How long to spend pre and post cruise

[Pearl64]

We will be on the Solstice next January/February on a b2b beginning in Auckland and ending in Sydney. We are trying to figure out timing for our days pre and post cruise so we can look for air when it becomes available. Here are my questions:

1. Are three days enough before our cruise to see the Bay of Islands and other sites north of Auckland as well as adjusting to the jet lag? We would then come back and spend one day in Auckland close to where the Solstice would dock.

2. At the end of the cruise we would like to go to Ayers Rock. We probably would need to spend disembarkation day in Sydney as we would not be able to get the flight to Ayers Rock that day. Which would be better--two or three days at Ayers Rock? We know accommodations will be very expensive. Are there any tour companies that might be cheaper? Is it advisable to rent a car in Ayers Rock but limit the driving to daylight hours? My husband has driven on the left on a previous trip. Hopefully we could get flights out of Ayers Rock to coordinate with our flight back to the US in order to eliminate another night's lodging.

3. With our cruise starting in NZ we might like to purchase some souvenirs there. Are there any items that we might purchase in NZ that are prohibited in Australia even if we declare them? We don't want to spend money on the souvenirs only to lose them at customs. I am sure shipping items to the US is very costly.

 

Thanks to all you Aussies and Kiwis for your responses.

 

Pearl

[GradUT]

Question #1: I can't help with this because I've never been north of Auckland. But I will suggest that you spend as little time in Auckland as possible--it's a snoozefest. (Should you decide to head south, I highly recommend Rotorua--fascinating area with thermal springs and Maori culture. Two - three days there would be just about right.

 

Question #2: First of all, while the airport is called Ayers Rock, the preferred name for the geological structure itself is "Uluru". Next, you are correct that you will not be able to fly to Uluru on the day you disembark as the flights from Sydney leave early to mid-morning. Likewise, you will have to overnight again in Sydney on your return from Uluru as the flights get into Sydney in the late afternoon/early evening which, as I recall, is too late for the flights back to the U.S. Finally, having been to Uluru on two occasions, I would say that two nights there would be sufficient unless you plan to do a lot of hiking, e.g. around the base of Uluru and/or at Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). Two nights there will give you enough time to see sunset & sunrise, do a ranger or Aboriginal tour at Uluru, visit the Cultural Center, drive over to Kata Tjuta and do a short walk there, and the Sounds of Silence dinner if that interests you. I would definitely rent a car (and book it in advance of your arrival) as the tours are expensive and limit what you can see and do. Don't drive at night, but that's probably not an issue anyway since anything you'd do after dark is at Yulara Village where you can walk everywhere or take their shuttle.

 

3. I'm not sure I can answer this authoritatively, but we had no problem taking our souvenirs back to Australia (where we lived for some time) after our visits to NZ.

[jackiedanny]

Question #1: I can't help with this because I've never been north of Auckland. But I will suggest that you spend as little time in Auckland as possible--it's a snoozefest. (Should you decide to head south, I highly recommend Rotorua--fascinating area with thermal springs and Maori culture. Two - three days there would be just about right.

 

Question #2: First of all, while the airport is called Ayers Rock, the preferred name for the geological structure itself is "Uluru". Next, you are correct that you will not be able to fly to Uluru on the day you disembark as the flights from Sydney leave early to mid-morning. Likewise, you will have to overnight again in Sydney on your return from Uluru as the flights get into Sydney in the late afternoon/early evening which, as I recall, is too late for the flights back to the U.S. Finally, having been to Uluru on two occasions, I would say that two nights there would be sufficient unless you plan to do a lot of hiking, e.g. around the base of Uluru and/or at Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). Two nights there will give you enough time to see sunset & sunrise, do a ranger or Aboriginal tour at Uluru, visit the Cultural Center, drive over to Kata Tjuta and do a short walk there, and the Sounds of Silence dinner if that interests you. I would definitely rent a car (and book it in advance of your arrival) as the tours are expensive and limit what you can see and do. Don't drive at night, but that's probably not an issue anyway since anything you'd do after dark is at Yulara Village where you can walk everywhere or take their shuttle.

 

3. I'm not sure I can answer this authoritatively, but we had no problem taking our souvenirs back to Australia (where we lived for some time) after our visits to NZ.

 

as long as your souvenirs are not fruit, vegetable, meat based, honey, nuts or seeds you should be ok, all of that is banned to come into australia because of the potential to spread disease, pau shell (very pretty and made into many things ) and wood from new zealand as long as it is worked and sealed in the form of jewellry or sculptures or bowls or other trinkets (just not in raw form) is ok just declare it, also wool items etc are ok:)

[MMDown Under]

We will be on the Solstice next January/February on a b2b beginning in Auckland and ending in Sydney. We are trying to figure out timing for our days pre and post cruise so we can look for air when it becomes available. Here are my questions:

1. Are three days enough before our cruise to see the Bay of Islands and other sites north of Auckland as well as adjusting to the jet lag? We would then come back and spend one day in Auckland close to where the Solstice would dock.

2. At the end of the cruise we would like to go to Ayers Rock. We probably would need to spend disembarkation day in Sydney as we would not be able to get the flight to Ayers Rock that day. Which would be better--two or three days at Ayers Rock? We know accommodations will be very expensive. Are there any tour companies that might be cheaper? Is it advisable to rent a car in Ayers Rock but limit the driving to daylight hours? My husband has driven on the left on a previous trip. Hopefully we could get flights out of Ayers Rock to coordinate with our flight back to the US in order to eliminate another night's lodging.

3. With our cruise starting in NZ we might like to purchase some souvenirs there. Are there any items that we might purchase in NZ that are prohibited in Australia even if we declare them? We don't want to spend money on the souvenirs only to lose them at customs. I am sure shipping items to the US is very costly.

 

Thanks to all you Aussies and Kiwis for your responses.

 

Pearl

 

We have just done a similiar cruise from Auckland to Sydney on Celebrity Century. We did nine days pre cruise in the north of North Island, NZ and four days in Sydney.

 

My recommendation in NZ would be to hire a car, drive north and spend as long as you have available, as the further north you go, the nicer it gets. Our car hire company (Omega) picked us up from the airport to collect our car, then we drove direct to Bay of Islands for the first couple of nights. On return of the car, the company drove us to the port.

 

January/February is mid summer here and not the best time of year to go to Ayres Rock. You might like to consider spending time in Sydney, with its beautiful harbour walks, beaches, day trips, etc.

[kuldalai]

You would need to allow 5 days after disembarking at Sydney to do Ayers Rock properly . Rather than fly out of Sydney back to USA suggest you fly out of Brisbane . So Day 1 alight Sydney Day 2 Fly Sydney - Ayers Rock Day 3 Ayers Rock Overnight Day 4 Fly Ayers Rock to Brisbane or Sydney

Day 5 Fly Brisbane or Sydney to USA.

 

Suggest you talk to your TA re a Qantas Package which includes flights, sightseeing and accommodation at Uluru . QF flies Sydney / Melbourne / Brisbane to USA amongst several carriers .

[jmlh]

Pearl - So glad you asked these questions. I have been researching sites to explore near Auckland pre cruise and Sydney post. Have not yet reached any definitive decisions as to the time frame needed. Will be eagerly looking forward to responses from individuals living in these areas as they are the ones to give the best advice. So looking forward to this holiday!!!

Jan

[Pearl64]

jmlh: I think our brains are on the same wave length. We will need to compare notes. You can reach me at cbmppm at comcast dot net.

I need to get a couple more books to research. Are you on b2b?

 

Keep the info coming. I like having different options to chose from.

 

Pearl

[MrYellowDuck]

The best option for most in NZ would be to get a direct flight Auckland to Queenstown and to spend three days based there. There are far more tourist activities down there and the scenery is far superior. The drive to Milford Sound is very nice although it's a very long day if based in Queenstown.

 

Auckland is all very nice but it's too spread out and as a tourist you'll miss the good stuff most likely. A trip to Tiri Tiri Island is nice hidden treasure.

 

Rotorua is only 2.5 hours away and there's some great stuff to see there.

 

Going North the classic places to go are to Cape Reinga and the Bay of Islands. If going to the cape an altearnative or an add on is to go to Cape Maria van Dieman; It's a pleasant walk out onto very rugged coast and is in much the same place as Cape Reinga.

[Granny DI]

We spent 5 days in Sydney post cruise. I think we saw the top 10 things to do in Sydney. Beware of excessive baggage fees traveling in Australia, NZ or betwen the two. Our friends were charged an extra $200 for their flight between Sydney and Auckland.