Things to do in Oz/NZ

I lived in Melbourne for a couple of years.

Car related stuff: you could check out the Fox Classic car collection - http://www.foxcollection.org.au/

You might consider heading down to Phillip Island for a day-trip, though it doesn't look like there's much going on at the track until July 3rd, (Alfa Club Vic. track day), and July 10th/11th (GT sports car championship).

Phillip Island calendar

Alfa Club calendar

Or, if your time in Melbourne happens to coincide with June 20th, (and if you happen to be hiring a car), there's a hill-climb being held by the MG Club at Rob Roy (about an hour out of the city.) It's not a big event, but usually a very casual, grassroots-y sort of affair.

http://mgcc.com.au/calendar/calendar.shtml

As for non-car stuff, there's always live music to check out in Melbourne, if you're into that sort of thing. I recommend the East Brunswick Club, just out of the CBD.

Visit Invercargill and pee on Burt's lemon tree for him.

Sheep

Rob Roy is amazing, you will be able to con a ride and maybe even a drive. It is a historic event, ran my RX3 club car one year.

Other Victorian race tracks include, Sandown, Phillip Island, Calder Park, Winton. There have a lot of track days called "Sprints"

Go check out a game of Aussie Rules "AFL" football.

Then there is the Hillclimb Championships, each state has its own, just search for them.

In Melbourne check out the casino. It is huge.

If you are in Sydney, go to the Opera House and The bridge, but also Doyles Restaurant under the bridge is amazing, seafood FTW.

This place is insanely amazing: http://www.waimangu.co.nz/ It's the world's newest volcanic valley. It's like a living geology lesson.

You gotta see the worm caves: http://www.waitomo.com/black-water-rafting.aspx

And if you like spending any time outside check out some of the national parks. This place was awesome for walks and sightseeing: http://www.arc.govt.nz/parks/our-parks/parks-in-the-region/tawharanui/

jg

Post up your itinerary when you know it, PM me about Victoria.

Steve

Drive south from Sydney though the national forest. Stop when you see ocean on your left. Have some ice cream. Don't fall off the edge. Then continue to Belmore Basin to have lunch and hang out with the pelicans. Too bad it won't be swimming weather. If it was me (and it was) I would skip downtown (Opera House, Bridge, fountain from The Matrix, etc.) unless you want to catch a ride around the harbor. They look just like they do on TV. Although if they still do the tour where you get to play Paul Hogan and climb up the suspension cables on the bridge, that could be cool.

Or skip Sydney and go to Brisbane and Surfer's Paradise, or even further north. I drove north from the Sydney area for a couple days, then drove back, stopping random places. I didn't find it very interesting until I hit Queensland.

Keep your eyes open for things like giant pineapples and lobsters and such along the roads.

Appleseed wrote: Visit Invercargill and pee on Burt's lemon tree for him.

• eleventy billion.

There's nothing to do. Just sit on the beach :)

If you're running up the coast, it gets better the further north you go. Once you get to Surfer's, you're just starting.

Brisbane was way fun. Touristy place with lots to do and places to eat. I had a blast in Cairns too.

Another thing I just thought of. Since you have a car available, you 'ought to check out the Dandenong Mountains. Lots of nice, winding roads, connecting quaint little tree-side towns, (which become jam-packed with tourists on the weekends.) One of those little towns is Olinda, which is home to Pie in the Sky, source of the best damn meat pies in the country. Try the 'beef burgundy'.

eat a vegamite sandwich, and drag a koala plushy around on a string

neon4891 wrote: eat a vegamite sandwich, blah, blah.

Trust me on this.

DON'T EAT VEGEMITE. It tastes like motor oil and has the consistency of oily sandy.

Keith wrote: If you're running up the coast, it gets better the further north you go. Once you get to Surfer's, you're just starting.

Agreed. I think I made it to about Rockhampton before I ran out of steam and was getting worried about the drive back. I should have kept going.

As a refugee from Sydney, I'd offer a few suggestions: 1. Take a ferry from Circular Quay (a large ferry terminal in the center of the city, beside the Opera House) to just about anywhere across the harbour - Manly would be an excellent choice. The River Cat - a catamaran that goes up the Parramatta River and also leaves from Circular Quay is another good choice. All the ferries are public transport and cheap (at least "cheap" for Sydney). It's really beautiful out on the water, and the views are great. 2. The Fish Markets at the base of the Glebe Point Bridge are one of the largest in the world and are pretty fascinating. Get there early. 3. Paddies Market in China Town is a god place for souvenirs and you can catch the monorail from there, which is a cheap way to get a tour of the city. It also stops at the Powerhouse, which is a science museum. Close to the Powerhouse is a Maritime Museum and a large Aquarium, which are good.

A Lonely Planet guide is always a good way to go.

Hard to say what you could do with 3 days in Auckland. You'll probably be jet lagged up the wazoo and not feeling like exploring. There are many sights to see in Auckland without driving 4 hours south down to Taupo or Rotorua where all tourists go. You do need to eat Hokey Pokey icecream, consume a bag of Minties, and drink Steinlager beer.

When we went to Australia last summer, I managed to get my wife hooked on Minties, lamingtons and meat pies - the latter two, within about 3 hours of landing. We still have a bag of Minties in the cupboard for when she needs a pick-me-up.

I once went to a Hallowe'en party for ex-pats right near Bondi beach. It was in an illegal apartment, and (at the time, at least) they don't do Hallowe'en in Australia. We looked out the window at one point and saw a Mountie and three guys with their heads poking through three holes in a sheet and wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle masks walking down the street looking for the apartment - they'd come across the ferry like that. People kept on trying to light the guy who was dressed as a mummy. Ahhh, good times...

But I digress.

I miss chicken chips. Why don't we have those???

throw a couple of shrimps on the barbie and wrestle a croc. crikey!

Lamington=sponge cake dipped in choc sauce then rolled in coconut

I like JG 's suggestions above. If I had a couple of days in Auckland I might think about seeing the beaches, visit a Maori marae, hike in a native forest, maybe take a drive down to Rotorua or up to Kerikeri. Rotorua stinks of sulfur but has a lot of tourist stuff while up Kerikeri way is very very scenic and great roads to drive on. And you've got to buy Fish and Chips from a Takeaway for dinner and eat Meat pies for lunch.

Info about Auckland http://www.aucklandnz.com/ Museum Of Transportation and Technology http://www.motat.org.nz/ Travel Times in NZ http://www.newzealand.com/travel/getting-to-around-nz/travel-times-and-distances/travel-times-and-distances-home.cfm

Xceler8x wrote:

neon4891 wrote: eat a vegamite sandwich, blah, blah.

Trust me on this. DON'T EAT VEGEMITE. It tastes like motor oil and has the consistency of oily sandy.

Never had vegemite, but I've hard Marmite, it's relative. I love it. If you have to have a reference, it tastes nothing like motor oil. No, I'm not being cute, I've eaten both (one intentionally and the other unintentionally). Lamington looks great though, never had it.

My two cents.