New Zealand, Melbourne trip ?

[hoops777]

Going to Auckland for 3 nights, Wellington for 2 and Christchurch for 3. Flying to Melbourne for 5 nights and coming home.
We are flying to each city.

Was wondering about Uber or is there a better transportation mode?

Also what is the public restroom situation like?

Any recommendations would be appreciated on this short stay. Not interested in hiking or anything that requires half a day to get there.

Thanks.

[bobn60014]

We've never had a issue in Australia with restrooms. But believe it or not they have a app for that.

https://toiletmap.gov.au/

Melbournes public transport is pretty good and we used it often, no issues.

[mayday23]

Uber will be your best bet. I wouldn’t sleep on queenstown as that’s the one place I told my wife I’d quit my job and drive an uber to live there.

For Melbourne, highly recommend Lucy Liu Kitchen And Bar and Chin Chin. Also graffiti on hozer lane, crown casino, st kilka for penguins, yarra valley for wine if your wine people.

**** I miss melboune, I need to get back.

[mrb09]

We were in Auckland and Wellington end of 2023, Uber worked fine. Auckland airport is a bit of a ways from Auckland waterfront, but we still Uber'ed.

In Auckland, mostly hung around the Waterfront, but did a day trip on ferry to Waiheke Island. A lot of history on America's cup at Maritime museum. In Wellington, took the cable car to Kelburn. The Te Papa museum was great for history of the Mauri and Polynesian migration.

Unrelated to Uber, some issues with credit cards requiring signatures (locals: what's this?), switched to Apple Pay for everything and that worked great

[blueheaven]

Was in Melbourne visiting a friend several years ago, so transportation was not a problem. She took us to a Penguin Walk that did not seem too far away. Mostly locals there I think. Not a ton of people. No tour buses when we were there. Paid something but not much I think. Can't remember the name but was very worth while. Takes place at night. A really great experience.

[livesoft]

We were in Auckland and Wellington end of 2023, Uber worked fine. Auckland airport is a bit of a ways from Auckland waterfront, but we still Uber'ed.

There is an easy airport bus, too.

Actually, I found public transportation to be incredibly easy in major cities in Australia.

[Watty]

Going to Auckland for 3 nights, Wellington for 2 and Christchurch for 3. Flying to Melbourne for 5 nights and coming home.
.....
Any recommendations would be appreciated on this short stay.

We only spent a day in Auckland to handle jet lag and while it did not seem to be a bad place when you have limited time there are likely a LOT better places to spend your time.

You will also use up a good part of a day getting from your hotel to the Auckland airport to catch your flight to Wellington where you would then need to deal with getting from the airport to your hotel.

I looked it up and the drive from Auckland to Wellington is less than 8 hours which is not that bad when you consider the time you would spend flying instead.

If I was in your situation I would take a hard look spending less time in Auckland and getting a rental car and driving from Auckland to Wellington and spending a night or two somewhere in between since there is a lot to see on the North Island outside of Auckland and Wellington.

Even if you do not want to do hiking most of the real highlights of New Zealand are outside of the cities so it would be a shame to miss those.

[nordsteve]

I read your NZ itinerary to my wife and her response was "why?" Wellington and Auckland were two of the least interesting cities that we visited on our trip to NZ. Christchurch might have gotten better but it was still feeling the effects of the earthquake. But then we're pretty active.

Lots to do in Melbourne. Good food.

[supalong52]

I read your NZ itinerary to my wife and her response was "why?" Wellington and Auckland were two of the least interesting cities that we visited on our trip to NZ. Christchurch might have gotten better but it was still feeling the effects of the earthquake. But then we're pretty active.

Lots to do in Melbourne. Good food.

Auckland is pretty boring. I'd rent a car and drive north until Cape Reinga. We actually liked Wellington, but we stopped by as part of a monthlong road trip, not as a discrete destination. Melbourne is great.

[Valuethinker]

Going to Auckland for 3 nights, Wellington for 2 and Christchurch for 3. Flying to Melbourne for 5 nights and coming home.
.....
Any recommendations would be appreciated on this short stay.

We only spent a day in Auckland to handle jet lag and while it did not seem to be a bad place when you have limited time there are likely a LOT better places to spend your time.

You will also use up a good part of a day getting from your hotel to the Auckland airport to catch your flight to Wellington where you would then need to deal with getting from the airport to your hotel.

I looked it up and the drive from Auckland to Wellington is less than 8 hours which is not that bad when you consider the time you would spend flying instead.

If I was in your situation I would take a hard look spending less time in Auckland and getting a rental car and driving from Auckland to Wellington and spending a night or two somewhere in between since there is a lot to see on the North Island outside of Auckland and Wellington.

Even if you do not want to do hiking most of the real highlights of New Zealand are outside of the cities so it would be a shame to miss those.

This would involve getting off a plane, jetlagged, and driving on the wrong side of the road?

That would be my reservation.

Agree that the cities in NZ don't sound that interesting v the country itself.

[hoops777]

Anyone taken the trans alpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth and back?

[jebmke]

This would involve getting off a plane, jetlagged, and driving on the wrong side of the road?

I did this a couple of times in Ireland. I think it cost me a couple of outside rearview mirrors which got clipped off on the rock walls. Among other things, you have to really stay focused approaching roundabouts or it can get real ugly, real fast.

[nordsteve]

I wouldn't come off of a 14 hour flight and do an 8 hour drive. That said, roads in NZ a lot different than those in Ireland.

We looked at the Trans Alpine train but it didn't fit our schedule. We flew to Queenstown and drove on the east side of the mountains to Christchurch, where we started our return to the US. Looks like a beautiful ride.

If you're in Queenstown consider going to Milford Sound. We took the bus but if we did it again we'd have taken an airplane (bus ride not super scenic and takes 5-6 hours).

[player2012]

Melbourne is a great place, but I agree with some above on NZ. There isn't much point spending time in big cities in NZ. When we were there a few years ago, we used the big cities to fly in and drove around the islands mostly. Queenstown, Mt Cook, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Wanaka are some of the best places in South Island. In the north, I would look at Coromandel coast. Of course this would take a lot of driving.

[02nz]

Going to Auckland for 3 nights, Wellington for 2 and Christchurch for 3. Flying to Melbourne for 5 nights and coming home.
We are flying to each city.

From the U.S.? You're traveling VERY long way to spend all your time in some fairly unremarkable cities. All nice enough, but the cities are by far not the highlight of New Zealand especially.

I think a better idea would be 4 days or so in Melbourne, and then fly to Queenstown and use that as your base. By then you should be over jetlag and driving should be fine. I find that I get used to driving on the other side of the road within about 10 minutes. Then fly home from Auckland.

[02nz]

If you're in Queenstown consider going to Milford Sound. We took the bus but if we did it again we'd have taken an airplane (bus ride not super scenic and takes 5-6 hours).

I rented a car and drove, with an overnight in Te Anau since it's about 4 hours each way. The drive is incredibly scenic; surprised you found the bus ride "not super scenic" since it presumably goes the same way I did.

[02nz]

This would involve getting off a plane, jetlagged, and driving on the wrong side of the road?

I did this a couple of times in Ireland. I think it cost me a couple of outside rearview mirrors which got clipped off on the rock walls. Among other things, you have to really stay focused approaching roundabouts or it can get real ugly, real fast.

That has more to do with Ireland's narrow roads. You're driving on the other side of the road but you're also in the opposite position in the car, meaning any side obstructions are no more or less difficult to judge than when driving in the U.S. or continental Europe.

[MangoManiac]

Going to Auckland for 3 nights, Wellington for 2 and Christchurch for 3. Flying to Melbourne for 5 nights and coming home.
We are flying to each city.

From the U.S.? You're traveling VERY long way to spend all your time in some fairly unremarkable cities. All nice enough, but the cities are by far not the highlight of New Zealand especially.

I think a better idea would be 4 days or so in Melbourne, and then fly to Queenstown and use that as your base. By then you should be over jetlag and driving should be fine. I find that I get used to driving on the other side of the road within about 10 minutes. Then fly home from Auckland.

This is the correct answer. I'd even say to spend less time in MEL. We did 2 trips to NZ (starting at the north and worked our way down) with each trip being about 3 weeks in a small RV. Even then it felt like slightly rushed.

[nordsteve]

If you're in Queenstown consider going to Milford Sound. We took the bus but if we did it again we'd have taken an airplane (bus ride not super scenic and takes 5-6 hours).

I rented a car and drove, with an overnight in Te Anau since it's about 4 hours each way. The drive is incredibly scenic; surprised you found the bus ride "not super scenic" since it presumably goes the same way I did.

Maybe it was "beautiful scenery overload" at that point.

[stockholm28]

I took the Tranzalpine train one-way from Greymouth to Christchurch. There is nice scenery and it is convenient if you don’t want to drive. I also took the Coastal Pacific train and Interislander ferry from Christchurch to Kaikoura and then from Kaikoura to Wellington.

In Wellington, I really enjoyed the Zealandia by night tour. You need to book in advance:
https://www.visitzealandia.com/zealandiabynight

I took a scenic flight back from Milford Sound to Queenstown. It was expensive but the scenery was spectacular.

[02nz]

I rented a car and drove, with an overnight in Te Anau since it's about 4 hours each way. The drive is incredibly scenic; surprised you found the bus ride "not super scenic" since it presumably goes the same way I did.

Maybe it was "beautiful scenery overload" at that point.

Fair enough, New Zealand has a ton of incredible scenery!

[hoops777]

Thanks for all the suggestions.
I fully understand all the suggestions. Everyone is different and to one person an RV is heaven and to another it is hell on wheels.
My dear wife is just not a big nature, great scenery person. We are also turning 73 and 75 on the trip and I have a torn meniscus in each knee, though I can walk just fine. So why are we going to NZ? Great question

[vinhodoporto]

Uber is very efficient in NZ snd Australia. It’s better, faster, and cheaper there than most places I go in the U.S. to be honest.

Waiheke Island was a highlight of Auckland - definitely worth a visit. If you like wineries or beaches there are plenty of both. If you’re in to Lord of the Rings there are tours you can do to from Auckland to where it was filmed.

We enjoyed Christchurch - reminds me a bit of Oxford. We used it as a base to do a bunch of hiking and nature stuff in the South Island but it sounds like that’s not your thing. You can also get to the wine regions from there.

[Watty]

I wouldn't come off of a 14 hour flight and do an 8 hour drive.

I totally agree.

We arrived in Auckland in the early morning and spend the day and night there then picked up our rental car at maybe 10:30 am so we could try to sleep in some if we needed to.

[curmudgeon]

Thanks for all the suggestions.
I fully understand all the suggestions. Everyone is different and to one person an RV is heaven and to another it is hell on wheels.
My dear wife is just not a big nature, great scenery person. We are also turning 73 and 75 on the trip and I have a torn meniscus in each knee, though I can walk just fine. So why are we going to NZ? Great question

As others have noted, Uber works well in Au/NZ, just make sure you have an appropriate data plan for your phone. Melbourne is fairly nice for a big city in my books; perhaps easier for the visitor than Sydney. The Central Business District is a lively area to stay, the trams are a good way to get around. If you can stand a long day in a bus, a bus tour of the "Great Ocean Road" is a decent option, as is the "Puffing Billy" steam train excursion. Queen Victoria market can be interesting with a wide variety of food stalls.

Cities aren't the normal highlights of NZ, but they can have some pretty good food. Te Papa museum in Wellington is a typical highlight, along with the cable car up the mountain. You can look at the Trans-Alpine train from Christchurch, but it's a long day. Also wine tasting. From Auckland, Waiheke Island is an option, as would be a (longish) bus tour to Waitomo glowworm caves and Hobbiton.

[victw]

I second zealandia in Wellington, although we did the evening tour, not the night tour. Guided tour but noone else is there and your ticket included day admission. Have to book ahead.

I agree with other posters. We rented a car and spent two months driving around New Zealand. We spent a week in Wellington but that was mostly due to some bad weather.

It's a long flight for a short trip. Why? Why? Why? Is a great question to ask when traveling. Even if it's just because.

Vic

[hoops777]

Obligations. Grandkids. Health. Cost.
Lots of reasons to not be able to go somewhere for 2 months.

[jackets320]

While in Melbourne Drive the Great Ocean Road if possible
Also a trip into the Dandelongs is beautiful

[whodidntante]

I read your NZ itinerary to my wife and her response was "why?" Wellington and Auckland were two of the least interesting cities that we visited on our trip to NZ. Christchurch might have gotten better but it was still feeling the effects of the earthquake. But then we're pretty active.

Lots to do in Melbourne. Good food.

Auckland is pretty boring. I'd rent a car and drive north until Cape Reinga. We actually liked Wellington, but we stopped by as part of a monthlong road trip, not as a discrete destination. Melbourne is great.

I've driven a lot of places and New Zealand was one of my least favorite places to drive. I found the speed limits were annoyingly, speed trappy, low. No, I didn't get a ticket.

[Hot Sauce]

Auckland is pretty boring. I'd rent a car and drive north until Cape Reinga. We actually liked Wellington, but we stopped by as part of a monthlong road trip, not as a discrete destination. Melbourne is great.

I've driven a lot of places and New Zealand was one of my least favorite places to drive. I found the speed limits were annoyingly, speed trappy, low. No, I didn't get a ticket.

Lots of slow sheep out there.

How was it driving on the left side of the road? I’ve never driven outside the USA but would like to drive around NZ ;(as opposed to being part of a chartered tour). Good idea or bad from the perspective of ease of switching to the left side of the road?

[whodidntante]

I've driven a lot of places and New Zealand was one of my least favorite places to drive. I found the speed limits were annoyingly, speed trappy, low. No, I didn't get a ticket.

Lots of slow sheep out there.

How was it driving on the left side of the road? I’ve never driven outside the USA but would like to drive around NZ ;(as opposed to being part of a chartered tour). Good idea or bad from the perspective of ease of switching to the left side of the road?

I haven't found driving on the left to be difficult. I've done it in a few places. My first time was London, where I rented from a city center location on a day trip whim that thoughtfully "upgraded" my economy reservation to the only vehicle they had. A gargantuan SUV, with a manual transmission. The thing barely fit in a lane. So maybe after that hazing ritual, everything else just seemed relatively easy.

The main thing is to really think about urban intersections. Your muscle memory doesn't work there. The rest is kind of natural, at least for me.

[YHD]

Once you answer the question why NZ if its outdoor attractions aren’t high on the list, perhaps focus on Australia?

Brisbane, Sydney are good add-ons for Melbourne. Tasmania as well, accessible by ferry from Melbourne.

There is a fun beach south of Sydney where the sand “sings”.

[Valuethinker]

I've driven a lot of places and New Zealand was one of my least favorite places to drive. I found the speed limits were annoyingly, speed trappy, low. No, I didn't get a ticket.

Lots of slow sheep out there.

How was it driving on the left side of the road? I’ve never driven outside the USA but would like to drive around NZ ;(as opposed to being part of a chartered tour). Good idea or bad from the perspective of ease of switching to the left side of the road?

Rural NZ should be relatively OK. Without having ever driven there. Make sure you know the rules of the road eg roundabouts.

Apparently the key is when you get up in the morning, and first get on the road, and your reflexes send you to the wrong side of the road. That's something you do need to beware of.

(I had a British Army friend, coming off the ferry in England having driven through the night from his British base in West Germany. He went round a roundabout one AM completely the wrong way. Fortunately at 5am, it was empty).

It's where you get to urban areas (or countries like England with fairly constant heavy traffic) etc that things get a bit more challenging. I really wouldn't want to do that with jetlag.

[matthewbarnhart]

How was it driving on the left side of the road? I’ve never driven outside the USA but would like to drive around NZ ;(as opposed to being part of a chartered tour). Good idea or bad from the perspective of ease of switching to the left side of the road?

I find the most maddening thing about Australia/NZ driving is that the turn signal and wiper controls are reversed compared to a US car.

Otherwise, just keep reminding yourself to stay left and you'll be fine.

[Watty]

How was it driving on the left side of the road? I’ve never driven outside the USA but would like to drive around NZ ;(as opposed to being part of a chartered tour). Good idea or bad from the perspective of ease of switching to the left side of the road?

I have driven on the left in NZ, Australia, England, and Ireland. If you are older be sure to check on the age restrictions since in some countries some rental car companies will not rent cars to people who are 70 or 75.

For the first couple of hours I compare it to driving through heavy rain where you turn the radio off and concentrate on your driving. It is very doable but you need to concentrate on it. After a while you relax more.

90% of the time I was just following the car in front of me which made driving the car on the left seem a lot more normal. The steering wheel is on the right which makes driving on the left also seem more normal since the driver is near the center of the road.

For me the hardest part of driving on the left was in parking lots and when I was out in rural areas when there were not any other cars around to follow.

For example if you pull out of a scenic viewpoint when there are not other cars around it is easy to get on the wrong side of the road. My wife and I have sort of a family joke where when we are making turns like that we will both say "stay left" as we are turning.

When making turns you are likely used to looking mainly in the direction where you expect traffic to be coming from. Instead of trying to figure out where the traffic will be I just made of point of checking all directions for other traffic more than when I am driving in the US.

I was always driving with my wife and she would always navigate and change any controls like the AC or radio. I was never in a hurry and would drive relatively slow and non-agressive at or below the speed limit.

Typically I would only drive an hour or two at most each day to get from one destination to the next.

As much as possible I would avoid driving in large cities and use public transportation in the cities.

My basic plan has always been;
1) Pay extra if necessary to get an automatic transmission. I know how to drive a manual transmission but shifting with your left hand is an additional complication. I did end up with a manual transmission in Ireland and an additional problem was that the rental car had been driven by lots of people who did not know how to use a clutch so the clutch was terrible.

2) I would always get to my destination before dark and drive as little at night as possible.

3) Zero alcohol when driving.

4) Make sure that I was fully insured both for damage and liability. In many countries liability damage come with the car but my umbrella policy also covers me for liability when I am driving outside of the country. I had to call to check on that so you should check to make sure that yours does not also have an exclusion. Some countries where you are driving on the left are excluded from credit card rental coverage so check on that.

5) I did not try driving on the left on the day that I arrived and might be jetlagged.

6) Read up on the local driving rules ahead of time since there will be differences.

A couple of things about driving on the left which you might not have thought of.

1) It is also dangerous for pedestrians since they may not be expecting cars to be driving on the left and look the wrong way and step out into traffic in front of an oncoming car. A London at many crosswalks they have big arrows and words printed on the pavement reminding pedestrians which way to look.

2) When I return to the US it also take a while to get used to driving on the right again so you need to be careful the first couple of days. I have my wife drive us back from the airport if I have been driving on the left.

[aspiring_kiwi]

Uber works well in Auckland, and I'd recommend that over driving for the first day or two until you're over the jetlag.

If you've not driven on the left before, consider booking a driving lesson. An international familiarization lesson is only about $50 USD and gives you a personalized 1 on 1 driving lesson. That's an hour of instruction, using the driving school's car, under the school's insurance. They'll even pick you up from your hotel. Try to book it at least a couple weeks in advance. One example school: https://www.a1drivingschool.co.nz/car-t ... nversions/

Public restrooms in parks are... ok. Look for libraries, hotels, malls, and museums.

If it's a nice day, take a ferry ride from the CBD to just about anywhere and back. Mission Bay would be one of the longer cruises at 45min

Go for a stroll from St Helier's Beach to Kohimarama/Mission Bay. Take a stroll under the harbour bridge. Visit Cornwall park (they have Sheep and Cows) in the middle of the city. Visit Auckland's Museum ("War Memorial Museum" but only 1 floor is military and the rest is more generally Auckland).
The botanical gardens in the south part of the city are world class and a personal favorite.

The black sand beaches on the western edge of Auckland are about a 45min drive but superb: Piha beach is often ranked among the world's best beaches, and Kitekite falls is nearby

In Wellington, definitely visit Te Papa (the national museum). Book ahead to get free tickets to tour the parliament building

In Christchurch, we enjoyed the earthquake museum, Quake City and the antarctic museum is a must-see. I thought it was well worth it to take the short drive to Lyttelton, and to take the ferry over to Diamond Harbour.

If you're more adventurous, the zipline at Christchurch adventure park is amazing. We saw lots of people taking the chairlift up to mountain bike down. If less adventurous, buying tickets to take the chairlift up and down is also very memorable (and maybe more adventurous than you might expect): https://christchurchadventurepark.com/e ... ghtseeing/

[aspiring_kiwi]

Not really hiking, and only about 75min away from Christchurch, the Castle Hill Rocks are pretty cool to walk amongst: https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Attractio ... sland.html

For us, it was a side stop on the way to Arthur's Pass national park (2 hrs from Christchurch), but it ended up being one of the most memorable spots.

[mrb09]

Some Aussie/Kiwi TV series, fun to see ahead of time, or after to see where you've been. I know there are many others, but these are ones we've watched:

"800 words" was filmed north of Auckland. I heard the locals had to deal with Australians coming over to find the fictional town of Weld

"My Life is Murder" was filmed in Melbourne for season 1, and Auckland after that.

"Under the Vines" was filmed around Queenstown.

"Fisk" was filmed in Melbourne.