AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND TRIP REPORTS
South Island, New Zealand – December 2005
Everyone in New Zealand was so nice and very helpful! In Christchurch, we just loved Merilees who owns and runs Ballymoney Farmstay. We stayed in the converted cow shed and loved it. Merelees was just wonderful, and the dinner that DownUnder arranged for us as an anniversary gift was superb. Ballymoney was our favorite accommodation on this trip!
We also loved our stay in Kaikoura, another favorite. Unfortunately we had to cancel swimming with the dolphins due to bad weather.
Queenstown was great fun. Next time we would definitely spend our last night here - reminded us of towns like Vale or Aspen. The all day horse trek with Moonlight Stables was very good. The guide was wonderful, had a great personality and she was great with Sara (12yrs) and the horses. The Christmas day picnic lunch was good, but unfortunately the weather was not, so we did a hike from the ski base up to one of the mountain lakes which was fun but cold. Browns Boutique hotel was great, had lovely linens and an excellent breakfast. Alex the manager was delightful. All Restaurant reservations made on our behalf before we left were good.
In Te Anau the Radfords Lakeview Motel was fine, and we enjoyed the Milford Sound cruise.
The Queenstown and Te Anau jet boating were very different – in Te Anau it is more nature orientated, and we stopped in a lovely lake, saw three separate film sites for Lord of the Rings whereas in Queenstown there were more thrills and 360 spins.
Bill of Big Apple who did our airport transfers to and from Miami airport was fantastic!
The Wheatley Family, FL
New Zealand and Australia - June/July 2005
We had a really good trip!
New Zealand: The people everywhere were great and so was the accommodation. Thank you to the Remarkables Lodge for a wonderful and relaxing first stop on our family vacation. Everything was just perfect. Great food and service. The Sounds/Glacier helicopter flight was also excellent.
Australia: Angorichina station was wonderful, as was Thorn Park and the Clare and Barossa Valley wine tours. The chef at Thorn Park was amazing. The Poseidon Outer Reef Cruise was fantastic and the food was also very good.
Australia and New Zealand - November 2004
Australia: We fell in love with Melbourne – it reminded us of San Diego and wish we had planned more time here. The winery visit to Chateau Yerring was fantastic! It is an upscale and homey property with nice products in rooms. The guide who took us on a sightseeing tour was a delight!
We had fabulous dinners in Sydney – all restaurants along waterfront have great food. Next time we would stay out of Sydney in the Blue Mountains.
New Zealand: Incredible!!! Fell in love with the place. Queenstown was adorable and Eichardts was the best hotel, the five suites are phenomenal. The Helicopter Extravaganza over the Milford Sound was just unbelievable – highly recommend this! We landed in the snow and had a snowball fight followed by a delicious lunch set at a table in an old miners shack. We had a really good time!
Australia and New Zealand - November 2004
Over all it was a very awesome adventure, very scenic and beautiful.
Australia: The staff at Silky Oaks Lodge although very friendly, and the tour to the Daintree Rainforest was a definite high point, hats off to the great guides T. J. and Nicholas. The trip to the Yarra Valley was very pleasant and our guide Andy, was a very charming and caring person, he actually made the trip worth it.
New Zealand: It seems we saved the best for last! When we arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, "Uncle" was great. Although we were there only a few hours, it made me wish I had a real Uncle like him!
Our stay in Queenstown at the Eichardts Hotel was wonderful. The staff were very friendly and accommodating a great thank you to them all for an awesome stay. We loved our Helicopter Extravaganza tour of the Milford Sound, what beautiful scenery, and the pilots had a lot of local knowledge, that made for a very rewarding experience.
Australia – July 2004
Loved Davidson’s safari as we are outdoor folk so wish we had included more of this type of property in our itinerary. The Park Hyatt in Sydney was great, overlooks rocks and bridge. Took a couple of State ferry rides – very good.
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