Fiji/New Zealand or New Zealand/Australia?

[Burgertm]

Looking to book a 40th birthday trip for my wife and I. New Zealand is definitely in the mix. The question is whether we do Australia as well or Fiji. Thoughts from people who have been to these places? I'd be booking it hopefully entirely on points/miles for air/hotel.

For little background, we went to Bora Bora/Moorea last year and loved it. It was great to relax in Bora Bora and be a little more active in Moorea. That has me leaning towards Fiji and NZ, but it may be a long time before being able to get back down under.

As for the length of the trip, I can probably only talk her into about 8 days. Not nearly enough, but with young kids, that's about all I can get.

 

[DanT]

At 8 days I would only do 1 place. I would do either nz or Australia. Theres a ton to see and do You hit bora bora so I think you can skip Fiji this time. If you do more than 1 you would be wasting to much time traveling and

 

[Burgertm]

That's probably a good point. We took the family to Big Island/Maui recently and found that even though we were just hopping from one island to another, we wasted most of a day.

 

[JohnnieD]

Been to Australia twice last time in conjuction with New Zealand and Fiji. We did this with a 22 day trip. If you have 8 days and you are not likely to return, I woulds visit Australia and then go to the south island of New Zealand. You can get to/from NZ with aa miles at 10K ow.(with the aa credit card its 9K). If you would return to the south pacific then I would do as DanT says and go to NZ or Australia. We used usair miles (sadly gone) and flew via PVG with overnights both directions. That was alot of flying....................

 

[smittytabb]

Not sure if your 8 days includes flying or not, but if it does, you don't have a lot of time! Crossing the date line and all the long haul flying eat up a lot of time. I'd definitely focus either on NZ or Australia. And even with 8 days it's going to be hard to get in all that is worth seeing in both the North and South Islands of NZ.

 

[Burgertm]

I'll see what I can do to talk her into a little more time, but she is pretty stubborn when it comes to time away from the kids. Thanks for the tips.

 

[TheBOSman]

If you have only 8 days and have already been to Bora Bora, skip Fiji completely for sure. You're only going to have time for maybe two places, consisting of any Australian state, or the North Island of NZ, or the South Island of NZ. As noted, it will basically take you a day to get there and a day to get back, so if it is only 8 days maximum away from the kids (note: not an 8 day vacation, this is more like 6 if you can only be away for 8 days), you're best sticking to one of those. Once you know how long, it depends what you like to do, and how long you think it will be before you go back. It also depends what time of year you go, South Island can see decent snow in June-August in parts.

In short, figure out exactly how many days you have away from home, and what time of year. Then let us know and we can try to help, I've been to Australia an absurd number of times (about half a dozen) and have spent 7-8 weeks total across 3 trips in New Zealand.

 

[Alice]

When is the trip? The height of summer would likely be more pleasant in NZ than AU due to the heat in AU, but the middle of winter would be more pleasant in AU, unless you want to do snow related activities. (I'm from NZ but live in the US)

 

[Hanaleiradio]

I'd third the comments by @Bosman and @Alice re: importance of trip timing. Another critical factor is what do you like to do? If you prefer hanging out in great hotels and taking in all the things that big cities can offer, then Australia is a better bet. If you like renting a car and wandering around natural beauty, doing land-based outdoor stuff and staying in small cottages and farmsteads, then NZ, particularly South Island, is the ticket. Parts of AU for snorkeling, diving, beach-stuff (although there are some great beaches in NZ!)

 

[gmenrule]

Visited all three places this year and loved each one.....You can't go wrong....

 

[smittytabb]

I actually think that both Australia and NZ offer both urban and outdoor options. Seems to me that given the short time, it might make sense to do research to narrow down which country and which particular experience resonates with you both. If you like cities, I don't think you have to go to Australia. I really love both Auckland and Wellington in the North Island of NZ and think they would be a great urban getaway. I've spent a lot of time in NZ and after being in NZ for three months the first time, I went back twice more, once to Auckland and once to Wellington. I have also been to Australia, but don't have the in depth experience there as it was a quick trip, much like the one OP will be taking. It was not enough time. Imagine if someone told you they were coming to the US for 8 days. How could you even begin to suggest where to go or what to do? NZ is smaller and a bit easier in some ways to navigate. Just my $.02.

 

[Hanaleiradio]

I actually think that both Australia and NZ offer both urban and outdoor options. Seems to me that given the short time, it might make sense to do research to narrow down which country and which particular experience resonates with you both. If you like cities, I don't think you have to go to Australia. I really love both Auckland and Wellington in the North Island of NZ and think they would be a great urban getaway. I've spent a lot of time in NZ and after being in NZ for three months the first time, I went back twice more, once to Auckland and once to Wellington. I have also been to Australia, but don't have the in depth experience there as it was a quick trip, much like the one OP will be taking. It was not enough time. Imagine if someone told you they were coming to the US for 8 days. How could you even begin to suggest where to go or what to do? NZ is smaller and a bit easier in some ways to navigate. Just my $.02.

Yes, Wellington and Auckland are both pleasant, and a couple of days in either place on a short visit would be very enjoyable. A decade ago I spent a week in Wellington and fell in love with it. Seriously considered moving there. But neither are big, urban CITIES in the way that Sydney or Melbourne are. The entire metro area of both Wellington and Christchurch have fewer than 400k people (and Wellington proper is less than 200k); Melbourne is over 4m. Metro Auckland is around 1.5m; Sydney is close to 5m. I believe that Brisbane and Perth are now also over 2m. If one prefers big urban cities like NY or Chicago, then they are more likely to prefer Melbourne or Sydney over Auckland or, particularly, Wellington, which is more like a big beautiful town. Also, if one is relying on points for hotels, then there are far more opportunities in AU than NZ, particularly during prime tourist times, and particularly in the bigger cities.

 

[TheBOSman]

Other than for the Park Hyatt Sydney, or for ultra high demand times, I would not use points in Australia right now with how much of a beating their exchange rate has taken. I was there at the beginning of this year, and I was paying money for the hotels because using points was just not as good a value as I can get in many other places right now, and the exchange rate has only gotten more favorable for someone with USD.

 

[smittytabb]

Yes, Wellington and Auckland are both pleasant, and a couple of days in either place on a short visit would be very enjoyable. A decade ago I spent a week in Wellington and fell in love with it. Seriously considered moving there. But neither are big, urban CITIES in the way that Sydney or Melbourne are. The entire metro area of both Wellington and Christchurch have fewer than 400k people (and Wellington proper is less than 200k); Melbourne is over 4m. Metro Auckland is around 1.5m; Sydney is close to 5m. I believe that Brisbane and Perth are now also over 2m. If one prefers big urban cities like NY or Chicago, then they are more likely to prefer Melbourne or Sydney over Auckland or, particularly, Wellington, which is more like a big beautiful town. Also, if one is relying on points for hotels, then there are far more opportunities in AU than NZ, particularly during prime tourist times, and particularly in the bigger cities.

Yeah, I lived in Lower Hutt (Wellington) for three months, so I am not impartial. You are right. Sydney and Melbourne in particular are what I would call "global cities". Of the main cities in both countries, I've been to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Wandering Aramean had an interesting post this week about his impressions of Christchurch going there once before and once after the major earthquake hit that city. I took my very first solo trip of my life to Christchurch back in 1979 and traveled the entire south Island on my own back when no one was talking about NZ. My friends and family thought I had gone to the ends of the earth. And to a certain degree it was a backwater. The pubs closed at 10 all over NZ and there was not even a wine industry yet. All the wine was imported from Australia. I need to get back there. I was last there five years ago when my son was studying abroad at Victoria University in windy Welly. I really love it there and so did he...

 

[Burgertm]

To answer a question from earlier, we are would probably be most interested in NZ from the sounds of it. We are not that interested in the cities and far more interested in seeing what nature has to offer. We love to hike, and while it sounds like the south island might be great for us, I know my wife really wants to see the luminescent caves in Waitomo, and as dumb as it may sound, I wouldn't mind seeing Hobbiton. Would it be possible to do a little time in the northern island and a little time in the southern, or would we waste too much time switching islands?

 

[TheBOSman]

To answer a question from earlier, we are would probably be most interested in NZ from the sounds of it. We are not that interested in the cities and far more interested in seeing what nature has to offer. We love to hike, and while it sounds like the south island might be great for us, I know my wife really wants to see the luminescent caves in Waitomo, and as dumb as it may sound, I wouldn't mind seeing Hobbiton. Would it be possible to do a little time in the northern island and a little time in the southern, or would we waste too much time switching islands?

I would probably stick to North Island then, you could easily fill a week there. You can base yourself out of Hamilton, while it is a fairly dull city, it is quite convenient to Waitomo, Hobbiton, Rotorua, Taupo, etc., and has reasonable hotel/motel prices. I personally am not a fan of Auckland, particularly if you've been to another city of any size. To me, it feels like a smaller version (not necessarily in a good way) of Melbourne/Sydney/NYC/any other large world city. It isn't bad, but unless you really enjoy Polynesian/South Pacific culture and food, there's almost nothing in Auckland that can't be done better somewhere else. So, with limited time, I would honestly skip it.

I'd much rather spend time in Wellington, a city that I love (and am jealous of smittytabb for having lived there, I've only gotten to visit it twice ). I'd move to Wellington tomorrow if I had the money, it is very unique and particularly New Zealand to me. It is quite walkable (although plan any walking trips around the hills, those are steep), lots to do, lots of good restaurants/cafes. Te Papa (National Museum of New Zealand) is free and you can spend quite a while there.

And I'm not even a big fan of the Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit movies (they're good, I'm just not a superfan like a few people I know, or everyone else on my tour!), and I quite enjoyed touring the set myself. It is a little expensive, but worth doing, especially if you know other people who love the movies as they will love the pictures you'll get. You also learn a little bit about how movies are filmed, and the landscape is quite beautiful independent of the movie set area.

 

[kwshannon]

To answer a question from earlier, we are would probably be most interested in NZ from the sounds of it. We are not that interested in the cities and far more interested in seeing what nature has to offer. We love to hike, and while it sounds like the south island might be great for us, I know my wife really wants to see the luminescent caves in Waitomo, and as dumb as it may sound, I wouldn't mind seeing Hobbiton. Would it be possible to do a little time in the northern island and a little time in the southern, or would we waste too much time switching islands?

I know a guy originally from NZ I can ask for a top 5 things to see there. Personally I would try to hit the top 5 in NZ and Australia if I was not going to get back soon.

 

[kijo]

If in Wellington, don't miss Te Papa, as theBOSman recommends.

 

[smittytabb]

If in Wellington, don't miss Te Papa, as theBOSman recommends.

Yep, worth it just to see the squid I actually stayed at the Museum Art hotel which is right across from Te Papa the last time I was in Wellington and had a very nice suite. One of my best friends lives in Wellington and she had contacts there that got us a great deal on the stay. It was a great location and very comfortable option.

 

[m124]

If OP wants to use miles and has AS miles, I would suggest US - New Zealand with a stopover in Fiji on Fiji Airways.