Australasia Islands Travel
Australasia Islands Overview
With a coastline of 26735 km, the continent of Australia is fringed by more than 8,000 islands, a large number of which contain plenty of holiday resorts and travel attractions. Home to the aborigines, much of their culture can still be observed. The country's warmest season is from December to late February although the rest of the year also sees mostly sunny days and the climate is on the warmer side.
The Great Barrier Reef is the most famous landmark of Australia and some of the most spectacular islands are on it. Lizard Island seems to be tailor made for honeymooners while the exclusive Bedarra Island is eminently suited to the luxury lovers. The mainland gateways include Townsville, port Douglas and Lucinda.
Situated in the South Pacific Ocean, New Zealand is one of the prettiest islands of the world. The country has most of its region covered with towering mountain ranges. NZ islands are a haven for tourists across the world. The islands have a temperate climate with very little weather variations. You can visit the islands anytime throughout the year. The islands are a storehouse of exotic flora and fauna and dream destination of adventure lovers. Sweeping coastlines, mountain chains, steaming volcanoes and beautiful fjords characterize the beautiful NZ islands.
Located between 47'S and 34'S, New Zealand comprises two islands measuring 266, 200 sq km. The North islands cover about 3.2 million square kms while the South islands are just 800,000 kms. The North Islands consist of the important cities like Auckland, Wellington, Eastland, Central Plateau region, Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa, Waikato and Taranaki. The South islands has important cities like Marlborough, Canterbury, Southland and Otago and west Coast.
Australasia Islands Main Attractions
The beautiful Whitsunday islands are in the middle along the Queensland coast and have 74 palm-fringed islands enclosed by the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea. Only 8 of the islands are inhabited and Hamilton Island is the country's largest island resort. Every one of the Whitsunday Islands has beautiful beaches, forested interiors and lovely coral reefs for scuba diving. The Whitehaven beach covered with white silica sand and with azure waters is the most spectacular of the lot and is extremely popular as a daytrip from Airlie beach.
The World-Heritage listed Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and has rainforests, freshwater lakes and the purest strain of dingoes in Australia. Kangaroo Island, near Adelaide is famous for Australian wildlife adventure. It also has at least 20 pristine beaches.
The top cities of North islands are Auckland & Wellington. The beautiful Waitomo caves with its beautiful pink, white and brown stalactites offer a bewildering ambience. Underwater World and Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter in Auckland will offer you an amazing experience of zoo, museum and aquarium.
Other attractions of New Zealand's North island include Hobbiton Village at Matamata, Rotorua Village, Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, Hukafalls Taupo and Te Papa. South islands have some of the best sights of attraction in the world. The International Arctic Museum, the Christchurch Gondola at Port Hills, The hanmer Springs, Abel Tasman National park, backwaters in Dragon cave and the hotrocks in Greymounth are some of the best sights of the Southern Island. Some of the best beaches of the island are Waiheke, Coopers, Hot water beach and Kaiteriteri. The Mount Maunganui's ocean beach is regarded as more beautiful than the Australian Gold Coast beach.
Australasia Islands Activities
Scuba diving and snorkeling is spectacular on the Great Barrier Reef along the Low Isles. Bush camping on Fitzroy Island or visiting Hope Islands National Park with an aboriginal guide can be very interesting. Swim, snorkel, dive, sail or simply relax on the Whitsunday Islands.
On Fraser Island, hike through rainforests passing kangaroos, wallabies and possums on the way. Its freshwater lakes are splendid for swimming and you can also visit the historic Maheno shipwreck. Kangaroo Island has great swimming, surfing, diving and fishing and also some superb wildlife. You can spot pink pelicans, penguins and sea lions and also visit historic lighthouses.
In New Zealand you can indulge in a variety of activities like trekking, surfing, boating, swimming, snorkeling and long drives. Trekking to Mount Cook is one of the most popular activities of New Zealand. Adventure tours conducted by special agencies allow opportunity to perform a variety of activities.
Australasia Islands Accommodation & Dining
Accommodation in Australia ranges from luxurious to budget to eco-camps. The Whitsunday Islands boast of the most luxurious accommodations. Food is wide-ranging and Australian wines have already made a mark in the world.
NZ islands have plenty of accommodations. From luxurious five star hotels to affordable backpacker's inn, the islands have an accommodation suitable for all kinds of pockets. The star hotels are equipped with special amenities like swimming pool, in house restaurants and Jacuzzi. Somem of the well known hotels of the islands are Auckland city hotel, Heritage Queenstown, Bali hai Motel and Dorset House backpackers. The cities of New Zealand have restaurants serving exotic cuisines.
Australasia Islands Shopping & Nightlife
Australian islands have a wide range of great souvenirs and plenty of more upmarket items such as genuine aboriginal arts and crafts. There is also plenty of brand shopping to be had - Australia boasts some famous brands that can be had a discount prices. As for nightlife, well, there are plenty of both lively and laid back choices to choose from. Most islands have resorts that will have clubs and bars, while the famous Australian "pub" will be just around the corner!
You can shop a variety of adventure accessories from New Zealand. The shopping malls offer an exclusive variety of luxury products and garments. You can buy a variety of showpieces as a memento.
Getting To & Around Australasia Islands
There are heaps of different ways of accessing Australian islands, but the distances involved means that flight are usually inevitable. Kangaroo Island is a short flight from Adelaide or ferry ride from Cape Jervis. Hamilton Island has direct flights from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Airlie beach and Proserpine provide easy access to Whitsunday islands. To reach Fraser Island, take a boat from Hervey Bay or a flight from Brisbane. 4WD or on foot is best for exploring some of the islands.
You can move around in the cities of New Zealand by bus, rail, airways or sea route. Reaching New Zealand is not a hassle. Air New Zealand operates flights from UK & US. Other airlines also have regular flights to the beautiful islands on regular intervals.
