Great trip!! It was our first time in Austral...
Australia
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Jan 23 - Feb 12, 2025
Great trip!! It was our first time in Australia and New Zealand and both countries were spectacular! Spending 5 days in Sydney was just perfect. We went on a bike tour (on our own) with Bonzo Bike Tours, located in the Rocks area. It was 5 hours of seeing all the best sights and absolutely perfect! I would also recommend seeing the opera at the Sydney Opera house, which we organized on our own. The only negative experience was the Blue Mountains Day tour. While the sights were beautiful and scenic, our guide/driver was constantly speeding and ended up getting a ticket. At times, we felt rushed and unsafe. He tried arguing with the police officer and spoke very negatively about police, construction workers, and others. After the ticket, he was not in a good mood and begged for a positive google review. The Outer Barrier Reef Cruise with Quicksilver was fantastic and we are so glad we added that to our plans. The best experience was the Milford Sound Fly, Cruise, Fly tour. Absolutely breathtaking reviews and the tour company was so professional and experienced in taking care of us. I would delete the stop in Dunedin, if I had do to do the trip again, the wildlife tour there was not much different than we already experienced and the town of Dunedin was not as vibrant as Queenstown.
The only other tour I would change was the 12 hour rail trip on the Northern Explorer Scenic Train from Wellington to Auckland. I would just get a flight to Auckland. We absolutely loved the food tour in Wellington, our guide was awesome and the Waiheke Wine tour was beautiful and fun for our last full day in New Zealand.
Hotel Reviews
The Cairns Colonial Club Resort was a wonderful place to stay. They even upgraded us, providing a nice view and lots of room space. Having laundry facilities was a great plus, especially for a long trip.
The hotel in Auckland was great. It had a fantastic location, and we enjoyed walking around and exploring the area. The hotel added to the whole Auckland experience.
Activity Reviews
The day trip to the Blue Mountains was incredibly nice. We got to see some amazing wildlife and the natural beauty of the area was breathtaking. It's a must-do activity if you're in Sydney.
The Quicksilver Outer Barrier Reef Cruise was absolutely fantastic. It was a very safe and well-planned tour that was both educational and visually stunning. I highly recommend this if you're visiting Cairns.
The Great Ocean Road Adventure had a bit of a hiccup due to our guide, who was not very friendly and even got a speeding ticket during the tour. It was not as enjoyable as we had hoped.
The Essence of Waiheke Wine Tour was fantastic. We really enjoyed the tour and the wine experience. It was a wonderful way to spend the day and a highlight of the trip.
The Auckland City & Waitakere Ranges tour was fantastic! The rainforest, the bush, and the beach were beautiful. Our guide was wonderful and made the experience really special.
The Wellington Food Tour was fantastic. It ended up being a private tour as we were the only participants, and the guide was very passionate and added his personal touch, making it a memorable experience.
The Skyline Queenstown Gondola and Buffet Dinner was a highlight of our trip. The food was high-quality and abundant, far exceeding our expectations for a buffet. The views from the gondola were simply stunning.
Hey Jane,
Thank you so much for your feedback. It's so lovely to hear that you enjoyed visiting so many beautiful locations. I had a feeling that the Milford Sound tour would be a highlight :)!
Thank you for the feedback on Blue Mountains, I will be following up on that one. And completely understand the Northern Explorer would have been a long day after such a busy trip.
Take care and please reach out if I can help in the future!!
Vickie