Flight Centre’s Nadya Phelan blogs about her travel experiences in the South Pacific. Nadya suggests great vacation places to visit in Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, and the Cook Islands.

I have to tell you that I love the South Pacific!

I know, I know it’s far. It appears to be hard to get to… after all it is on the other side of the world! However, it gets easier with each new plane they design and there are so many possibilities for stop overs (really an excuse to add another country to the list of countries visited), and there is just so much to do in this diverse area.

I am fortunate. I lived there twice, once as a backpacker living in hostels, and once as a student… I have been lucky enough to go back and visit again since then. I have been fortunate to have seen so many parts of Australia.

Before I left I headed down the beautiful Margaret River, Rottness Island and Cottlesloe beach. Then I was off from Perth up to Broome. Karinjni National Park was an amazing highlight. I wish the whale sharks did come out to play when I went to swim with them, but we missed them by a day. Instead we were up close and personal (remaining on the boat) with some humpback whales and lots of dolphins. Then there is the snorkelling right off the shore in Exmouth on the Ningaloo reef. When I got to Broome I thought the first half of the trip would be hard to beat. Then I laid my eyes on Cable Beach – with the amazing sunsets, the down to earth locals, and camel rides at sunset on offer, how could you go wrong?!

Continuing on to Darwin I wasn’t expecting the Bungle Bungles to be so spectacular and the Gibb river road to be so bumpy, but I loved every minute of my adventure. After visiting the markets in Darwin and beautiful Litchfield National Park I was off down the middle of the country to Uluru (Ayres Rock).

On your first trip to Oz, you have to take your time traveling up the east coast and see the fantastic sights of Byron Bay, a beautiful surf town that became popular in the 60s and now holds a big music festival and is a big stop for most backpackers. Also visit Noosa, surrounded by beautiful National Parks and beaches, Fraser Island the largest sand Island, and enjoy the Whitsunday Islands (I spent 3 days on Daydream) and Dunk Island as well as Fitzroy Island outside of Cairns.

Heading down to Tasmania was one of my favourite highlights; this state is like a mini New Zealand. If you don’t have the time to see New Zealand, make this a stop on your itinerary, as it has some of the friendliest people and a great diversity in topography from the rest of the country.

Melbourne is a fantastic city, with so much to see and do. Make sure to do a trip out to see the fairy penguins! They are sooo cute.

Sydney… ahh Sydney. Taking the ferry from the downtown circular quay out to Manly gives you the BEST view of the opera house and bridge. If you can I would recommend spending the money on a great room at somewhere like the Intercontinental and pay for the package that allows you access to their lounge… free canapes and a cocktail as the sun sets behind the bridge, and you are looking down at the opera house!!! GORGEOUS! Or the old Sydney Holiday inn, where the roof top pool gives you a great view, it’s right in the heart of the Rocks of Sydney (the old historical area and place to be on St. Paddy’s day!)

If you don’t have time to see all the wildlife when visiting other places, try and get over to the Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife Park. It’s a bit surreal looking at a koala with buildings in the background, but they had some handlers out with animals that you could touch, and lots of information to read — it’s right at Darling Harbour. If you are looking to go for a drink, try the Slip Inn, as you will find lots of locals having a quick bevvy or eight after work on a Friday! You will find a lot of places called “hotel” or “inn” in Sydney that aren’t actually accommodations, but are bars — just be careful if you do find a great inn… because you may be staying at the bar, which for some is a good thing… the down fall being that there is probably no shower! : )

The last time I went to Oz I got to spend some time driving around New Zealand. The whole purpose of our trip was to go to a wedding in New Zealand, which we turned into a 3 week adventure. New Zealand was amazing! We took a tram car to dinner in Christchurch, and I would recommend taking it in Melbourne over Christchurch. Loved it as it had a quaint feel… however the circuit was a bit short. Luckily we had a great group aboard and delicious food!

We hopped in a car and drove… and drove… we had limited time and I would go back to do it all again!!! We drove through Arthur’s Pass, which was stunning and then out to the coast and saw the Franz Joseph Glacier and on to Queenstown. Queenstown was fantastic! So much to do and see — we did the Shotover Jet…. LOVED IT. I went and picked friends up from their hostel and made them go on it. The male friend had grown up boating his whole life and thought it would be boring. He was SHOCKED AND LOVED IT!!! We did a flight out to Milford Sound to do a boat trip out there, it was sooo worth the money. Make sure you try to get on the first flight (the weather can change as the day goes on and you may lose the opportunity of a flight) because if the plane can’t fly, you can still get on the bus that day! We got the flight and it was amazing flying over the remarkable Sound where the mountains literally drop into the sea.

On our way home we stopped in the Cook Islands. I have been fortunate to travel to quite a few tropical paradises, but there is something extra special about these islands. The people are so friendly, you are around the main island in just 30 minutes, and Aitutaki may be the most beautiful water I have ever seen!!! I have been to the Caribbean, Thailand (both coasts) and honeymooned in the Maldives., however, Aitutaki is a must see. I know it can be pricey to get to but definitely worth the money, even if it is just for a day trip. You will not be disappointed with the clarity of this water and the relaxed feeling of the islands.

Karinjni National Park, Australia is highlighted on the Flight Centre travel map.

Looking for more information on traveling to the South Pacific including Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania and the Cook Islands? Contact Nadya Phelan, an International Travel Consultant with Flight Centre based in Toronto, Ontario at 199 Bay Street and can be reached at 1 866 569 9645.

Categories: Destinations

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 1:13 pm and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.