own parade on Phillip's Island. If you don't have a car, you will need to book a tour as there is no public transportation that will get you there and back. This experience made Melbourne completely worth the stop. Packs and packs of little penguins walking their way back to their homes after a hard day hunting. Please upgrade to one of the viewing areas for the better experience. If you come with a tour, eat as soon as you can as the lines for food and the gift shop were long and time consuming to where our family decided to wait and eat back at the hotel which was a very long wait for food.
Lastly, Auckland New Zealand. I spent 2 nights in Auckland at the Crown Plaza. This hotel was elegant and the views of the SkyTower was amazing. If you want to partake in the shopping district closer to the piers, then I would choose a different hotel. To get to the piers, the walk to the piers was downhill but as you can imagine, after walking all day the last thing anyone wants while carrying packages is to walk 20-30 minutes uphill! Taxi's are readily available and cost around $15 US Dollars depending on the class of taxi. Where Austraila is home to the opal stone, New Zealand is home to jade which we found great deals for both. While in New Zealand, book yourself a tour to the Lord of the Rings - Hobbit Village! A nice country drive to a place of movie history.
My last advice when visiting these countries. First, soak it all in as it goes fast and take lots of pictures! Secondly, you're on vacation - eat all the ice cream you want!
