Australia/New Zealand Questions - Timeshare Users Group Online Community Forums

KevJan · July 26, 2007, 12:19 PM

Thinking about a trip to Australia/New Zealand in the future and was wondering when the best time of year is to visit. It seems like the seasons would be the opposite of what we experience here in the USA. Would late May to early June be a good time? Also, what resorts that exchange through RCI are the best (as in full kitchens). I guess while I'm at it I might as well ask about getting there. What is a good price for tickets from the West Coast and has anyone use Delta FF miles to land a seat? I guess I'm always full of questions, but how else can I dream and then make my dreams come true!

camachinist · July 26, 2007, 07:12 PM

Well I was there in January, May and July of this year and would definitely recommend January for an extended vacation. We were in WA (Perth specifically) in May and I was in Auckland and Wellington this month. A lot of skiers on the plane. It was cold and rainy in Wellington the entire time I was there. Coming from 110 degrees in CenCal, I was loving it.

IMO, best way to get to Oz on miles is on UA or QF (through 1World (AA)). We flew F in January on miles on UA. We flew revenue tix in May (about 1.5K ea for an upgradeable economy fare) and I flew the CNZ UA/NZ mistake fare (in F again) this month.

We snagged our F award seats about 6 months out after first having secured economy seats when they became available.

AFAIK, anything on DL/NW would have to go through ICN (Korea). If you think 14 hours out of SFO/LAX to Oz is long, yahoo...

BTW, last trip I was in 1A, which I heartily recommend over any of the other F suites (1J would be equivalent on starboard side). Very private and quiet. I slept 10 hours coming back from SYD. Lucky if I slept 6 in 3J on the outbound. BTW, I've flown in Y there as well on MR's and slept pretty well, as long as I have a blocked middle seat.

Be advised timeshares in Oz are a bit different. I didn't see anything even close to our Marriott's there. The Worldmark in downtown SYD was pretty nice. Maybe some locals can give you specifics.

Figure out a way to get there. I'll guarantee you the people and the ambience will keep you coming back!

Pat

jimbosee · July 27, 2007, 02:42 AM

KevJan Hello,
jimbosee, from Melbourne Victoria Australia here.When you are thinking of visiting Australia,how long will your visit be,Australia is not that much smaller than USA.Most of our people live up and down the East Coast,most flights fly into Sydney,which ,is about in the middle,main city wise of the East Coast.What do you want to do when you get here,Theme Parks are north of Sydney,in Queensland,as is the Great Barrier Reef,Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road,are south of Sydney,in Victoria.The best time to travel to Australia,climate wise is our early Autumn,(Your Fall),March April.Plenty of Time shares around,Dial an Exchange,would be the best people to request from,then RCI.We have a population of only 20 million,so there is plenty of room to move,hope this helps,enjoy your planning.Any way I can help please ask.Regards Jim Seedsman

jimbosee@hotmail.com

jimbosee · July 27, 2007, 03:01 AM

Kev/Jan Hello again,
jimbosee back.New Zealand is about 3 1/2 hours flight from Australia,has 2 main islands,North Island and South Island,climate is similar to Australia,only a little cooler.To do justice to the magnificent scenery there,I think you would require about 11 days in each island .When you visit New Zealand,you can see scenery from all over the world,New Zealand is long,but narrow,and like Australia,drives on the wrong side of the road,sorry!Many time shares in NZ,try DAE,then RCI.As before any questions please ask.Regards Jim Seedsman

jimbosee@hotmail.com

sage · July 28, 2007, 05:56 AM

Hi KevJan,
You are right about the seasons. They are opposite to yours. Our winter is fairly mild compared to parts of the US. We are having one of our coldest winters ever this year - most of last month it was 14C (60F) in Sydney. That's freezing for us. Most of the time it is around 18 - 20C (69-72F).
Our spring & autumn (fall) are mild. Summer is hot. We regularly have 30-40C (92-110F) days.
My suggestion would be spring or autumn. School is in so getting a timeshare should be easy. Our biggest school holidays are mid Dec - 1st Feb; followed by 2 weeks at Easter. Near impossible to get accommodation at these times.
Depending on where you want to go and what you want to do will ultimately determine where you fly into and how long you stay.
If you can, stay longer. The long flight and cost of flights, etc will make it cheaper in the long run.
Have fun deciding.
Gillian

MULTIZ321 · July 28, 2007, 10:56 AM

For a nice Tutorial on Earth/Sun relations and Seasons see
http://daphne.palomar.edu/jthorngren/tutorial.htm

Another good overview with pics on Seasons Reasons

and The Seasonal Merry-Go Round which has a link to an animation of North and South:Opposite Seasons from NASA's Earth Observatory

Richard

silverfox82 · July 30, 2007, 09:40 AM

Try air tahiti nui for a flight out of lax thru tahiti to syd, They have had in the past some great prices and the service was as good as it gets in coach. We flew nonstop from jfk, thru tahiti to syd, 5 nights hotel with breakfast, syd back to tahiti, 3 nights hotel with with breakfast and home for under $1,200 pp. I see quantas as having a sale price of around $900 for air only on travelzoo.com last week so you could poke around there as well as skyauction.com, I've had good results with both.

talkamotta · July 30, 2007, 02:05 PM

We went to Aus/NZ in Jan 2006. Flew into Sydney on United (one of the worst flights I have ever been on) Sydney could be a week in itself. We went on a 2 week cruise. Didnt even get into the back country of Aus. Just Sydney and Melbourne. Hit different ports in NZ and left out of Aukland. Flew back on New Zealand Air. Wow what a wonderful flight that was. I felt like I was in the best first class.

I dont know how long you will be there but when I go back it wont be on a cruise and it will be for a month minimum. Two very beautiful countries. The people are extremely wonderful. January was the best month for me, great weather there and Utah (unless you ski) is bad.

July 26, 2007, 12:19 PM	#1
KevJan TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 17, 05 Location: Southern Utah Posts: 386 Resorts: Dolphin's Cove, Anaheim, CA; ORE at St. George, St. George, UT; MROP	Australia/New Zealand Questions Thinking about a trip to Australia/New Zealand in the future and was wondering when the best time of year is to visit. It seems like the seasons would be the opposite of what we experience here in the USA. Would late May to early June be a good time? Also, what resorts that exchange through RCI are the best (as in full kitchens). I guess while I'm at it I might as well ask about getting there. What is a good price for tickets from the West Coast and has anyone use Delta FF miles to land a seat? I guess I'm always full of questions, but how else can I dream and then *make my dreams come true!*

July 26, 2007, 07:12 PM	#2
camachinist TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 6, 05 Location: Central California Posts: 2,305	Well I was there in January, May and July of this year and would definitely recommend January for an extended vacation. We were in WA (Perth specifically) in May and I was in Auckland and Wellington this month. A lot of skiers on the plane. It was cold and rainy in Wellington the entire time I was there. Coming from 110 degrees in CenCal, I was loving it. IMO, best way to get to Oz on miles is on UA or QF (through 1World (AA)). We flew F in January on miles on UA. We flew revenue tix in May (about 1.5K ea for an upgradeable economy fare) and I flew the CNZ UA/NZ mistake fare (in F again) this month. We snagged our F award seats about 6 months out after first having secured economy seats when they became available. AFAIK, anything on DL/NW would have to go through ICN (Korea). If you think 14 hours out of SFO/LAX to Oz is long, yahoo... BTW, last trip I was in 1A, which I heartily recommend over any of the other F suites (1J would be equivalent on starboard side). Very private and quiet. I slept 10 hours coming back from SYD. Lucky if I slept 6 in 3J on the outbound. BTW, I've flown in Y there as well on MR's and slept pretty well, as long as I have a blocked middle seat. Be advised timeshares in Oz are a bit different. I didn't see anything even close to our Marriott's there. The Worldmark in downtown SYD was pretty nice. Maybe some locals can give you specifics. Figure out a way to get there. I'll guarantee you the people and the ambience will keep you coming back! Pat __________________ http://www.myspace.com/camachinist Visit my Alzheimer's/Dementia Discussion Forum

July 27, 2007, 02:42 AM	#3
jimbosee TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Sep 14, 05 Location: Seaford Melbourne Victoria Australia Posts: 112 Resorts: Nepean Country Club Vic Aust- Bright Resort Vic Aust-Don Pancho Beach Resort Qld Aust-Magaliespark Resort South Africa	Australia/New Zealand questions!!! KevJan Hello, jimbosee, from Melbourne Victoria Australia here.When you are thinking of visiting Australia,how long will your visit be,Australia is not that much smaller than USA.Most of our people live up and down the East Coast,most flights fly into Sydney,which ,is about in the middle,main city wise of the East Coast.What do you want to do when you get here,Theme Parks are north of Sydney,in Queensland,as is the Great Barrier Reef,Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road,are south of Sydney,in Victoria.The best time to travel to Australia,climate wise is our early Autumn,(Your Fall),March April.Plenty of Time shares around,Dial an Exchange,would be the best people to request from,then RCI.We have a population of only 20 million,so there is plenty of room to move,hope this helps,enjoy your planning.Any way I can help please ask.Regards Jim Seedsman jimbosee@hotmail.com __________________ " If you really look like your Passport 'photo,then you are not well enough to travel."

July 27, 2007, 03:01 AM	#4
jimbosee TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Sep 14, 05 Location: Seaford Melbourne Victoria Australia Posts: 112 Resorts: Nepean Country Club Vic Aust- Bright Resort Vic Aust-Don Pancho Beach Resort Qld Aust-Magaliespark Resort South Africa	Kev/Jan Hello again, jimbosee back.New Zealand is about 3 1/2 hours flight from Australia,has 2 main islands,North Island and South Island,climate is similar to Australia,only a little cooler.To do justice to the magnificent scenery there,I think you would require about 11 days in each island .When you visit New Zealand,you can see scenery from all over the world,New Zealand is long,but narrow,and like Australia,drives on the wrong side of the road,sorry!Many time shares in NZ,try DAE,then RCI.As before any questions please ask.Regards Jim Seedsman jimbosee@hotmail.com __________________ " If you really look like your Passport 'photo,then you are not well enough to travel."

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July 28, 2007, 05:56 AM	#5
sage TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Aug 20, 06 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 199 Resorts: APVC, Australia Marriotts Grand Chateau, Las Vegas	Hi KevJan, You are right about the seasons. They are opposite to yours. Our winter is fairly mild compared to parts of the US. We are having one of our coldest winters ever this year - most of last month it was 14C (60F) in Sydney. That's freezing for us. Most of the time it is around 18 - 20C (69-72F). Our spring & autumn (fall) are mild. Summer is hot. We regularly have 30-40C (92-110F) days. My suggestion would be spring or autumn. School is in so getting a timeshare should be easy. Our biggest school holidays are mid Dec - 1st Feb; followed by 2 weeks at Easter. Near impossible to get accommodation at these times. Depending on where you want to go and what you want to do will ultimately determine where you fly into and how long you stay. If you can, stay longer. The long flight and cost of flights, etc will make it cheaper in the long run. Have fun deciding. Gillian

July 28, 2007, 10:56 AM	#6
MULTIZ321 TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 6, 05 Location: FT. LAUDERDALE, FL Posts: 3,596 Resorts: CELEBRITY RESORTS PALM COAST; CELEBRATION, ORLANDO; SEAWATCH AT ISLAND CLUB, HHI; RHC (POINTS)	For a nice Tutorial on Earth/Sun relations and Seasons see http://daphne.palomar.edu/jthorngren/tutorial.htm Another good overview with pics on Seasons Reasons and The Seasonal Merry-Go Round which has a link to an animation of North and South:Opposite Seasons from NASA's Earth Observatory Richard

July 30, 2007, 09:40 AM	#7
silverfox82 TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 7, 05 Location: pt lookout, ny Posts: 294	Try air tahiti nui for a flight out of lax thru tahiti to syd, They have had in the past some great prices and the service was as good as it gets in coach. We flew nonstop from jfk, thru tahiti to syd, 5 nights hotel with breakfast, syd back to tahiti, 3 nights hotel with with breakfast and home for under $1,200 pp. I see quantas as having a sale price of around $900 for air only on travelzoo.com last week so you could poke around there as well as skyauction.com, I've had good results with both.

July 30, 2007, 02:05 PM	#8
talkamotta TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 7, 05 Location: Sandy, UT Posts: 1,273 Resorts: Sands of Kahana, Longboat Bay, Westgate Vacation Villas, etc	We went to Aus/NZ in Jan 2006. Flew into Sydney on United (one of the worst flights I have ever been on) Sydney could be a week in itself. We went on a 2 week cruise. Didnt even get into the back country of Aus. Just Sydney and Melbourne. Hit different ports in NZ and left out of Aukland. Flew back on New Zealand Air. Wow what a wonderful flight that was. I felt like I was in the best first class. I dont know how long you will be there but when I go back it wont be on a cruise and it will be for a month minimum. Two very beautiful countries. The people are extremely wonderful. January was the best month for me, great weather there and Utah (unless you ski) is bad.