rough itinerary - nz, oz, seasia

[april]

New Zealand - three weeks
Australia - two 1/2 weeks to visit gold coast, sydney, melbourne
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam - 7 weeks
HK- 5 days
Philippines - 4 weeks to see family

I'm departing in January and I have to be back by early May. I really want to hit up all the places I've listed. These are the spots I'm set on seeing in seasia: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Siem Reap, and Hanoi, and given the time constraint I'll probably be traveling by air mostly :/

Adjustments? Should more time be spent in a certain place over another?

[lauren313]

Hi April, just wondering how you're going to be spending your time in NZ... one island, or will you be trying to see both?

[april]

Hey lauren. I'd like to see both islands..i'm flying into auckland and i want to check out rotorua and wellington for sure of the north, and franz josef & fox glaciers and queenstown of the south, and maybe a day or two in christchurch before flying out to gold coast.

[lauren313]

I'd totally recommend you spend more time in the South island. The North is great and all, but I just found the South to be so much more beautiful. I guess it's personal preference really! Any idea how you'll be getting about?

[april]

i am not sure how i'll get around. i looked into magic bus and the others.. i don't know if that's the best and most cost effective way to get around. any suggestions?

[kiwichick]

my personal vote on how to get round would just be by car, nz is such a beautiful place to explore and i think partucularly in the north island a lot of the beautiful and truly neat places would be missed through using a tourist bus. i vaguely remember a cheap bus ticket website called megabus maybe??
in the south id also recommend nelson and in the north napier (particularly if u coming round our summer).
sorry thats a bit of a ramble but hit me up if i can help at all:D