Should You Visit Australia, New Zealand, or Both?
Why choose when you can see both countries in just over two weeks?
November 13, 2026
9 minute read
November 13, 2026
9 minute read
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Australia and New Zealand sit close together on a map, but they are surprisingly different in person. Most people have some idea of what to expect in Australia but only have a vague idea of what to expect in New Zealand. To help with the Australia vs. New Zealand debate, I turned to Roger, Collette's Tour Designer for the South Pacific.
New Zealand is one of those countries that punches far above its weight, says Roger. "Lots of big spaces, rugged mountains, glaciers, ice, it's wild. Places like Milford Sound, one of the most beautiful places on the planet. There's nowhere else in the world that I can actually compare it with.”
This guide walks through what makes Australia and New Zealand worth the trip whether you have a few weeks or can take a longer tour.
Australia and New Zealand each offer something different.
You can see both in about two weeks if you're short on vacation time.
The logistics in Australia and New Zealand can be a little challenging, making the South Pacific a great place to consider guided tours.
We, of course, think you should see the world. If you're taking the flight to Australia or New Zealand, it just makes sense to see them both, but below is the info you need to decide for yourself.
You want harbor cities, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Outback.
You’re feeling adventurous and ready to traverse a large country.
You don’t mind taking internal flights to get to all the places you want to see.
You want to see alpine peaks, fjords, and geothermal valleys.
You enjoy scenic drives.
You want a place that surprises you with wild, rugged beauty.
If you have the time, see both countries. The flight between them is about three to four hours depending on the cities you’re connecting, and you'll step off the plane into a completely different experience. It's like getting two trips in one.
Don't just imagine it. See our Australia and New Zealand tour itineraries and find out what your trip could look like.
"I loved visiting both Australia and New Zealand. The itinerary was great in that we had time to ourselves without having to get up early every day, along with staying in one place more than one day." — Catherine V., Traveler on Australia's Outback to New Zealand's South Island.
Australia and New Zealand each bring something completely different to a South Pacific trip. Australia gives you a variety of experiences on a grand scale. New Zealand gives you a different variety of experiences — glaciers, beaches, and geothermal valleys, sometimes within the same day.
In Australia, the scale and distance between places are part of the experience. Sydney Harbour opens right onto the Pacific. The red sandstone of Uluru rises from the Outback hundreds of miles from the nearest city. The places you visit in Australia and the spaces between them feel big and open. It's exactly what people imagine when they think about the South Pacific. Learn more in our guide to places to visit in Australia.
New Zealand is a smaller country, but the staggering beauty of the mountains and fjords makes it feel larger. Or maybe it just makes travelers feel small as they gaze up and around at the landscape rising all around them. Learn more in our guide to places to visit in New Zealand.
In Australia, you have major cities like Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide, each with its own rhythm. You’ll find the Sydney Opera House, harbor views, galleries, cafés, theatres, and creative food scenes. Aboriginal-led experiences offer a deeper look at traditions and Australia's history. And the cultural experiences don’t end when you head into the Outback — Collette’s tours include a traditional BBQ with storytelling under the stars.
In New Zealand, you have cities and cultural centers like Auckland, Wellington, Rotorua, and Christchurch, each offering a different window into the country. You’ll find walkable neighborhoods, food, and arts scenes. New Zealand is also home to the Māori. On Collette tours, travelers visit a Māori community and learn how they use geothermal resources. The experience includes a meal cooked with geothermal heat.
In Australia you have iconic natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef, the oldest tropical rainforest, red desert landscapes in the Outback, and Uluru at sunrise. Travelers see the animals they have imagined for years: kangaroos, wombats, koalas, and crocodiles.
In New Zealand, you're immersed in mountains, fjords, lakes, glaciers, geothermal valleys, and rugged coastlines that are like no place else on earth. On Collette's tours, we cruise Milford Sound and take the Cook Strait ferry through the Marlborough Sounds to bring you deeper into the landscape.
On the water, you might spot dolphins. And you can visit the Royal Albatross Centre, which protects the only mainland breeding colony of northern royal albatross anywhere in the world.
If you like to sip and savor your way through a country, both Australia and New Zealand have food and wine to tempt your palate. Collette's tours include a mix of premium dining experiences, like farm-to-table meals, cooking classes, and private winery tours.
"The hotels were beautiful — the food exceptional — tour guide wonderful." — Donna M., Traveler on Discover South Pacific Wonders.
New Zealand is made for travelers who love scenic drives and stunning landscapes. On Collette's tours, you'll experience the country's natural beauty everywhere we stay, along the drives, and from the water. You can learn more in our post about the best way to visit New Zealand.
Australia is much bigger. To see everything on your bucket list, you'll want to plan on internal flights. But the reward is all the iconic things you associate with Australia and smaller cultural moments that make traveling Down Under better than you imagined.
" Seeing the sights that were the hallmarks of the tour were exactly what I was expecting. However, it was the unexpected, out-of-the-box, serendipitous experiences that made our tour so exciting! — Suzanne T, Traveler on Australia and New Zealand Uncovered.
Both countries are great for people who like outdoor adventure and are comfortable exploring on foot.
The best way to visit Australia and New Zealand together is with a guided tour that handles the internal flights, the ferry crossing, and the pacing — so your time goes toward soaking in the destinations, not managing logistics.
Australia and New Zealand are both bigger and more varied than they look on a map. Australia is almost the size of the continental United States, and New Zealand covers two islands. An expertly planned and expertly [CS13] led tour ensures that you spend more time experiencing the things you came to see and less time figuring out how to get from place to place.
Collette’s South Pacific lineup is one of our biggest strengths in this region. We have five tours in the South Pacific, and they’re all different. See all South Pacific tours.
South Pacific Wonders is our shortest and most affordable tour. If you don’t have a lot of time, or you’re working with more of a budget, that’s the tour for you. The key is thoughtful pacing. Rather than trying to cover every possible stop with one-night stays, the trip focuses on major highlights and gives you time to enjoy them. See available dates.
Roger has designed a lot of tours to the South Pacific and he reviews traveler feedback. Two things that tend to surprise travelers are:
The lack of crowds compared to Europe in summer, or somewhere like Kyoto. Australia and New Zealand have small populations for their size, so you don’t often get long lines even in the cities.
How multicultural both countries already are. About half the population of Sydney and Melbourne was born somewhere else, and it’s a similar story in Auckland. It’s a lot like the U.S., Canada, or Europe that way. Travelers just don’t expect it.
Yes. New Zealand offers a completely different experience — mountains and fjords, Māori culture, and destinations like Milford Sound that don’t resemble anything in Australia. See our places to visit in New Zealand post for more about what New Zealand has to offer.
Flights from the U.S. run 15 hours or more, and crossing the International Date Line means you’ll lose a day on the way over and gain it back coming home. But it's one day out of your trip. Once the jet lag fades you'll be glad you did it.
The best months to visit Australia and New Zealand are generally September through November or March through May, when the Southern hemisphere's spring and autumn bring milder weather and comfortable conditions.
Read our guides to the best time to visit Australia and the best time to visit New Zealand for more detailed planning help.
Most travelers plan for at least two weeks to get a meaningful look at both countries, with three weeks or more if you want to add regions like Tasmania or New Zealand’s West Coast.
If you have time, yes — Tasmania offers a different side of Australia, with a history-rich waterfront city in Hobart and scenery unlike the mainland. Read more in our guide to Tasmania.
Traveling to the South Pacific is a chance to get away from the world and immerse yourself in natural beauty and cultures that are very different from what you know. Whether you choose Australia, New Zealand, or both, it's going to be an unforgettable journey.
“There’s always something crazy going on somewhere in the world,” says Roger. “In the South Pacific, we’re far away. We [are] so far away geographically from a lot of the stuff that’s going on. [You're] gonna have a great time, get away from it all.”
If that sounds like the trip you need, explore Australia and New Zealand tours.
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