Travel Forum / Destinations / Australia and NZ / October 2004

My girlfriend and I are headed to NZ in a couple of days and after
reading the posts here, I was wondering if our itenarary is a little
ambitious. Unfortunately, we only have 10 days to see middle earth.
Day 1: Auckland

Hi, I am planning a trip to Australia for the month of March 05. The
rough agenda we had planned is as follows :
- Fly UK - Melbourne around 5th March
- 4 days in / around Melbourne

Coming into Auckland and leaving via Chistchurch.  Thought it might be
useful to have a phone to call ahead for hotel rooms along the way.  Any way
to rent a cell phone?

Could somebody please suggest what the best way to call Australia is? I saw
on  http://www.PhoneRateFinder.com  that you can call Australia for 2 cents
a minute with prepaid phone cards. Has anybody tried it? I mean I have used
that web site for my other phone needs, but it is kind ...

Permits to visit and camp on Fraser island can now be purchased direct from
the aboriginal owners at www.brumbywatchaustralia.com   and click on indidge
passes these are available to all people not just Aborigine,s

What is the best way to go from Whakanaka (White Island) to Napier?
Is it the coastal route via Gisborn or the inland route via Rotorua and
Taupo. I was thinking of going to Rotorua then Whakanaka then Napier
then Taupo.

I will be arriving in Auckland close to midnight and will have my
rental car waiting for me. I was planning on staying at a nearby
airport hotel but now I'm thinking that for the first day, I will
catch my breath ( after 4 flights and 3 days to get there). I'm

I'm planning a trip to Australia sometime next year (from the US).  I'm
wondering if anyone can help with how I'd go about finding an old
acquaintance with whom I've lost touch for many years?  Are there search
engines available for name  searches?

I will need to spend a night there by myself (probably) in March 2005 as I'm
intending to ride the West Coast Wilderness Railway prior to meeting up with
others in Strahan for bushwalking. There does not seem to be a great lot of
choice of budget accommodation for singles, but ...

I'm a 32 year old doctor from England and will working for a limited 1
year period at the Royal Perth hospital starting January 10th 2005.
I'll be coming with my pregnant wife.
I'll be working hard and would like to have a nice time outside of

My wife and I are planning a tour next year of Australia and New
Zealand and are interested in traveling in NZ when the flowers are
blooming.  Of course all tour dates are currently available now so we
would like some help in selecting the generally best week for viewing

Arriving down under in December and staying at Burleigh Heads.  We are
looking at booking with Cashelmara Beachfront Apartments and wondered
if anyone knows anything about this place.  Location and price look
good but no reviews anywhere that I can find.

http://www.telephoneforless.com/ offers value for money international
telephone calls to over 230 countries from the UK.  You can call mobile
(cell) phones too.
There is no account to open, no credit card is required, there is no

Does anybody know of a newsgroup that deals in caravanning and camping in
Australia?

hi, im looking for insurance for round the world travel, but i cant find
anything with valuables over £250 for each single item, which is a
problem cos me and the wife are taking our laptop , digital camera and
camcorder.