This Australia and New Zealand Itinerary and Master Guide will contain links to articles about my trip to those countries once they are written and published.
Australia and New Zealand: Itinerary and Master Guide
The following information is extracted directly from the itinerary which I prepared prior to leaving for Australia and New Zealand, at which I spent a total of 23 days — and I have thousands of photographs and videos to share and many more articles which I need to write; so please stay tuned.
DAY 1
- Delta Air Lines flight 500 from Atlanta to Los Angeles. Starting off on my whirlwind trip returning to Australia and New Zealand, I flew as a passenger seated in the economy class cabin aboard a Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-900(L) airplane from Atlanta to Los Angeles — with mixed results.
- Delta Air Lines flight 41 from Los Angeles to Sydney. I spent 14 hours in economy class in a middle seat near the rear of the aircraft with no recline. My experience pertains to a flight aboard an airplane that was operated by Delta Air Lines from Los Angeles to Sydney after arriving at Los Angeles from Atlanta.
DAY 3
- Car rental — Enterprise
SYDNEY AREA, NEW SOUTH WALES
- Blue Mountains National Park
- Wentworth Falls Trails (National Pass)
- Valley of the Waters Track
- Echo Point Lookout/Three Sisters Walk
- Katoomba Falls Round Walk
- Govett’s Leap Lookout
- Katoomba Night Walk near Katoomba Round Walk
- Lodging — Holiday Inn Express Sydney Airport
DAY 4
- Flight — JETSTAR JQ660 SYD-AYQ
NORTHERN TERRITORY
- Car rental – Hertz
- Lodging – Discovery Resorts – Kings Canyon
DAY 5
- Kings Canyon
- Watarrka National Park
- Kings Canyon Rim Walk
- Kings Creek Walk
- Starry sky in the Outback. Viewing stars in the night sky in the Outback of Australia is arguably the best place in the world to do so. Low humidity, virtually no light pollution, and bearable temperatures all contribute to an amazing astronomical experience.
- Kathleen Springs Walk
- Mount Conner Lookout. Mount Conner in Australia is also known as Fooluru due to people who drive on Highway 4 between Yulara and Highway 3 — which is also known as Lasseter Highway — mistaking it for the more famous and legendary monolith known as Uluṟu.
- Sunset at Uluṟu
- Lodging – The Lost Camel
DAY 6
- Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
- Uluṟu
- Sunrise in Uluṟu
- Uluṟu Base Walk
- Kata Tjuṯa
- Sunset in Kata Tjuṯa
- Lodging – The Lost Camel
DAY 7
- Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
- Kata Tjuṯa
- Valley of the Winds Walk
- Flight – JETSTAR JQ661 AYQ-SYD
- Flight – JETSTAR JQ958 SYD-CNS
- Car rental – Enterprise
- Lodging – Hilton Cairns
DAY 8
CAIRNS AREA, QUEENSLAND
- Great Barrier Reef
- Lodging – Hilton Cairns
DAY 9
- Daintree River Boat Tour
- Barron Falls Canopy Walk and Lookout
- Lodging – DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cairns
- Fire alarm at 5:45 in the morning. Fire alarms at hotel properties are never fun — but being startled out of sleep by a fire alarm at a hotel property at 5:45 in the morning is not exactly a great way to start the day. The incident occurred at…
DAY 10
- Cathedral Fig Tree
- Curtain Fig Tree
- Mount Hypipamee Crater
- Millaa Millaa Lookout
- Millaa Millaa Waterfall
- Zillie Falls
- Ellinjaa Falls
- Josephine Falls
- Babinda Boulders
- Lodging – Cairns Airport
DAY 11
- Flight – VIRGIN AUSTRALIA VA770 CNS-BNE
- Flight – VIRGIN AUSTRALIA VA702 BNE-HBA
- Car rental – Thrifty
TASMANIA
- Car Ferry to Bruny Island
- The Neck Game Reserve Lookout
- Mount Wellington
- Lodging – Crowne Plaza Hobart
DAY 12
- Freycinet National Park
- Wineglass Bay Track
- Coles Bay Lookout
- Wineglass Bay Lookout
- Sleepy Bay Track
- Cape Tourville Lighthouse
- Spiky Bridge
- Richmond Bridge
- Flight – VIRGIN AUSTRALIA VA1573 HBA-SYD
- Lodging – West Hotel Sydney, Curio Collection by Hilton
DAY 13
SYDNEY
- Sydney Rail Travel
- Featherdale Wildlife Reserve
- Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon Lookout
- Mrs Macquarie’s Chair
- Sydney Harbour Bridge and cruise ship. The Sydney Harbour Bridge and a cruise ship in Australia created an interesting composition in the way that the bridge framed that massive vessel, in my opinion. The cruise ship was not just any cruise ship, however. Its name is…
- Lodging – Holiday Inn Express Sydney Airport
DAY 14
- REX Lounge Sydney
- Flight – AIR NEW ZEALAND NZ232 SYD-ZQN
- Car rental – Budget
NEW ZEALAND SOUTH ISLAND
- Lake Wakatipu Lookout
- Te Anau Lions Viewpoint
- Lodging – Barnyard Backpackers Te Anau
DAY 15
- Milford Sound
- Fur Seals in Milford Sound. New Zealand became new seal land when fur seals at Milford Sound appeared on the surface of a large rock while I was aboard a vessel on a cruise in the legendary fjord.
- Wild Kea. The kea in New Zealand is a species of large parrot. Kea are found in both the forested regions and alpine regions of the South Island. Their curiosity and highly investigative nature are both attractive to tourists and annoying to residents.
- The Chasm
- Hundred Falls/1855 Lookout
- Monkey Creek Viewpoint
- Christie (Falls Creek) Falls
- Pop’s View and Hollyford Valley Lookouts
- Lake Gunn Viewpoint
- Mirror Lakes
- Eglinton Valley Viewpoint
- Devil’s Staircase Lookout
- Lodging – Barnyard Backpackers Te Anau
DAY 16
QUEENSTOWN
- Skyline Queenstown Luge and Gondola ride
- Omarama Clay Cliffs
- Lodging – Dunstan Downs High Country Sheep Station
DAY 17
- Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
- Hooker Valley Track
- Tasman Glacier Lookout
- Acland Lagoon Lookout
- Mount Cook Lookout
- Lake Pukaki Viewpoint
- Mount Cook View
- Lodging – DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Queenstown
DAY 18
- Flight – AIR NEW ZEALAND NZ638 ZQN-AKL
- Car rental – Budget
- Spellbound Glowworm Caves
- Waituhi Scenic Lookout
- Lodging – Motuoapa Bay Holiday Park
DAY 19
- Tongariro National Park
- Taranaki Falls Track
- Tawhai Falls Walk
- Mounds Walk
- Huka Falls
- Lodging – Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park
DAY 20
- Wai-o- tapu Thermal Wonderland
- Pushed by a Māori man over soap. The Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand, which is also known as Aotearoa. They are proud of their heritage and culture — so why would I be pushed by a Māori man over soap?
- Orakei Korako Thermal Area
- Rainbow Mountain Scenic Reserve
- Lodging – Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park
DAY 21
- Waimangu Volcanic Valley Hot Springs Walk
- Frying Pan Lake
- Inferno Crater
- Te Puia Geothermal Reserve
- Hell’s Gate Geothermal Reserve
- Okere Falls Track
- Lodging – Putaruru Hotel
DAY 22
- Hamurana Springs
- Owharoa Falls
- Karangahake Gorge
- Rail Tunnel Loop
- Windows Walk
- Hunua Falls
Lodging – Hilton Auckland
DAY 23
AUCKLAND
- Mount Eden
- Lounge – Strata Lounge
- Flight – DELTA 64 AKL-LAX
- Flight – DELTA 515 LAX-ATL
Final Boarding Call
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All photographs ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
