Advice on travelling to New Zealand and Australia

[malumbu]

Friend's kid (18) is doing 10 weeks in Oz and NZ as part of a gap year.

Great if members can share experiences, and also what to take (and what not to take). But not opinions please.

[TheArtfulDogger]

None of these should be taken 😉

 

[malumbu]

And also how best to exchange money

[Seabag]

Make sure to pack a hat with corks hanging off the rim

[se22cat]

Don't take any fresh food eg fruit/veg, nor seeds or any form of fish or meat, their customs website should be pretty comprehensive. Maybe have a good talk about the benefits of contraception.

[malumbu]

Hmmm, she probably knows more that me about the latter and I doubt whether the former will be of any great interest! More (useful) views please

[Loz]

A bit more info would be useful - you've given us quite a broad remit! Where in Oz are they going? What sort of experience are they looking for?

Personally (and as an ex-pat Aussie) I'd say get out of the cities. Australian cities are much of a muchness - the real things to see are in the country area. Where exactly really depends on which states they plan to go to.

For money, I use a MetroBank account. It used to be fee-free for ATM withdrawals in Oz, but they changed it last year. It's still much better than most, but there are better options now - see this page for suggestions. Oh, and keep a credit card somewhere for emergencies (see that same web page for the best ones for travelling).

Finally, tell him/her to save lots of dosh - Australia is hideously expensive at them moment due to the Aussie dollar being so strong.

[ruffers]

Fly on Korean Air. It's cheap as it's not quick, there is a 15 hour stop over in Seoul on the way back. I've done this three times and am amazed at the people who stay in the airport when it's actually a free trip to Seoul, they bus you in and get you a hotel there.

[pommie]

Oz experience bus is a great way to get around. I did it in my 20's and got to travel and meet lots of people. Stayed in places like cattle farms, sheep stations, camped on frazer island. Loved it

[Lowlander]

ruffers Wrote:

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> Fly on Korean Air. It's cheap as it's not quick,

> there is a 15 hour stop over in Seoul on the way

> back. I've done this three times and am amazed at

> the people who stay in the airport when it's

> actually a free trip to Seoul, they bus you in and

> get you a hotel there.

I did a similar thing on Japan Air (JAL) via Tokyo. Ok they put me up in a hotel in Narita airport, but it was nice enough and I got a day in Tokyo.

[peckham_ryu]

Wifi in NZ is like being in the 3rd World. SIM card with good data plan recommended. 3 did a good PAYG offer last year, although they've changed all their packages now so shop around.

Absolute honesty on the biohazard entry questionnaire. Everyone gets inspected. People get fined if they say they have no food but actually have a snickers bar somewhere.

Check travel insurance definitely covers whatever adrenaline activities are likely.

Do not miss Waitomo "black water rafting" off the itinerary :)

[malumbu]

Yep we did black water rafting 20 years ago - lovely!

[Loz]

peckham_ryu Wrote:

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> Absolute honesty on the biohazard entry questionnaire. Everyone gets inspected. People get

> fined if they say they have no food but actually have a snickers bar somewhere.

This is true. Airports have sniffer dogs trained to detect food. You will never see anything in the world with more job satisfaction than those beagles.

You probably won't get fined, but you will have the experience of everyone else in arrivals seeing you being treated like you are a drug trafficker.

[Jeremy]

If she does the Seoul stopover... one day is enough...

[Nigello]

The sun can be very strong, so use sunscreen.

Don't try to do too much in either place and build in some buffer areas so they can add a few days here and there if they like a particular place.

[Earl Aelfheah]

pommie Wrote:

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> Oz experience bus is a great way to get around. I

> did it in my 20's and got to travel and meet lots

> of people. Stayed in places like cattle farms,

> sheep stations, camped on frazer island. Loved it

It does depend on what kind of experience they want. The 'experience bus' will organise you, hook you up with lots of other kids and you'll have a good time, but it's far from independent travel. A bit more of a 'brits on tour' type thing. Have to be honest, we despaired whenever we were somewhere and a convoy of 'experience buses' would descend on a place - that was usually our cue to move on.

Horses for courses though.

[Earl Aelfheah]

New Zealand is a great place to drive. We bought a cheap car in Auckland, drove across the country and eventually sold it on for a small profit in Christchurch.

If they're getting the ferry between he north and south island though, make sure they think ahead and book tickets in advance as I recall it was far from a turn up and go type affair.

If they're in that part of the world and if they can, it's a great spring board for a visit to many SE Asian designations. Indonesia is really diverse and definitely worth exploring.