I was really excited about this assignment, since I'm studying to be a travel agent, and am always planning trips somewhere. I almost did the UK, because I already have a ton of research done about that area, but I wanted to do one that I didn't know much about instead, so I went with Australia & New Zealand. I think this area is interesting because there is such a wide range of things to see and do. I figure that you can't go to Australia without seeing some koalas and kangaroos, and can't do New Zealand without getting into the adventure aspect (and if you're a big Tolkien fan, checking out where Lord of the Rings was filmed) so I especially looked for those things in my research. Also, I'll rarely pass up an opportunity to go horseback riding in an interesting landscape, sit on a beach (Most Australian cities are along the coast, so the beach is never too far away!), or go anywhere that has camels, so those all factored into decisions as well. I also like that which is out of the ordinary- places with funny themes, silly roadside attractions, etc. I actually ended up learning a lot about where things are located in these countries when I got down to planning out a schedule- I didn't want to end up planning things from different sides of the country in the same day! Being the travel nerd that I am, I included info on hotels near the attractions where I could find ones that looked good and were a good value. Occasionally, I threw in somewhere to eat or shop, if it stood out.
Australia is, of course, *huge*, so I ended up having to skip over large chunks to keep this from turning into a three month trip. I kept most descriptions of the things to see pretty short, or else this would have turned into an epic the length of War and Peace. I highly recommend the website links I included, because if a picture is worth a thousand words, a website is worth a million. I know this turned out to be pretty long, but you should have seen the version before I cut things out! A lot of interesting sites got thrown out because they were in areas where nothing else nearby sounded interesting, and it seemed silly to go way out of the way for just one thing. Plus, this is pretty long as is! That said, however, I think that if you're going to Australia or New Zealand (or in this case, both), you might as well go for at least a couple of weeks, because a) it's a really long flight to get there, and b) who knows when you'll be back?
Because Australia and NZ are in the southern hemisphere, our winter is their summer, so when things start getting cold and icky here, it's the perfect time to head there for some sun!
Roundtrip airfare from Springfield to Sydney runs between $1000 and $1400, and is a really, really long flight. Flights that depart Springfield on Saturday evening arrive in Australia on Monday morning their time, which is around 24 hours of actual flying. Additional charges for flights to hop around Australia and NZ are noted below where I could find them.
Australia & New Zealand
Australia:
(Map from http://www.worlddiscoveries.net/Australian%20CDs.htm) I'm not actually sure what the red dots on this map are for, but it was handy to use for my report because most of the major places I'm visiting are listed.
Sydney:
Sydney is probably the most well known part of Australia, so I decided to start here, and make a sort of counterclockwise loop around the continent from there. There is so much to see here in Sydney, but I narrowed it down to three days.
Day 1-
1. Day 1 starts at the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, the world's largest steel arch bridge and an icon of Sydney. You can climb 200 steps up to the Pylon Lookout (www.pylonlookout.com.au), with exhibits about the bridge along the way. They're open 10am-5pm daily, $8.50 AUD/$6.50 US
2. Sydney Opera House- This is probably the Sydney landmark that's the most well known around the world, it's architecturally stunning! One good way to see it is the hour-long tours that are offered daily between 9-5 ($23AUD/$18US) The house was designed & construction began in 1957, but it didn't open until1973.
3. Lunch at The Pig & The Olive restaurant, which serves out of the ordinary pizzas in a restaurant of pig-themed decorations. Why pig themed? Who knows.
4. Some post-lunch browsing at Travel Bookshop on Liverpool St. A whole store of travel-related books and maps? What more could I ask for?
5. Day 1 ends at Gavala Aboriginal Art & Cultural Education Centre, located in Darling Harbour in Sydney. This is a highly recommended place to buy Australian souvenirs, owned and operated by Aborigines. They also has cultural talks, didgeridoo-making lessons, an aboriginal art gallery, and storytellers. http://www.gavala.com.au/
Day 2-
After running around so much on Day 1, Day 2 is just split between two museums, both of which deserve plenty of time.
1. Sydney Aquarium- The aquarium includes penguins, seals, platypus, saltwater crocodiles, and a Great Barrier Reef exhibition. www.sydneyaquarium.com.au The 3-in-1 museum ticket ($49 AUD/$38US) also includes Sydney Tower, which is about 820 feet tall, so you can see over 50 miles away. http://www.sydneyskytour.com.au/sydneytower_frameset.html
2. Powerhouse Museum- This is one of the largest museums in the Southern Hemisphere with exhibits on art, history, the sciences, and human achievement, many of which are interactive. Admission $10AU/$6.50US http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/home.asp
Day 3-
Just two places to hit today, but they're both interesting enough to fill up several hours each:
1. Australian Museum- The Australian Museum's permanent exhibitions include those showcasing Indigenous Australia, Australian birds, biodiversity, insects, and minerals. They have self-guided tours and also an hour long "behind the scenes tour" that shows how the exhibitions are put together. $10AU/$7.65 US www.amonline.net.au
2. Australian Reptile Park- Has around 40 kinds of birds, koalas, flying foxes (aka Malaysian fruit bats), wombats, Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, wallabies, dingoes, platypus, a wide variety of reptiles (including snakes, alligators, crocs, and lizards), an exhibition of both Australian and international spiders, and six kinds of frogs. http://www.reptilepark.com.au/
Day 1-3, I'll be staying at Victoria Court Sydney- two 1881 terrace houses joined together- located minutes from the Harbour, the Opera House, Chinatown, and the beaches $75-$115AU- $58-89US http://www.victoriacourt.com.au/
Day 4-
Day 4 will be just outside of Sydney. The day starts at Koala Park Sanctuary, which includes koalas, emus, peacocks, wombats, cockatoos, echidnas, dingoes, wallabies, and eagles. You can feed the kangaroos, pet the dingoes, and hold koalas. Koala, wombat, and sheep shearing shows take place daily. Admission $18 AUD/$14US, www.koalapark.com
After the Koala Park Sanctuary, the rest of the day is open to relax at Bondi Beach. To make this more convenient, I'll be staying at Bondi Beachside Inn -right on the beach, 15 minutes from Sydney- some rooms with ocean view balconies- $100-$120 AU/$63-$76 US http://www.bondiinn.com.au/content.html
Day 5-
I had originally planned to just rent a car and drive from Sydney to Brisbane, but then I figured out that it's around 500 miles, so a quick flight sounds like a much nicer option! The flight takes about an hour and a half, and the average fare seemed to be around $100 AU, or around $77 US, although I actually found a flight for just $49AU/$38US from http://www.virginblue.com.au/ which offers discount fares for weekends. Hooray for cheap flights!
Brisbane:
I doubt anyone here has lived this long without seeing the Crocodile Hunter on TV. You know, the crazy Australian guy who likes to pick up poisonus snakes and tell them how pretty they are. Chances are you can probably even do a pretty good impression of him. Go ahead, put on your best Australian accent and say "You're a little beauty!". You know you want to. Well, lucky us, he's right here in Queensland at Australia Zoo! The zoo is actually located about 45 minutes north of Brisbane in Beerwah, but he's worth a drive, isn't he?
Australia Zoo has camels (yay!), dingoes, foxes, otters, reptiles, crocodiles, alligators, a variety of native Australian animals, and various species of birds. There are tiger, snake, bird, and crocodile shows daily, and I'm pretty sure that Steve himself does the croc show still. They also have several different programs where you can pay a supplimental fee to get up close to the animals and feed them. I would have to go with the Wombat experience, where you get to pet and feed wombats for $20 ($15.50US). Similar turtle, dingo, possum, and macaw experiences are available, but who can resist a wombat?
The Australia Zoo costs $29AU/$22US, and is open from 9am-4:30pm daily, and I plan to be there all day. Their website is http://www.crocodilehunter.com/australia_zoo/index.html
Day 6-
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - www.koala.net - I know that I have a ton of animal places in this trip, but I really liked the simplicity of this one, and the cute website. Their past famous visitors include Queen Elizabeth II and the recently departed Pope. Their website even has step by step directions to get there from Brisbane, complete with photos of each step. Plus, they let you hold the snakes! I love snakes, especially how their skin feels when you hold them- snakeskin is actually made out of the same material as your fingernails, keratin, so they're incredibly smooth. They also let you hold the koalas, pet the dingoes, and feed the kangaroos and lorikeets. You can also see kookaburra, Tasmanian Devil, bats, wombats, reptiles, echidnas (like porcupines). Open daily 8:30-5, and it's just $18AUD/$14 admission. Just in case you're in the mood to watch an Australian commercial, Lone Pine's is online at http://www.koala.net/images/30sec.mpeg It's 30 seconds, pretty cheesy, and should only take a few seconds to load on broadband. Don't blame me if you end up with the theme song stuck in your head.
Day 7-
It's time for a break from the animals to get out into the landscape of Australia. Brisbane Forest Park has an interesting variety of walks, including one through the Eucalyptus forest and subtropical rainforest. I love hiking, so at first I was adding most of the trails on the website's list to my list of things to do, but then I realized I'd either be walking all day, or would need several days of going back to see them all, so I narrowed it down to a few:
*The Greene's Falls Walking Track takes about an hour and goes through the rainforest to a waterfall, with wildlife along the way.
*The Mt. Coot-tha Aboriginal Art Trail takes about 45 minutes, and focuses on Aboriginal art such as tree carvings and rock paintings. I like how it seems to be a museum and nature walk all in one!
Day 8-
It's time to hop a plane again, this time to Port Douglas & Cairns (Pronounced "Cans" if you're an Aussie). The flight is about two and a half hours, and around $80AU/$62 US
Day 8 is split between two cultural centers in, one in Carins, and one in Port Douglas, which is about a 50 mile drive from Carins.
First up is Yalanji Dreamtime Tours, located in Mossman Gorge near Port Douglas. I thought it would be interesting to compare the Aboriginal culture of the Tjapaukai which I'm visiting later in the day the Kuku Yalanji here. They lead walks through the rainforest, sharing the knowledge that's been passed down through generations. The tour also includes seeing their ancient cave paintings, a demonstration of how paint is made, and tea afterwards. http://www.yalanji.com.au/ $20 AU/ $15.50 US
Next, Tjapaukai Aboriginal Cultural Park is located in Cairns and showcases Aboriginal history and culture. The park is half owned by the Aborigines who work it. It has a presentation of the Tjapukai people's creation story, which is performed in their native language but translated, a film on their history, and a cultural village to get a taste for their traditions. If you go at night, there is a "Serpent Circle" interactive dance performance and ceremony. http://www.tjapukai.com.au/ Info about the shows can be found at http://www.tjapukai.com.au/shows.html, and the media section of the website has two clips of the nighttime show.
I'll be staying at Coral Tree Inn http://www.coraltreeinn.com.au/ in Carins for days 8 and 9, which has has one bedroom suites for just $88 US that sleep 4, and are huge for the price, especially compared with rates at other nearby hotels!
Day 9-
Great Barrier Reef- There are about a billion options for visiting the Great Barrier Reef, but I found a nice package from Great Adventures http://www.greatadventures.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=36 that takes you out to the reef for 3 hours, and has a semi-submersible as well as an underwater observatory to see the ocean life with. They also stop at Green Island on the way for two hours, where you can catch up on sitting around. Laziness on vacation is important! Great Adventures' website had some interesting info on the reef, like that it's the size of 70 million football fields, has 6 of the 7 kinds of turtles found in the world, and has the most dense collection of different species of plants and animals in the world. - $159/US$103
Day 10-
Mowbray Valley Trail Rides in Port Douglas - http://www.portdouglastours.com.au/activities/horseriding1.htm - offers half day rainforest rides. From their photos, it looks like they use Australian Stock Saddles- for some reason it had never occurred to me that they actually use those commonly in Australia! Seems obvious, I know, but I hardly ever ride in them, so I guess I assumed that neither did they! After the ride, I'll spend the rest of the day relaxing on the beach near my hotel.
Where to Stay in Port Douglas- http://www.archipelago.com.au/- I was amazed that Archipelago Apartments offers really nice accommodations right on the beach- for cheap! They run about $80-100 US/night, and your view is either the beach or the rainforest! Plus, the owners speak 4 languages, so they're right up my alley!
Day 11-
Travel day again! Today I'm leaving Carins to travel to Ayres Rock. I had originally planned to fly into Alice Springs, because it's always where people talk about in connection to Ayers Rock/Uluru, but then I found out that Alice Springs is actually hundreds of miles away from the rock! Qantas airline is the only one I could find that flies directly from Carins to Ayres Rock. The direct flight is around $300AU/$233US, and takes about three hours.
Uluru/Ayers Rock- Probably Australia's most well known geographical feature (Uluru is the Aboriginal name, Ayers Rock the more common English one). Hotels, businesses, etc are located 11 miles away to keep it isolated. The rock is 1142 ft tall, and Aborigines prefer that it not be climbed, but experienced by walking around the six-mile base instead. The native people believe that the rock is sacred, which is one good reason not to climb it, but also, an average of one person a month dies from climbing the rock, usually either heart attacks or falling off the edges- yikes! Besides, why on earth would you want to climb it when you can ride a camel around it!? Frontier Camel Tours offers a 1 hour ride around the rock either an hour before sunrise, or before sunset for $90AU/$59US, which even includes them picking you up from your hotel. Their website is http://www.cameltours.com.au/ Given that Uluru is a rock, it doesn't have an official website, but http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/NTUluru.shtml has quite a bit of info.
I'll be staying at the Desert Gardens Hotel - http://www.travelmall.com.au/travel_mall/hotels/Desert_Gardens_Ayers_R.html -Ayers Rock Resort Visitor Center is right next to the hotel, and some rooms even have a (really distant) view of Uluru. Hotels in this area are *really* expensive, this one runs $377 AU/$292US a night! Good thing I'm only there for a night!
Day 12
Perth-
Time to fly way over to Western Australia to Perth. Qantas Airline has a direct flight that takes about 3 hours for about $200 AU/$155US.
Red Sun Camel Safaris- More camels! 1 hour rides along the beach for $33AU/$21US- http://www.redsuncamels.com.au/ Their website even has photos and bios for each of their camels - that's dedication! Pictured below is Kashgar, my favorite. She has actually walked all the way across Australia, from east to west.
Also in Perth is a 120 million year old dinosaur footprint- the actual one is only visible when the tide is very low, but there's a reproduction up higher. The authentic is the only one worth it in my opinion, though, so I'd need to find out when low tide is!
The rest of Day 12 is left to hit the beach! I've learned the hard way that vacations can be hard work if you don't factor in enough time to just sit back and relax!
Day 13-
Melbourne, Victoria:
Day 13 starts out with a trip to the Healesville Sanctuary- Are you sick of cool Australian animals yet? If so, too bad, because there are more here! Owls, emus, wallabies, kangaroos, platypus, stick insects, frogs, dingoes, Tasmanian devils, wombats, reptiles, birds of prey, etc. The Healesville Sanctuary is located about 41 miles from Melbourne. $19AUD/$15US open 9-5 daily Their website is http://www.zoo.org.au/visiting.cfm?zoo_id=2 Be sure to look at the cute Swamp Wallaby in the Billabong animal section!
baby platypus photo from the Healesville Sanctuary website
Later that afternoon, it's back to Melbourne for the Scienceworks Museum whose exhibitions include "Eaten Alive" which has animatronic crocodiles and other predators, and a virtual reality shark cage dive. http://www.scienceworks.museum.vic.gov.au The museum also includes the Melbourne Planetarium, http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/planetarium/ Shows are followed by a live presentation of the current night sky. Admission is just $12AU/$9 for the two.
Day 14-
Melbourne Zoo- Melbourne has an awesome zoo, so it gets added to the list, too! Their animals include pygmy hippos, gorillas, Sumatran tigers, lions, snow leopards, pumas, meerkats (think Timon from the Lion King), a variety of monkeys, lots of reptiles, and a kind of wombat called the "Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat", which may be the best name for an animal ever. They also have both an aviary and a butterfly house that you can walk through, with birds and butterflies flying around respectively. Their website is http://www.zoo.org.au/visiting.cfm?zoo_id=1
The rest of Day 14 is open to wander around Melbourne and just enjoy the city.
After two weeks in Australia, it's finally time to head to....
New Zealand:
North Island:
(Original NZ map from http://asiahotels.net/newzealandhotels/images/map-of-new-zealand.jpg, resized and edited to split between north and south island maps by me)
Day 15-
Central North Island:
Waitomo is located pretty much smack in the middle of the north island, right about where the letter "I" if "Island" is on the map above. There you can find Waitomo Caves- http://www.waitomocaves.co.nz/home/page.aspx - which is our destination for Day 15. The 2 cave combo admission is $46AU/$33US
The first cave, Glowworm Cave, has boat ride through glowworm grotto Tours are 45mins, and depart every half hour 9-5. No photo or video allowed, but I found this awesome picture through Google Images that someone took in the glowworm grotto- http://www.agen.ufl.edu/~chyn/download/AusNZalbum2/waitomagloworms3.jpg
The second cave, Aranui Cave has 45 minute tours at 10, 11, 1, 2, 3. This one is kind of creepy, because wetas live in here (Wetas are giant, almost sci-fi looking insects native to NZ. You can read about them, and view a super creepy photo here- http://weta.boarsnest.net/ )As if that wasn't bad enough, these icky cave crickets also live there- http://www.evodvo.com/gallery/040430_Waitomo/122_2232 (Link is to someone's NZ trip photos, no idea who they belong to, but you can flip through their album for more photos of the caves.)
After the caves, it's off to Altura Gardens & Wildlife Park, also in Waitomo, just about 3 miles from the caves. They have a two hour horse trek for $50 NZ/$36US (website http://www.alturaparktreks.co.nz/trails.htm ) and a wildlife park that has buffalo, emus, llamas, etc ( website http://www.alturapark.co.nz/ ) which is included free with the ride Open 9-5 Daily.
Kiwi Paka Waitomo hotel is just a two minute walk from the caves, making it the perfect place to stay! It is $85NZ/$61US a night.
Day 16
Lost World Adventure- http://www.waitomo.co.nz/lostworld.html- abseil (like repelling) down 330 ft limestone shaft into Mangapu Cave- $225 NZD/$162US- descent is 15 min, 4 hours total experience- I saw this on the Travel Channel ages ago, and have been wanting to do it ever since. They also have the Lost World Epic, where you do the abseil down and then swim/walk three hours through the caves! I have a feeling that I'll need a nap after the abseil though, so I'll stick with the shorter option!
Day 17
Matamata- In Matamata is the farm that was used as the location for the Shire in the Lord of the Rings films. Parts of the sets are still there, and they offer tours ( http://www.hobbitontours.com/ ) for $50NZ ($36 US). Tours depart from the Matamata Info. Centre, where you are picked up in a courtesy van. Matamata is about an hour from Waitomo, and 45 minutes from Rotorura, which is tomorrow's destination.
Day 18-
New Zealand Horse Magic Show showcases a variety of horse breeds, including the Kaimaniwa, a breed of NZ wild horse that I'd never heard of. The show lasts about an hour. http://www.cambridgethoroughbredlodge.co.nz/
Hell's Gate Thermal Reserve, located in Rotorura has mud baths, a mud volcano,a sulphur lake, geysers, and Kakahi Falls, which is the largest hot waterfall in the Southern hemispher. Their website is http://www.hellsgate.co.nz/index.htm The website has a 7 minute video (8mb) about Hell's Gate at http://www.hellsgate.co.nz/video1.htm. The video is pretty interesting, but if you have a short attention span like I do, there is also a video that focuses on the thermal reserve that's only about a minute long at http://www.hellsgate.co.nz/video/hells_gate_thermal_reserve_high.mpg
Also in Rotorura is Skyline Skyrides, which go up Mt. Ngongotaha, to the Skyline lookout (about halfway up the 2552 ft mtn) by a 900 meter (2953 feet) long gondola ride ($18) up to Bob's Peak (best peak name ever.). Awesome panoramic views. http://www.skylineskyrides.co.nz/gondola/index.html You can take a 2km scenic luge trip back down through redwood trees ($7)
(both photos from Skyline Skyrides website)
Day 19-
Wellington:
Oh, that stop in Matamata was just the beginning of the Lord of the Rings nerdyness. Today is the Rover Ring Tour in Wellington, which you have to admit is a nice way to see Wellington, even if you're not interested in Tolkien. The tour lasts from 8:30am - 4:30 pm, with stops including the film locations of Rivendell, the Shire, and Helm's Deep. http://www.wellingtonrover.co.nz/rover_rings_tour.htm $150 ($108 US)
Day 20-
I saw several different versions of Aboriginal culture in Australia, so now it's time for some Maori in NZ. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa- www.tepapa.govt.nz The website is offered in both English and Maori- located on the Wellington waterfront- The museum juxtaposes ancient Maori culture and art with contemporary science and technology. Highlights include New Zealand history exhibits, including one on how the geography was formed, and "Bush City" featuring native plants and landscapes. It is open daily, and believe it or not, free!
Day 21
Today, it's time to move on to the South Island:
Kaikoura-
Today starts out with the 10am Whale Watching tour at Kaikoura- http://www.whalewatch.co.nz/ - You can see Sperm Whales, Humpbacks, and Orcas (latter two only in summer months)- The tour is three and a half hours, and costs $60 or $125 NZ depending on the season.
Afterwards, it's over to Fyffe View Horse Treks in Kaikoura has a two hour trail ride through the woods that includes a great view of the ocean. There is a review of the ride at http://www.saddleshop.com/sentinel/horseheaven.htm
Day 22
Buller Gorge Swingbridge is kind of out of the way, but worth it. http://bullergorge.co.nz/ They have a 110 meter long swingbridge with amazing views, and you can travel back on a flying fox comet line. They have a video that's about 30 seconds at http://bullergorge.co.nz/Pages/video.html
Located not too far from the Swingbridge (from what I can tell from maps online, it's really hard to tell, though! They're both located in the general vicinity of that little point that sticks out above the word Greymount on the map above) Paparoa National Park is the home of the famous "Pancake Rocks" formed by hundreds of thousands of years of erosion caused by rainwater flowing through cracks, resulting in an appearance resembling stacks of pancakes. Lots of walking tracks are available, some of which go through rainforest, along the coastline, and past a waterfall.
Day 23
Christchurch's Antarctic Centre - http://www.iceberg.co.nz/default.asp - is probably the closest I'll ever get to actually going to Antarctica. Their main page has a link to videos of their tv commercials near the bottom.
Day 24
Westland National Park- This giant national park encompasses about 450 square miles, a landscape ranging the span of mountains, glaciers, rainforest, and lakes. I know we've hit what seems like a zillion parks and places to walk by now, but the neat thing about this one is that guided walks onto the glaciers are available. I love how vairied NZ's geography is!
I found a great interactive map of NZ's national parks here- http://www.newzealand.com/travel/destinations/new-zealand-map/interactive_map_home.cfm/interactive_map_section/nationalParks_mc
Day 25-
Wanaka:
Wanaka is the kind of town where I was researching one attraction there, and they had links to another, which linked to another, and the next thing I knew I had a whole list of things to do in this town I'd never heard of!
First up is Wanaka Flightseeing- http://www.flightseeing.co.nz/aspiring.htm flies over Mt. Aspiring (9940 ft tall) and glaciers on 1hr flight- $185NZ ($133 US). I was a little skeptical about the high price, but it looks really beautful, and how often do you get a chance to fly over glaciers and mountains? (Plus, the other location options were $380!)
Image from the Wanaka Flightseeing website
Next, at Have A Shot, you can learn archery ($12 for 20 min), and practice shooting a .22 caliber ($12 for 30 shots). I love picking up random skills like archery, and what a great story is it to be able to say you learned it in New Zealand? http://www.haveashot.co.nz/index.html ($12= about $8.50 US)
Rounding out this sort of eclectic day is Puzzling World. This place has a variety of neat looking optical illusion rooms that look fun to check out while I'm in town. The website shows it off much better than I could describe it. I couldn't find any information on how much admission is, though. http://www.puzzlingworld.co.nz/index.html
I found the Edgewater Resort to stay at the two nights I'm in Wanaka -http://www.edgewater.co.nz/ - The rooms look nice, and the resort is right on Lake Wanaka, with a view of Mt. Aspiring. The regular rooms are $210NZ/ $152 US a night.
(image from Edgewater Resort's webpage)
Day 26-
LOTR Day Tour with Wanaka Sightseeing- http://www.lordoftheringstours.co.nz/trails_of_middle_earth.htm The tour costs $280NZ/$202 US, and is by far the cheapest one that this company does (the most expensive is $4620NZ/$3335US per person! Yikes!) It includes 18 stops and a gourmet lunch.
Day 27-
Dunedin:
Dunedin is about a three and a half hour drive from Wanaka, and is the last stop on this trip! In Dunedin is Larnach Castle, the only castle in NZ- http://www.larnachcastle.com/index.pasp $18NZ/$13US self-guided tour includes the castle and its tower, the gardens, stable, outbuildings, and grounds.
Nearby is Cadbury World Cadbury World http://www.cadburyworld.co.nz/cadburyworld/home.html tour takes about 1hr 15min and costs $15NZ/$11US
Since the other Dunedin attractions aren't ones that take up a lot of time, I did some searching, and found a place to ride! Hare Hill Horse Treks http://www.horseriding-dunedin.co.nz/ They have a page with photos and bios of each of their horses, which I thought was really cute, and of course I couldn't resist reading every one (I liked Sky, because she's done dressage, and Barney, because he looks a bit like my horse). They have a one and a half hour trek for $40NZ/$29US, and let experienced riders practice dressage or jumping afterwards, and I'm never one to pass up an opportunity to go jumping! Unlike some of the other rides I've looked at, they use English saddles here, not Australian stock saddles. The site has a 36 second movie of the beach ride - http://digitaltoast.co.uk/travels/NZ/MM/gallop1.wmv .
If there's enough time, I would love to go out to Springbank Farm http://www.springbankfarm.co.nz/side_saddle.htm which is also near Dunedin, because they offer an introduction to riding sidesaddle, which I've never done.
And so ends our long AU/NZ trip!
Book/Video/Brochure Sources:
Fodor's See It Australia- Fodor's Travel Publications, 2004
Eyewitness Travel Guides New Zealand- 2003
Lonely Planet Sydney- 5th Edition- 2002- Sally OBrien- Lonely Planet Publications
Fodor's Exploring Australia 5th Edition - Fodor's Travel Publications 2002 by Michael Ivory
"This year in Lake Wanaka" brochure from the Lake Wanaka Visitor Info Centre (they'll mail them to you for free!)
Additional Websites:
Sydney Visitor Centres- http://www.sydneyvisitorcentre.com.au/
www.travelocity.com
http://www.ginini.com.au/nz/maps/northisland.jpg North Island Map
http://www.islands.com/newzealand/
Conversion Websites Used:
Convert meters to feet: http://www.qsl.net/w4sat/feetconv.htm
Convert Currency to USD- http://www.xe.com/ucc/
