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Sydney to the Hobbit Movie set


squeeky336
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We want to do the Princess Queensland cruise for the GBR. But also want to figure a way to do a side trip over to the Hobbit move set in NZ. Can anyoe tell me if there ia ferry or whatever. we want the most cost effctive travel cost to there is.. Will stay in a b and b or hotel there .. Can fly home form Auckland or Sydney.. which ever works out best. any suggestions ?

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to visit the Hobbit/LOTR sight and scenes in NZ could be quite a task. Whilst there are locations around both the North & South Islands of NZ, the two main sites of interests are:

- Hobbiton Movie set, near Matamata - a day trip from Auckland

- Weta Movie studios in Wellington

 

Auckland is a 3 hour flight from Sydney, and Wellington around an hour flight (or full day drive) from Auckland. You can cruise from Sydney to Auckland (10-14 days cruise normally)

 

You can certainly fly home direct from Auckland

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We want to do the Princess Queensland cruise for the GBR. But also want to figure a way to do a side trip over to the Hobbit move set in NZ. Can anyoe tell me if there ia ferry or whatever.
Auckland is a 3 hour flight from Sydney, and Wellington around an hour flight (or full day drive) from Auckland.
There are also non-stop flights between Sydney and Wellington, which take about the same length of time.

 

But if the OP is thinking of a ferry from Australia to New Zealand, then the answer is no. There are, after all, the best part of 1,500 miles between the two countries.

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We flew from Sydney to Auckland on our way back to the states. Here is a review of our Hobbiton experience. Also, check out my report/reviews of my website under Travel to Europe and Australia. It sounds like we have the same type of thinking!

 

www.DonnaGawell.com

 

 

For the Hobbiton review: (this is the shortlink)

 

https://wp.me/P7SjIX-rz

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Thank you for the advice from the geographically challanged .. LOL

 

Yes I can see I am goigot hae to get a cruise that ends in Auckalnd and plan a side trip to the Hobbit post cruise .. But the cruises that start in Sydney end in Auckland do not go to the GBR.

 

I was thinking is it possible to get a side trip at the beggining of this cruise from Sydney to the GBR for a day or 2?

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We flew from Sydney to Auckland on our way back to the states. Here is a review of our Hobbiton experience. Also, check out my report/reviews of my website under Travel to Europe and Australia. It sounds like we have the same type of thinking!

 

www.DonnaGawell.com

 

 

For the Hobbiton review: (this is the shortlink)

 

https://wp.me/P7SjIX-rz

 

''Thanks Donna and Mark for the link.. I have been thinking I will do a Sydney to Auckland cruise.. That would be the best way to go and get a side trip post precruise in Auckland to the Hobbit.. My hubby wants more time there anyway.. I am not a Lord of the Rings person, but he is a fanatic.. I would not go all the way around the world and have him miss it..

But the cruises that start in Sydeny to Auckland go south and I will miss the GBR.. Do you or does anyone looking at this trhead know of a comnay or how I can arrange a side trip pre cruise to the GBR from Sudney or even from Melborne? A day or 2 at the GBR will be fine.. Maybe a stop at Steve Irwins zoo, but i can skip that and find a koala to hug at another port. ..

 

Thanks a million..

 

Michelle

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How much time do you have? It worked out just great for us to include New Zealand on the way back home. I am like you- not a Lord of the Rings' fan, but I thought Hobbiton was absolutely amazing and one of my top five vacation sites in the world! My DH also loved it. We found a flight on LATAM from Sydney and stayed at a reasonable hotel in Auckland. New Zealand is absolutely wonderful and pretty magical. We also spent another day at the Auckland Museum which has to be one of the best museums we have ever seen!

 

I've traveled all around the US and extensively in Europe, and Australia and New Zealand rank pretty high and were just fantastic places...Paris ranks about #50.

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How much time do you have? It worked out just great for us to include New Zealand on the way back home. I am like you- not a Lord of the Rings' fan, but I thought Hobbiton was absolutely amazing and one of my top five vacation sites in the world! My DH also loved it. We found a flight on LATAM from Sydney and stayed at a reasonable hotel in Auckland. New Zealand is absolutely wonderful and pretty magical. We also spent another day at the Auckland Museum which has to be one of the best museums we have ever seen!

 

I've traveled all around the US and extensively in Europe, and Australia and New Zealand rank pretty high and were just fantastic places...Paris ranks about #50.

 

 

If we stay in Auckand a few days can we get a ticket to The Hobbit with transportaion included? I live near Disney World and that kind of ticket os offered all over the place here right at hotels..

 

Michelle

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''Thanks Donna and Mark for the link.. I have been thinking I will do a Sydney to Auckland cruise.. That would be the best way to go and get a side trip post precruise in Auckland to the Hobbit.. My hubby wants more time there anyway.. I am not a Lord of the Rings person, but he is a fanatic.. I would not go all the way around the world and have him miss it..

But the cruises that start in Sydeny to Auckland go south and I will miss the GBR.. Do you or does anyone looking at this trhead know of a comnay or how I can arrange a side trip pre cruise to the GBR from Sudney or even from Melborne? A day or 2 at the GBR will be fine.. Maybe a stop at Steve Irwins zoo, but i can skip that and find a koala to hug at another port. ..

 

Thanks a million..

 

Michelle

 

There is also quite a bit of Hobbit related stuff in Wellington as well.

 

https://www.tourism.net.nz/region/wellington/tours/hobbit-movie-set-and-location-tours

 

If you are in Sydney and want to see the GBR, your best bet is to fly to Cairns for a few days. That is the best hopping off spot for all things reefy on the east coast. Lots of tours of all kinds. Also the easiest place to get flights to. While there, check out the Cape Tribulation rainforest.

 

As for koalas:

 

https://www.cairnsattractions.com.au/information/where-to-cuddle-a-koala-in-cairns.361.html

 

Unfortunately, Steve Irwin's zoo is about 600 miles north of Sydney and about 1000 miles south of Cairns. So it would be a bit tricky to fit in.

 

If you wanted to skip Sydney entirely, I believe Air New Zealand still fly direct between Auckland and Cairns.

Edited by SinbadThePorter
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OP - take Sinbad's advice if you really want to experience the GBR (rather than tick boxes). From Florida fly via LAX to Brisbane, hop-up to Cairns and drive (or arrange a shuttle) to Port Douglas. Take a tour with Wavelength to the outer reef - it's going to be a million times better than any experience offered through the cruise. While you're there check out the Daintree rain forest and Point Trib. Then fly to Sydney to pick up the SYD - AKL cruise...

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I would suggest coming to Australia and doing your GBR cruise. Then fly home via Auckland, have a couple of nights there and hire a car.

 

 

That is an excellent idea Mr.Pants OZ

 

but how can I arrange the air for that? I usually get airfare from the cruiseline.. They will only fly me in and out of the port city I embark and disembark thier ship at. So if I get a crusie that starts in Sydney and ends in so other place they won't do the air to NZ and then back home. I do not know what to do to arrange it myself. Travelagets ehre shy away from doing airfare.. They only want to do it through the cruiseline

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but how can I arrange the air for that?
The two most obvious options:-

  1. Book it yourself. You can get plenty of advice here and on the Cruise Air forum about how to do it. You may be able to book USA-Sydney, Sydney-Auckland, Auckland-USA all on one ticket. Alternatively, as you are stopping in both Sydney and Auckland, there's no reason why you can't buy USA-Sydney, Auckland-USA on one ticket, and then just get a separate ticket for Sydney-Auckland one-way.
  2. Book USA-Sydney-USA through the cruise line as usual, but ask to defer your Sydney-USA journey by several days after the end of the cruise. Then just buy your own Sydney-Auckland-Sydney ticket.

I agree that most travel agents are useless at air travel. There's no money in it for them, so they never bother to learn how to do it. But you can get plenty of advice around CC from people who spend a lot of their own time researching and buying air travel.

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The two most obvious options:-

  1. Book it yourself. You can get plenty of advice here and on the Cruise Air forum about how to do it. You may be able to book USA-Sydney, Sydney-Auckland, Auckland-USA all on one ticket. Alternatively, as you are stopping in both Sydney and Auckland, there's no reason why you can't buy USA-Sydney, Auckland-USA on one ticket, and then just get a separate ticket for Sydney-Auckland one-way.
  2. Book USA-Sydney-USA through the cruise line as usual, but ask to defer your Sydney-USA journey by several days after the end of the cruise. Then just buy your own Sydney-Auckland-Sydney ticket.

I agree that most travel agents are useless at air travel. There's no money in it for them, so they never bother to learn how to do it. But you can get plenty of advice around CC from people who spend a lot of their own time researching and buying air travel.

 

 

Yes i have recieved a lot of good advice here.. and I thank you for yours.. Can you tell me this.. If i get a cruise Sydney to Auckland.. The cruise line will allow me to book a weeek or 2 early goign in and a wekk or so after the cruise.. I want to find an airfare from Sydeny to Caines and back just before the cruise.

 

What I found is there are tour companies that will let me see the GBR and the Rainforrest.. But I still have to get airfare. I am even thinking the tours are costly. If I can get an airfare to Cairnes or Ft Douglas I shoud be able to find a hotle there easy.. and I am sure there would be tours companies already there that will get me to the reef and it would be less costly..

 

what do you think ?

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Hi OP, If you're looking at visiting Far North Queensland (FNQ) and the GBR - as per my post #12, why not look at flying to Brisbane and then hop up to Cairns? BNE is a lot less hectic than SYD and closer to Cairns. It's also a shorter flight from the US! It's about an hour's drive to Port Douglas from Cairns - or book a shuttle if you think you'll be jet-lagged or don't fancy driving on the "right" side of the road.

 

There are a multiple airlines with direct flights to SYD from CNS and you should be easily able to book all flights on a single ticket. For instance Qantas fly direct LAX to BNE and a code share with American should get you a direct flight from AKL. Use search engines such as Google Flights, Skyscanner, Matrix by ita, etc... to find the best flight options. For tours, hotels, etc... take a look on the Port Douglas or Cairns pages of Trip Advisor

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I want to find an airfare from Sydeny to Caines and back just before the cruise.
If you are buying this on a standalone basis (similarly for Sydney-Auckland), your best first step would be to price this using Qantas' and Virgin Australia's websites. For Sydney-Auckland, also look at Air New Zealand, but make sure you are looking at the Australian or New Zealand version of the website. (Also check this for Virgin Australia, but I know that Qantas switches you there automatically.) The cheapest published fares are usually restricted to being sold in Aus/NZ/South Pacific, but buying from the relevant version of the airline website counts. If you buy these from a US (or elsewhere) travel agent, you could end up paying rather more than you need to.
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If you decide to fly Syd,Cairns , check that its a direct flight .
Better still, check that it's non-stop. There are plenty of those (and in any event I'm not sure that there are currently any direct flights that are not non-stop). And connecting itineraries should be pretty easy to spot, both by flight numbers and overall journey duration.

 

This is actually good advice for the trans-Tasman flights, too, because some airlines may offer connecting itineraries on these journeys as well.

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Regarding tours in Cairns or Port Douglas—

 

1. First of all, I have been to this area 5 times, staying in Port Douglas each time as I enjoy the laid-back ambiance and the beach, Four Mile Beach, that is right in town. Cairns is much larger town and has no beach in town.

 

2. You can easily book your own excursions online before you leave home (or perhaps once you get there, depending on the excursion and time of year of your visit. When is this cruise?)

 

3. The main activities in the GBR area are snorkeling, tours (either guided or self-guided) to Daintree NP and Mossman Gorge, a trip to Kuranda via a train/Skyrail combo or Skyrail/Skyrail combo (which I prefer because I found the train pretty boring), and native animals at the Wildlife Habitat and Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure.

 

4. There is good advice on Trip Advisor about all of these activities and you can get recommendations for specific tour companies. For the GBR, I highly recommend Wavelength out of Port Douglas or Seastar our of Cairns if you are a decent enough swimmer. If you are not a decent enough swimmer or are a non-swimmer, take Quicksilver from PD or Reef Magic from Cairns. And whatever you do, do NOT take an excursion to Green Island. Snorkeling there is so poor that it’s a waste of your time and money.

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We did it the other way around.

 

From Sydney, we flew to cairns and

We did a 4 day cruise in the GBR with Coral Expeditions

https://www.coralexpeditions.com/au/destinations/great-barrier-reef/

Highly recommended.

 

Then we flew to Sydney and did the Princess Cruise to Auckland and back to Sydney.

The ship stops at Rotarua, where you can book Shore Trips and Tours to take you on a day trip to Hobbiton.

 

Thats one way to do it.

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I apprichiate all the good advice..

 

Can you all tell me what the best month to go is? I know thier summer is our winter.. But what is the weather in March or Oct there?

 

Can ayone tell me is it best to get a tour through Tourradar or just get my own hotel to see the GBR and a tour locally to the rainforeest? Is it better to see the GBR from Carines or from Ft Douglas?

 

All advice is apprichiated

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I apprichiate all the good advice..

 

Can you all tell me what the best month to go is? I know thier summer is our winter.. But what is the weather in March or Oct there?

 

Can ayone tell me is it best to get a tour through Tourradar or just get my own hotel to see the GBR and a tour locally to the rainforeest? Is it better to see the GBR from Carines or from Ft Douglas?

 

All advice is apprichiated

 

Some of this was covered in your other GBR thread.

 

Our summer is your winter. Our spring is your fall. And vice versa.

 

Cairns is in the tropics, the weather varies from hot and wet in summer to warm and dry in winter. It doesn't really matter what time of year you go there. Cairns is closer to the equator than Jamaica.

 

I would book my own hotel in Cairns, but wait to book any tours until I got there. There are no shortage of tours and you will get a better idea of what is available by being there. Unless you get there in our school holidays, in which case book everything ahead.

 

Cairns and Port Douglas are just as good as each other for accessing the GBR. Port Douglas is the nicer town, but involves a little bit of traveling as the airport is in Cairns.

 

March is warm to hot in Cairns with some heavy rain. October is slightly cooler and drier. However, if you intend to also cruise to NZ, be aware that because it is much further south, NZ is much cooler at that time of year.

Edited by SinbadThePorter
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From a different angle you can do a Celebrity back to back that will start in Sydney to Cairns back to Sydney and one way to Auckland.

There’s one this November

 

 

I have not looked at Celebrity.. I get free laundry from Princess. That helps a lot to travel real light. I liekt o get it all in one bag. But I see many recomending Celberity.. But I am not sure why?? any commets on why Celebrity?? They seem more costy.. I can do the trip from ethier direction.. I am planning on Jan - March 2020.. But I am open..

 

I have decided to stay in Auckalnd for a few days and Sydney for a few days.. I aMichelm going to get a flight to Cairnes from Sydeny to for a few days to see the GBR reef and rainforrest. I liek the Sydney pass.. It seems better to pull it together on my own than use tourradar. Thier sales ppl seem to know very little.

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