Slang around Australia.
Iām back to New Zealand again next week for my brothers wedding (had never been to NZ in my life and now twice in 2 months!). This time going to Queenstown just for 4 days. Any tips on things to do? I have a lot of family and wedding commitments but have maybe 1 day and 1 night to myself. I am not keen to go too far out and am not into the extreme sports either. Was thinking of maybe just catching the gondola up the mountain and maybe doing the Luge. Anything else easily accessible that is worth doing?
I stayed at lake wanaka when I went to Queenstown (probably an hour away) it was one of the most beautiful places i have been to. Also, I believe its this place, Arrowtown is a very pretty town. Queenstown has plenty of things to do. All full of adrenaline which I am sure you will enjoy.
1 Like
Skippers Canyon jetboat. The bus ride in is just as good: a very narrow road wending its way down a mountain with great views. Note that Iāve heard rental car insurance is void if you drive down there yourself; there is no guard rail or fencing along this road!
If you have time, the drive up to Glenorchy and Paradise (where some of LOTR was filmed) has some more stunning scenery.
Arrowntown is a bit too touristy for my liking but Wanaka is OK. The road up to Treble Cone is unfortunately closed in summer.
I will be over there next week as well, but concentrating on the Otago/Southland coast. I will fly in and out of Queenstown which is spectacular in itself. I will end the trip at Milford Sound which Iāve actually never done before!
2 Likes
OK, you might want to rethink the jet boat:
A much more sedate, but still scenic, boat trip is the short cruise up Lake Wakatipu on the SS Earnslaw. This takes a little over an hour from memory and departs throughout the day from the main wharves of Queenstown.
I am sure there are others you can do
I did Fiordland over Christmas when I was over there. The scenic cruising through Milford and all the other sounds is one of the most amazing things Iāve done.
Iām going on a cruise for the first time in December on P&O Pacific Explorer from Sydney to New Caledonia (Isle of Pines, Mare and Noumea) and Vanuatu (Mystery Island). Has anyone been to these places or have some tips? Also, is there much on radio in these places?
isle of pines has a fantastic swimming spot (known as āaround the rockā).
I was at Mare in Oct and there is not much there - pretty much only the bus to the beach (which is charged).
Noumea is pretty good - if you getting in late though (we got in at 3pm on a sunday) youāll need to book something as everything is shut. otherwise even just walking around town (and visiting the supermarket) is quite good. the ship will dock either right at the edge of town or at the cargo terminal. if itās the cargo terminal they will make you get a free bus
1 Like
Ive heard the same thing about Mare, probably wont spend too much time there before getting back on the ship. We get into Noumea on a Monday morning so things should be open. Looks like a fairly big place from what I can tell too.
it is. i like whats known as the āback of the islandā - the beaches near the aquarium. they are beautiful and it gets you out the hustle and bustle of the city
1 Like
Thanks for the Queenstown tips guys. I canāt imagine Iāll be doing anything too adrenaline filled (not my sort of thing) and I have limited time to do stuff between family / wedding commitmentsā¦ so wonāt be getting far out. I will have a hire car though so will play it by year.
Scroll up a bit if you want to read about my recent first P&O cruise experience (albeit a different location). Iām already considering another cruise but Iād probably only do a short one next time.
3 Likes
If you are flying to and from Melbourne on a Qantas domestic flight and a member of Qantas Frequent Flyer, be sure to visit this pop-up store at Melbourne Airport terminal 1. Itās located close to gate 1 (next to the newsagent) and open now until June 30 this year. Show your QFF card and you will earn 100 QFF points.
Itās been a year since Qantas started flying non-stop between Perth and London (the first flight left Perth on March 24, 2018) and the airline today claimed the route has been a resounding success with some interesting statistics. Qantas 787s carried 155,000 passengers on the route and cabin crew served more than 450,000 meals. The most-watched movie inflight was Mission Impossible: Fallout. And the seat on the plane that has spent more time watching the in-flight entertainment screen than any other seat on board is 56F with combined time of 9134 hours.
2 Likes
Has anyone here done the PER-LHR route? It would be a very tough slog in cattle class thatās for sure, even for seasoned travellers.
If/when I go to the UK, Iāll probably opt for Singapore Airlines (SYD-SIN-LHR) or perhaps the gulf carriers.
1 Like
This flight doesnāt appeal to me in the slightest. Unless you are from Perth I donāt see it as a major advantage. For example for me from Melbourne itās still 2 flights - It would be 3 hours to Perth and then a couple of hours stopover and then 17 hours. On the other routes if you have good connections through the middle east its just not a huge advantage. I would much prefer a short break in the middle anyway over such a long slog. Stopping over in a foreign country airport is a bit of fun for me.
I might be headed back to Europe late August/Early September. I have always flown Etihad and probably would continue to do so.
2 Likes
It is great for those in Perth. Other than that its not great.
1 Like
I think that a Qantas Flight from Perth to London is a success since it launched one year ago. Despite utilising a Boeing 787-9 aircraft capable of a 236-seat capacity, I feel that this route can open up more opportunities and can get to UK faster without having to stop over at Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur.
Some passengers preferred a stopover at Singapore and going onboard the Airbus a380 (that boosts capacity).
Can you imagine what it would look like when you sit onboard a 17-hour flight from Perth to London?
I wouldnāt be able to handle a 17 hour flight. I prefer a stopover. However, as Chris mentioned its still 2 flights if you arenāt in Perth so its exactly the same time/distance. For example I am flying to budapest in June. I only have a 3 hours stopover in singapore.
1 Like
So you will fly from Mel-Singapore and to Frankfurt before going to Budapest via Singapore Air