From the red desert to the fiords

Who it is for

For anyone with a month who wants Australia and New Zealand in one trip.

Not for anyone with less than three weeks, since there are six stops and long flights between them.

The strategy

Australia comes first, from Sydney to Cairns, and New Zealand comes next, from Auckland to Queenstown. There are six bases, and Uluru and Cairns are the ones to cut if time runs short.

What you will see

• Sydney Opera House, Sydney. Competition won by Jørn Utzon in 1957, opened on October 20, 1973; the shells are clad in more than a million Swedish ceramic tiles in two shades, which make it change color with the light.
• National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Australia's oldest and largest art museum, founded in 1861; Roy Grounds' building on St Kilda Road dates from 1968.
• Uluru Base Walk, Uluru. A flat 10.6 km circuit around the monolith, taking 3 to 4 hours.
• Reef Fleet Terminal, Cairns. The departure point for almost the entire reef fleet, with boats leaving between 7:30am and 8:30am and returning in the late afternoon.
• Auckland War Memorial Museum, Auckland. Tāmaki Paenga Hira, atop the Domain, in a neoclassical 1929 building erected as a First World War memorial.
• Skyline Gondola, Queenstown. Opened in 1967, it climbs 450 m at a 37.1° gradient, the steepest in the Southern Hemisphere, to a lookout at 790 m with the luge track, ziplines, and the 47 m Ledge Bungy.

Day by day

Sydney

1. 1
   Day 1: The harbor

   1. 1Sydney Opera HouseEssential
   2. 3Royal Botanic Garden and Mrs Macquaries PointEssential
2. 2
   Day 2: Hyde Park Barracks, museums, Haymarket, and the bridge on foot

   1. 8Hyde Park BarracksUp to half an hourWorth a visit
   2. 6The Rocks and Cadman's CottageUp to half an hourWorth a visit
   3. Barangaroo Reserve and Walsh BayIf there is time
3. 3
   Day 3: Beach and Inner West

   
4. 4
   Day 4: Blue Mountains (Katoomba) (day trip) · if you have more time

   

Melbourne

1. 5
   Day 5: The grid, the laneways and the river

   1. 6Flinders Street StationUp to half an hourWorth a visit
   2. 4State Library VictoriaUp to half an hourEssential
2. 6
   Day 6: North: market, museum and neighborhoods

   1. 2Queen Victoria MarketEssential
   2. 5Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton GardensWorth a visit
3. 7
   Day 7: South: memory, garden and bay

   1. 7Shrine of RemembranceUp to half an hourWorth a visit
   2. 8Royal Botanic Gardens and Old Melbourne GaolWorth a visit
   3. 9Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)One to two hoursIf there is time

Uluru

1. 8
   Day 8: Arrival, context and the first light

   
2. 9
   Day 9: The full loop around the base

   1. 2Talinguru NyakunytjakuEssential
   2. 7Field of LightWorth a visit
3. 10
   Day 10: Kata Tjuta and departure · if you have more time

   1. 8Walpa GorgeUp to half an hourIf there is time

Cairns

1. 11
   Day 11: The flat city and the tide

   1. Cairns Museum and Cairns Art GalleryOne to two hoursIf there is time
2. 12
   Day 12: The outer reef

   1. 1Reef Fleet Terminal and Marlin MarinaHalf a day or moreEssential
3. 13
   Day 13: The range

   1. 5Kuranda Scenic RailwayOne to two hoursWorth a visit
4. 14
   Day 14: Free day · if you have more time

Auckland

1. 15
   Day 15: Downtown, Karangahape Road and the harbor

   1. 4Auckland Art Gallery Toi o TāmakiUp to half an hourWorth a visit
   2. Sky TowerYou can skip it
2. 16
   Day 16: Volcanoes, a museum and a food street

   1. 7Devonport and Maungauika / North HeadWorth a visit
   2. 1Auckland War Memorial MuseumEssential
3. 17
   Day 17: Island or west coast · if you have more time

   1. 8Piha and the Waitākere RangesWorth a visit

Queenstown

1. 18
   Day 18: The lake, the mountain above, and the steamer

   1. 3Queenstown GardensUp to half an hourEssential
   2. 9TSS Earnslaw and Walter PeakIf there is time
2. 19
   Day 19: Kawarau, wine, and the gold village

   
3. 20
   Day 20: The head of the lake and hot water

   1. 4Glenorchy and ParadiseEssential
4. 21
   Day 21: Milford Sound (day trip) · if you have more time