Paging Aussies, Kiwis and other Down-Underers

[Sandvich Hero]

I still say you order a Fah-sturs lah-guhr. These guys posting here don't know anything.

-Mike

Actually, that part might get interesting. You need to imagine Ziltoid (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f34/w...accent-thread-767131/index2.html#post10843039) trying to say that, which is pretty much how I will sound

 

[tbrannon]

Well, that's errr, good to know I guess !
They do have those weird grasshoper X10 insect though ...

But as to my plans in NZ, nope, not done yet. It is something I will do while in Oz. Snowboarding in the south island is DEFINITELY on my to-do list though.

Wetas look ugly, but they're harmless. If they bite, it hurts, but nothing to fear and I handled a number and never once got bit.

If you're looking at snowboarding, you'll probably be looking to hit Queenstown on the South Island, though there are several other spots. Queenstown is a very cool little city, but don't overlook Wanaka, which is about an hour North of Queenstown and sits in a fairly similar setting. Queenstown is pretty commercial, Wanaka- not as much. Only problem I see is your timetable. If you head to NZ for New Years, it's late spring/Early summer. You'll still find snow on the tops of the mtns in Queenstown, but don't think the lifts will be open for ski/snowboarding.

In terms of music in NZ- Wellington and Auckland are going to be your best bet. Wellington has a pretty good art scene and is a pretty cool city. I don't know what to say about Christchurch- there used to be some decent stuff there, but I can't speak as to how the earthquake has affected the venues I had been to.

My best advice for NZ is to rent a car and hit the road. You'll find that Australia can be daunting to see because of the size. If you have the funds to rent a car for a few days and like driving on beautiful, wide open roads through the countryside, you can see a LOT of what NZ has to offer.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Very good standard of musicianship in Melbourne for sure. My bro lives there and took me to some really good shows. Like someone said, the alternative scene is alive and well. Bro was in the band for a tango dancing display. Tremendous dedication from all concerned, all original score and choregraphy, great show and it was virtually free, held in another friend's restaurant.

Christchurch NZ is/was home to a lot of live bands but it's a bit of a dead duck at the moment as the CBD was mostly destroyed in an earthquake. Dunedin has a bit of an original band scene. Auckland and Wellington in the north.

Ski season is mid June to end of Sep, July is the best of it. Don't be expecting meters of fresh powder but the lake view scenery is pretty amazing from Treble Cone (steep) and Ohau, the North Is fields are on active volcanoes, good luck with those!

 

[Sandvich Hero]

Wetas look ugly, but they're harmless. If they bite, it hurts, but nothing to fear and I handled a number and never once got bit.

If you're looking at snowboarding, you'll probably be looking to hit Queenstown on the South Island, though there are several other spots. Queenstown is a very cool little city, but don't overlook Wanaka, which is about an hour North of Queenstown and sits in a fairly similar setting. Queenstown is pretty commercial, Wanaka- not as much. Only problem I see is your timetable. If you head to NZ for New Years, it's late spring/Early summer. You'll still find snow on the tops of the mtns in Queenstown, but don't think the lifts will be open for ski/snowboarding.

In terms of music in NZ- Wellington and Auckland are going to be your best bet. Wellington has a pretty good art scene and is a pretty cool city. I don't know what to say about Christchurch- there used to be some decent stuff there, but I can't speak as to how the earthquake has affected the venues I had been to.

My best advice for NZ is to rent a car and hit the road. You'll find that Australia can be daunting to see because of the size. If you have the funds to rent a car for a few days and like driving on beautiful, wide open roads through the countryside, you can see a LOT of what NZ has to offer.

Thanks a lot for all the info, much appreciated. For snowboarding, I know my timeframe wouldn't be the best. However, I had a quick look a while ago and I remember that a two-way ticket from Melbourne to Queenstown around september (example) would be about 200-250$. So it would be a really nice option to break the summer a bit by spending a week snowboarding, than back to Aus, and visit NZ properly during the summer.

Renting/buying a car, for Aus and NZ as well, is something I'm still debating and will probably take my final decision there. Cost wise, if I am wise in my moves, it really wouldn't cost more than using trains/planes/busses and sleeping in hostels since you can easily carry full camping gear in a car, so that offsets some sleeping cost. You can also give rides and do some legs with random people you meet along, bringing it cheaper again.
I just have a hard time finding factual non-contradictory information about what to expect in terms of paperwork/insurances etc as a foreigner.
Also, I fully expect that left side driving thing to bring a close call or two

 

[tbrannon]

Very good standard of musicianship in Melbourne for sure. My bro lives there and took me to some really good shows. Like someone said, the alternative scene is alive and well. Bro was in the band for a tango dancing display. Tremendous dedication from all concerned, all original score and choregraphy, great show and it was virtually free, held in another friend's restaurant.

Christchurch NZ is/was home to a lot of live bands but it's a bit of a dead duck at the moment as the CBD was mostly destroyed in an earthquake. Dunedin has a bit of an original band scene. Auckland and Wellington in the north.

+1 on Dunedin. University of Otago is there, so you'll find a pretty good scene. Plus, you GOTTA drive out to the tip of the peninsula by the albatross breeding centre and enjoy a sunrise. Beautiful cliffs and the seals will be down on the rocks serenading you as the sun rises. One of my most favorite places on earth.

 

[tbrannon]

Thanks a lot for all the info, much appreciated. For snowboarding, I know my timeframe wouldn't be the best. However, I had a quick look a while ago and I remember that a two-way ticket from Melbourne to Queenstown around september (example) would be about 200-250$. So it would be a really nice option to break the summer a bit by spending a week snowboarding, than back to Aus, and visit NZ probably during the summer.

Renting/buying a car, for Aus and NZ as well, is something I'm still debating and will probably take my final decision there. Cost wise, if I am wise in my moves, it really wouldn't cost more than using trains/planes/busses and sleeping in hostels since you can easily carry full camping gear in a car, so that offsets some sleeping cost. You can also give rides and do some legs with random people you meet along, bringing it cheaper again.
I just have a hard time finding factual non-contradictory information about what to expect in terms of paperwork/insurances etc as a foreigner.
Also, I fully expect that left side driving thing to bring a close call or two

The driving isn't too bad- just be careful in your first few roundabouts. Somehow having the traffic coming around from the opposite direction made that difficult at first.

NZ has a pretty good city-to-city bus service too... lots of info on it online if you're interested in that.

 

[Sandvich Hero]

Christchurch NZ is/was home to a lot of live bands but it's a bit of a dead duck at the moment as the CBD was mostly destroyed in an earthquake. Dunedin has a bit of an original band scene. Auckland and Wellington in the north.

+1 on Dunedin. University of Otago is there, so you'll find a pretty good scene. Plus, you GOTTA drive out to the tip of the peninsula by the albatross breeding centre and enjoy a sunrise. Beautiful cliffs and the seals will be down on the rocks serenading you as the sun rises. One of my most favorite places on earth.

Nice, Dunedin was just a point on the map for me til now, but I'll certainly consider going down there now.

 

[tbrannon]

Nice, Dunedin was just a point on the map for me til now, but I'll certainly consider going down there now.

Very cool city- SF like in terms of geography, but has a cool old-school feel to it. Plus it has the Cadbury factory, which is always good for a tour!

 

[Simo98]

Ask for Victoria Bitter and you'll be good.

Don't listen to this man, he is a liar of the highest order.

Actually some people love VB, but I find just as many despise the stuff, me included. You'll blend in though but i'd much rather a Tooheys, or even better, Coopers.

If you go up to Northern Queensland, stay out of the water. Sharks at sea and croc's in the rivers.

We only get little nibbler sharks up here. At worst you'll lose a chunk out of your calf. Down south they'll take you off at the waist

As far as snowboarding is concerned, NZ is definitely the place for that, our snow is mediocre at best.


Depends what you want to see when you are over here, If you don't want to get too far away from civilisation, stick to the east coast. If you don't mind driving (and driving, and driving) the west coast is the way to go. There isn't much over there, but its a beautiful place, countryside wise. In August you won't have to worry about 40+ degree temperatures either.

 

[Sandvich Hero]

Don't listen to this man, he is a liar of the highest order.

Actually some people love VB, but I find just as many despise the stuff, me included. You'll blend in though but i'd much rather a Tooheys, or even better, Coopers.

Well that's the great thing about it, I'll actually be able to judge that by myself

As far as snowboarding is concerned, NZ is definitely the place for that, our snow is mediocre at best.

Well luckily, I didn't choose to go to Australia for the quality of the snow (believe it or not !)
Nah but seriously, this is just something I'd like to do considering I will probably be missing a whole winter over here. I know for a fact I'll need my dose of cold at some point just to ground myself back a bit. We can be masochist like that sometime ...

Depends what you want to see when you are over here, If you don't want to get too far away from civilisation, stick to the east coast. If you don't mind driving (and driving, and driving) the west coast is the way to go. There isn't much over there, but its a beautiful place, countryside wise. In August you won't have to worry about 40+ degree temperatures either.

Well I don't know yet where I will be heading (west, north, etc) but going for a decent ride in the outback is definitely something I want to do as well. I'm a big outdoors guy at hearth so I would kick myself to miss such opportunity. However, although I'm going there alone, I think that this part would be something best done with some mates found along the way, that's why nothing serious is planned in that sense yet, depends on who I'll meet along.

thanks a bunch for your post.

 

[tbrannon]

In terms of the brews in NZ- it's pretty regional. Each District seems to have their favorite beer, but there are some that are more popular. Your most popular and readily found will be Speights, DB, Speights and Export Gold. There are a bunch of very well respected wineries in NZ, mostly clustered around the NW corner of the South Island.

While you're in NZ make sure you try some L&P soda- it's a NZ original. Also- stop at the corner dairy and try some feijoa lollies- I've never found them anywhere else and they are pretty amazing (IMO). You'll see them sitting in the glass fronted candy boxes.. you can buy as much as you want ($.50, dollar, etc). The meat pies in NZ and Oz are pretty hard to beat and you can roll into nearly any takeaway shop in NZ and get pretty amazing fish and chips for cheap.

 

[Shakin-Slim]

^ This man speaks the truth Dairies (do you use that term anywhere else?) and fish n chip stores are a cornerstone of being in NZ. Keep us posted about NZ plans when you make them, because there is A LOT to do in a lot of place. Just remember, NZ starts south of the Bombay Hills . And if you get the time, you really must drive up the Coromandel. Heaven on earth.
... Well, everywhere south of the Bombay Hills is heaven on earth, but Coromandel is beautiful!

 

[theNoseBleedKid]

Melbourne's fine, and let me know if you want to hang out, but the best parts of Melbourne aren't in the city and require a car (unfortunately). What I mean by that is that eating and night life abound, but to fill up the other 6-8 hours in a day is often a bit of a pain in Melbourne for travellers, but within 1-2 hours drive of the city theirs always loads to see and do.

Definitely try to get to Darwin, or at least the red centre, there's trains there, so that's easy enough, but it'll take two days!!

Do you have any specific questions? I wouldn't have much to do in Sydney for more than 4-5 days, really, but it's easy enough to train or bus down to Pambula, or Eden, or north to Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Melbourne's the culinary capital of the Southern Hemisphere, and there's almost every type of food here, and you can usually eat a great dinner for 10-12 dollars, and a great lunch for 5-8, if you know where to go.

I would be tempted, if I were you, to drive between Melbourne and Adelaide along the coast, stopping when you want a swim or surf, and seeing some spectacular views. It won't be sunny, but the temperature of the water's always the same.

If you're not renting a car you can always try this Rental Relocations Australia New Zealand United States Canada - Hire Now at StandByCars

Let me know if you've any questions about Victoria.

 

[Sandvich Hero]

...

...

Soooo, basically, Speights, DB, Speights (again ?!?), Export Gold, Wine, LP Soda, dairy, feijoa lollies (thank god for Google), meat pies,fish & chips and going to Coromandel in NZ.
I'll make sure to pick your brains a bit more in the upcoming months when I try to plan the NZ part of the trip.

...

You also need to keep in mind that if I say "3 weeks in Sydney", I mean more 1 week in Sydney and around visiting, and 2 weeks working on some farm an hour or two away ...

I'm in absolutely no hurry and that's the kind of rhythm I'll be going for.

From what I've heard from an Irish friend that was there some years ago, all of the best pubs in Melbourne are usually hidden at the back of some crappy narrow alleys hidden between buildings and you kinda really need to know where they are. So hmm yeah, tips on that would be appreciated when the time comes !

 

[tbrannon]

^ This man speaks the truth Dairies (do you use that term anywhere else?) and fish n chip stores are a cornerstone of being in NZ. Keep us posted about NZ plans when you make them, because there is A LOT to do in a lot of place. Just remember, NZ starts south of the Bombay Hills . And if you get the time, you really must drive up the Coromandel. Heaven on earth.
... Well, everywhere south of the Bombay Hills is heaven on earth, but Coromandel is beautiful!

Agreed on everything south of the Bombays (south of Auckland- the Bombay's are a range of mtns you come down as you head south out of Auckland). Though- there is some pretty amazing stuff once you clear about an hour North of jaffaland! Paihia is one of my favorite spots up North. Also agree on the Coromandel drive- it takes awhile, but is gorgeous. My wife and I lived in Hamilton and used to hit up Tairua for weekends 4-5 times a year. Love it there.

 

[tbrannon]

Soooo, basically, Speights, DB, Speights (again ?!?), Export Gold, Wine, LP Soda, dairy, feijoa lollies (thank god for Google), meat pies,fish & chips and going to Coromandel in NZ.
I'll make sure to pick your brains a bit more in the upcoming months when I try to plan the NZ part of the trip.

Speights twice was just because I accidentally typed it twice....

Again though- head to the Waikato and you'll find Invalid Link Removed to be popular... and most regions have their own brand/brewery.

 

[Shakin-Slim]

Agreed on everything south of the Bombays (south of Auckland- the Bombay's are a range of mtns you come down as you head south out of Auckland). Though- there is some pretty amazing stuff once you clear about an hour North of jaffaland! Paihia is one of my favorite spots up North. Also agree on the Coromandel drive- it takes awhile, but is gorgeous. My wife and I lived in Hamilton and used to hit up Tairua for weekends 4-5 times a year. Love it there.

Yeah man, north of Auckland is pretty incredible huh? Reminds me of summer holidays.

Speights twice was just because I accidentally typed it twice....

Again though- head to the Waikato and you'll find Invalid Link Removed to be popular... and most regions have their own brand/brewery.

Although most will call Waikato Draught river water

 

[fingerbun]

Welcome to our part of the world.

Beer, there are a lot of boutique beers around. If you want to be inconspicuous just look at what's on tap. A lot depends on what you like. Lately I'm drinking something called Blue Tongue, named after a local lizard. They come in two sizes, middy (small) and schooner (large). Australia also has some nice wines, as does NZ.

Weather - Tasmania in winter can be cold - not like Montreal cold but not Florida either. So it may make sense to start North and head South.

Dangerous creatures - we have snakes, you have bears. Meh. The snakes will mostly avoid you unless you corner them. Do take warnings about crocodiles seriously in the north.

Think before you climb Ayers Rock / Uluru. It is allowed but the Aboriginals associated with the area don't like it as the rock has spiritual significance to them.

Don't assume your mobile phone will work everywhere. If you get a sim from a local Telco, Telstra have the best coverage and don't go anywhere near Vodaphone right now.

If someone invites you to try Vegemite, do so but carefully...it is a very strong taste.

 

[theNoseBleedKid]

You also need to keep in mind that if I say "3 weeks in Sydney", I mean more 1 week in Sydney and around visiting, and 2 weeks working on some farm an hour or two away ...

Try for SE New South Wales: Bega, Benella, and the like. Beautiful country right there.

From what I've heard from an Irish friend that was there some years ago, all of the best pubs in Melbourne are usually hidden at the back of some crappy narrow alleys hidden between buildings and you kinda really need to know where they are. So hmm yeah, tips on that would be appreciated when the time comes !

I'm not the man to ask, but I know who is!

 

[Sam577]

If you're coming to NZ closer to summer (Dec-Feb here), definitely try get the The Bay of Islands up north, absolutely amazing during that time of year. If you're in Auckland, go up the Sky Tower, has nice views and is the tallest building in this half of the world. Check out any gigs at The Basement and venues like The Whammy Bar on K Rd as well, if you're into the alternative music scene (listen to bFM on 95.0 for info on those) And go to Real Groovy! A cool big independent record store. Also try get out to Rangitoto and/or Waiheke island and do some of the walks on those if you're an 'outdoorsy' person. Rangitoto island just has a few old baches, and Waikehe has a population of about 6000 I think, I think a lot of Aucklanders take it for granted a bit tbh. If you're into Mountain Biking at all, try get out to Woodhill, near Auckland, and The Redwoods in Rototua, where they hosted the world cup a few years ago.

If you are gonna be in the Sth Island, which you should definitely do, try to get to Milford Sound, which has been called the 8th wonder of the world, and check out Hamner Springs and Otago (where Lord Of The Rings was filmed), and Queenstown for Snowboarding of course, although, like someone else said, it might be a bit late in the year. The season did stay open quite late last year though, Climate Change etc etc. Christchurch will probably not be at it's best even then, though, a fair bit of the CBD is still closed apparently, and the music scene isn't hugely active, a lot of the studios have given up spaces for radio, bands have lost practice spaces, etc etc.

Hope you enjoy yourself over here!