Top 10 Things To Do In Australia and New Zealand
Last year, I spent just over two weeks traveling around Australia and the south island of New Zealand. It is difficult to try and do everything in two countries over 17 days, but we did our best. To make a 20-hour flight and 15-hour time change worth it, you have to try and pack in as much as you can. After exploring 9 cities - Aubrey, Melbourne, Queenstown, Fiordland National Park, Christchurch, Akaroa, Morton Island, Brisbane, and Sydney. If you ever get the opportunity for a similar adventure, here are the top 10 things to do on your trip…
Queen Victoria Market (Melbourne, Australia)
This market is the perfect place to get a feel for the locals in the Melbourne area while also picking up some gifts for your friends and family. It’s a great place to walk around and get local fresh fruits and vegetables along with cooked meals from locals in the area. You can also purchase anything from clothing and accessories to kitchen gadgets and homewares. While here, my family and I ate some dumplings for dinner and left the market with a stuffed animal and a singing bowl.
The cruise across the Yarra River at night was beautiful. We got to view the city at night all lit up and the unique architecture of the riverside mansions, all while eating a delicious dinner. Although it is a lengthy 3-hour cruise, and it can get cold after the sun goes down, I would definitely recommend it to see the city from a new perspective.
This mountain is breathtaking. It overlooks the beautiful blue water of Lake Wakatipu However, the water is cold; it is around 55 degrees Fahrenheit at its peak in February and dips to around 44 degrees in August, so I would not recommend swimming. There is a 12-kilometer trail that you can walk, and although the path is an easy hike, it does take between 2 and 4 hours.
On New Year’s Eve, my family and I ate dinner from 7pm to midnight at this restaurant. We took a gondola ride up to the top of Bob's Peak, and although a little scary at first, it is worth it. We got to enjoy a panoramic view of Queenstown through floor to ceiling windows and on some nights, live music. There are also two 1600 meter luge tracks to get your adrenaline pumping before your dinner.
The beautiful ink-dark waters and waterfalls of Milford Sounds have been named one of UNESCO's World Heritage sites. This fiord is only one that can be accessed by road, but to get to the main waterfalls wedged between cliffs, you must take a boat. On the way back to the hotel, we flew in a small plane overlooking the fiord, and this is what allowed me to see the full panorama of the area.
Punting, being pushed in a long boat with a flat bottom against the bottom of the river with a long pole, down the Avon River is not something that I thought I would enjoy, but the views of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens and wildlife in and out of the river were unforgettable. You float down the river in a handcrafted flat-bottomed boat while a local Punter poles you along from the platform at the rear end of the boat. It is a great way to see the city from a different viewpoint.
The Australia Zoo was hands down my favorite part of the trip. This zoo is currently run by Steve Irwin’s wife and children. While we were there, we were able to see Robert, Bindi, and Terri Irwin feed the crocodiles in the Crocoseum just like Steve used to do. We were also able to interact with so many local animals like koala bears and kangaroos. Along with seeing so many animals I had never heard of, we were able to visit the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital which was doing amazing work to help the animals being hurt by the wildfires that were roaring at the time. In a year, 6,000 to 8,000 animals are brought here to get treatments and be released back into the wild. It was so heartwarming to see the amazing work these professionals were doing to help save wildlife.
Sydney Oprea House (Sydney, Australia)
This UNESCO World Heritage site is packed with so much history and is something many people associate with Australia. The outside is beautiful along with a stunning interior and a back story behind every decision in the construction. It’s great to go on a tour of it, as well as eating at one of the many restaurants surrounding it and watching the Badu Gili daily light show on the sails of the building. Hearing all of the history behind the building really gave me a new appreciation for it.
Sydney Bridge Climb (Sydney, Australia)
Right next to the Sydney Opera House is the Sydney Bridge, and something amazing about it is that you can climb it. Although I did not do it, many of my family members did and only had amazing things to say about it. Although 3,770 feet long, the climb is just going up a ladder and walking across a wide platform. You are also strapped into a harness, so you feel comfortable and completely safe. I wish I had done it and seen the city from 440 feet up high.
Sydney Harbor (Sydney, Australia)
On our last day, one of our friends, who is a local, invited us on their boat for a day out of the harbor. It was the perfect relaxing way to get some sun in December. We were able to go to a little cove and swim, climb on rocks on the beach, and paddleboard around. I loved being able to enjoy the water and visit with family and friends about the past fully packed 2 weeks. If you can do this, I would recommend it.
Although we did pack a lot into the just over 2 weeks we were there, we only scratched the surface of what Australia and New Zealand have to offer. The 10 things listed above were only a few of my highlights of the trip, and I cannot wait to go back to explore more of the countries.
By Kathryn Pope