[clueless]

hi..am planning to visit Oz from 19 Dec -9 Jan and will be flying in from malaysia via air asia.
Gold Coast is a must in my itinerary and to have NZ in the itinerary wld be great as well.
Appreciate your advise on destination, flights, transportation, hostel and duration of staying on each location. Thanks very much!
Also thanks to everyone who has helped me plan my europe trip 2 years ago. I find this website really useful to new traveller like me.

[gregausti]

Really depends on what your interests are as to where you go and for how long, but as a general guide if you want to miss the more warmer humid weather, keep heading south though there are some island trips you can do from Brisbane - Moreton Island for dolphins, snorkelling and sand duning, and North and South Stradbroke Islands too, all having great beaches and a relaxed environment.

Sydney will likely be on your agenda, and heaps to do and have a look at there and also some reasonable places to stop at like Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Port Stephens with many smaller places in between.

If you have not booked accomodation for Sydney between Xmas and NY, you ought to visit outside of those times for it'll be near impossible to get decent accomodation, and also difficult if not likewise for most coastal places.

Have a look at the Destinations and Hostel guides for more details and transport re how to get about and again depending on just how much of Australia you want to see will determine how much of NZ you could also see but three weeks for both is going to be a bit of a crush.

[giacomofra]

Go to see this exhibition: stadiumsofhappiness dot com
It's a show about the Canary Islands at the Emirates Stadium in London. It was fantastic, it really captured me, and I decided to go on holiday to Las Plamas next summer. It's a great freebie, you get a massage, fruit juices to taste, and there's lots of sports simulators and chill out areas, plus a bit of history of the islands.... quite amazing!