Australia/New Zealand in late October/early New Zealand

HuntNfun

Anyone who has been on this trip in late October/early November--what was the weather like in New Zealand? Was it cold? Was it rainy? What about Melbourne, Sydney, and the Great Barrier Reef? My main concern is whether it would be too cold in NZ I am thinking about going on the trip during this time of year. What was your experience! Thanks.

Kathy0529

Hi HuntNfun -

I went on this trip in 2011. It started on Oct. 30.

I had a sweathsirt w/a hood that got me thru the trip. There was some rain in Melbourne & Sydney, but mostly Australia was very warm. People wore capri's or shorts....Uluru wasn't as bad as they anticipated which helped w/the flies that tend to be an issue.

If you're in Melbourne on November 1st - that is the day of the Melbourne Cup (like the Kentucky Derby). It was great fun to see all the people going to the races w/the ladies in their hats. The city pretty much shuts down to either attend or watch the race. We walked over to Federation Square to watch the race and right near the hotel is a place that you could place a bet on the horses.

NZ was definitely cooler where I would wear jeans and the sweatshirt, if needed. We did have a little bit of rain, but nothing that ruined the day or lasted the entire day.

Tauck provides you w/plenty of water, so that will help w/the heat. It's a fantastic trip and both countries are beautiful!!!

Jan Durkin posts a lot and is from Melbourne so I'm sure she'll give you much better info!!

jdurkin

Kathy0529 wrote:

Hi HuntNfun -

Melbourne Cup Day is held on the first Tuesday in November .... so it depends when you're planning to come! November is a good time to visit Australia and New Zealand. It's spring and should avoid the worst of the monsoon & cyclone season (in the tropical north) and the extreme heat of summer (in the outback and Melbourne). Keep in mind that spring (as crossover months) can be changeable no matter where you are for spring!!! As for New Zealand, same as temperate Australia, but a little more temperate!

If you have any specific questions I'm happy to do my best to answer them.

Cheers,

Jan

crackers54

I went in November. The trip started day after Veteran's day. We had great weather through out. New Zealand was of course cool in the south, but that is expected. The Great Barrier Reef was perfect weather for swimming.