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I have a major dilemma on my hands. A friend is getting married in Brisbane in November and I would love to be there and see Australia as I have never been before. But my best friend moved to Christchurch last year and I've not been able to get out to see her yet.

I can only spare two weeks off work so I can't do both, meaning my dilemma is - do I go to Australia or New Zealand? I'm a snowboarding junkie so am leaning towards NZ, but am worried I could be missing my chance to see Oz. Please help!
Nicky


I went skiing in NZ's south island last September. I think in November you will have missed the snow, plus NZ is beautiful but I wouldn't go solely for the snow - the skiing/boarding is far better in Europe (although I have heard the snowboard park near Wanaka is good). Why don't you stick with Oz? You've only two weeks and the spring weather should be lovely. Ask your friend to join you from NZ for a holiday together - from Brisbane you could fly to Melbourne and take the Great Ocean Road to Sydney, fly up the east coast further and sail around the Whitsundays or head to Fraser Island? Virgin Blue do cheap, frequent internal flights.
Sarah Hardaker

Without doubt visit Oz. There is so much more to offer, do and see, plus Brisbane is guaranteed hot all year round and thus you will have good weather. It is also slap bang in the middle of the east coast and therefore accessible to Byron Bay and the surfers paradise of Noosa or to Cairns for the coral reef and a short flight to the red centre. I visited both in 2005 on a round the world trip and thought Oz was so much better!
Scott Henry


I would suggest that Nicky definitely go to New Zealand. I travelled to both Australia and New Zealand on my gap year, devoting nearly two months to Australia and only three weeks to NZ. I initially tacked New Zealand on to the end of the Australia trip just because I thought it seemed a shame to go all that way and not do NZ!
While I absolutely loved Australia, when I left there and arrived in Christchurch I immediately regretted not giving myself more time to explore the country. My friends and I picked up a camper van to travel around in and the jaw-dropping scenery, friendly people and rich culture really blew us all away. And, from one snowboarder to another, the boarding in Queenstown is most definitely worth a try!
I think that the real winning factor of NZ has got to be the scenery. Everywhere you go there are sublime views that you just can't quite take in - it was as if every turn of the road there was a new mountain, lake or expanse of rolling hills that just took your breath away.
It was a really relaxing and inspiring trip for my friends and I and we all returned home feeling refreshed and ready to tackle London life once again!
Good luck and have a great trip!
Victoria


Two weeks really isn't very long to see either New Zealand or Australia unfortunately. However, I would suggest that you go and see your friend in Christchurch.
The seasons are the opposite to England though, so it will be early summer so probably not too much snowboarding going on as the South Island ski season ends in October (North Island is slightly later, normally mid November).
I think that Brisbane is not the highlight of Australia, and due to time and distance it would cost you quite a lot and take a lot of time to get to the more interesting places to see. In New Zealand there is so much to see around Christchurch, and you could see a lot of the area in that time. The first time I went to NZ I did a quick tour of most of the South Island in two weeks.
I would suggest that you go to Akaroa, a stunning fishing town south of Christchurch. You can go dolphin spotting, do some amazing hikes and eat the best fish and chips. Kaikora is north of Christchurch, a very pretty train ride or drive, and there you can spot whales, dolphins and seals among many other activities. If you are into hiking there is Arthur's Pass, again an easy train ride from Christchurch. Going to Queenstown, the adventure capital of NZ for a few days would also be easy to do. Basically anywhere in the South Island is easy to do. I could go on and on and it is so stunning that you won't regret it.
I am sure that others will think that Brisbane is the best choice, but I totally disagree, you would be much better off going back to Oz when you have a lot more time!
Enjoy
Becs, London


In response to the Oz versus NZ question will attempt neutral response as a New Zealander born in Australia!
Two weeks is not really long enough to tackle Australia whereas either of NZ islands can be covered in two weeks driving around.
However there won't be much snow in NZ in November and beach weather will be better in Australia at that time – Brisbane is not far from Coffs harbour area and the north coast of New South Wales which is great to spend 4/5 days exploring. I would do a bit of this and then fly to Christchurch from Brisbane (about a three hour flight) for another week maybe getting down to Southern Lakes and Queenstown. Then fly back to the UK from Christchurch.
It would be a shame to go all that way and then not see both of your friends!
Emilia

You're a reader of the Guardian; you know what's going on. So do the planet a favour, install Skype, talk to your heart's content to both friends on the other side of the world, then join Russel in his campsite in the Pyrenees.
Peter Furtado

New Zealand is smaller, so you are more likely to be able to do it
justice in two weeks than trying to get around Oz and spending all
that time - and money - in the air. I've been living here for three
years (in Auckland) and I have lived in some beautiful places, like
South Africa and the Caribbean, but none compares to New Zealand. In
two weeks you can see and experience most of what this amazing country
has to offer. But if you come in November to snowboard you may find
the snow has melted!
Mark


Do an 'open jaw' ticket that allows you to fly to NZ, do NZ (it's far
much more of a chilled break) and then get a jetstar.com/
virginblue.com low cost flight to Sydney to have a taster city break
before flying home from there. If it's too pricey, get a return flight to
somewhere in Asia and use airninja.com to pick up the lowcost legs to
the two cities.
Matthew Speak

I've spent 3 months traveling across the northern and southern island of New Zealand and about 8 months in Australia. My first tip to you would be to take more time off work, somehow. It's quite expensive to go to that part of the world and it takes ages to get there, so two weeks seems almost criminally short (I went back to Oz & NZ for three weeks once and even that was way too short). Second, if you go to either country you will miss out on something spectacular - both Oz and NZ have their own unique qualities. But let's break down the choices.
First, the weather. If you're very lucky, November will be beautiful in NZ. Most likely though, it will rain. NZ doesn't start to become reliable weather-wise until about February (and even then you can be unlucky). In Brisbane, the weather will be glorious.
Second, the scenery. The south island has some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world (however, if everything is covered in a thick layer of rain clouds you might as well be in Blackpool). The whole of NZ is amazingly beautiful though, breathtakingly so in places. On the other hand, Brisbane is a beach lover's paradise, with the beautiful Fraser island and other spectacular white sanded, jungle rimmed beauty spots abound. You might also take a quick trip up to Cairns and learn to dive at the Great Barrier Reef (I did and it was amazing).
Lastly, the people. Australians are friendly and welcoming, but my personal experience of Kiwi's is that they are some of the most hospitable and relaxed people in the world. I hitchhiked around the place and was struck time and again by the almost naive friendliness and hospitality of almost everyone I met.
So if you're looking for a rugged, active holiday with lots of outdoor activities, don't mind a bit of rain and are prepared to travel around the island to see some of the best places, go to NZ. If you want a more laid-back holiday with bounty-style beaches and lots of sun, a spot of diving or surfing and a bbq to round off the day, go to Brisbane.
Either way I'm bloody jealous.
Enjoy!
David

There is absolutely no reason, including budget, that your enquirer cannot 'do' Australia and NZ in the two available weeks.
I live one hour's drive north of Brisbane. My family and I snowboarded at Wanaka, NZ, last September.
From this I can say. Do the wedding at Brisbane and have a look at Australia Zoo, the Sunshine Coast or the Gold Coast or Byron Bay. You still have time to visit Fraser Island or a Moreton Bay Island. You can whale watch or got back to the Gold Coast theme parks.
After a week, head to Christchurch, where world-class Mount Hutt snowfields are 90 minutes from the CBD.
Easy.
Ray Barber, Coolum Beach, Queensland

No brainer; I live in Queenstown, quite near the location for the photo of Mount Cook, South Island, NZ, on the Guardian travel webpage. We are the winter sport capital of NZ, but come November when your friend is getting married in Brizzie, the ski fields here will be bereft of snow and our Spring weather will be coming in - pretty but a bit unpredictable. That will also be true for Christchurch and its major nearby ski field, Mt Hutt. So, do come and see us when the time is right, but in November, Queensland would be my bet. Otherwise, in full winter (June to late Sept); or summer (December to March), here in the deep south is the place to be (full of friendly Southern Men; and not a few Poms these days!!!).
Michael

I reckon it might be possible to do both. To be honest, if you want to see anything of Australia you'll need to pick up a couple of internal flights anyway, so why not fly in for the wedding then hop over the Tasman and see your friend in Christchurch? There are some cheap deals going at the moment and you might pick up a bargain. Jetstar (http://www.jetstar.com/) and Virgin Blue (http://www.virginblue.com.au/) both fly from Brisbane to Christchurch and the flight time is just over 3 hours.
That way, you can have your (wedding) cake and eat it (on your snowboard).
Can

Snowboarding in NZ in November is very much off-season. There is the possibility of some snow at Mt Hutt, not far from Christchurch, but it would be a gamble.
Stewart McGibbon

Nicky needs to remember that November is spring in the southern hemisphere and she's not likely to get good snowboarding at that time of year. I'm no expert on snowboarding but she should check if the snowfields are even open that late in the year. Getting to Queenstown from Brisbane isn't that difficult - Air New Zealand has direct flights to Christchurch and on to Queenstown - if she wants to head there for a few days at the end of the trip. Of course, New Zealand is well worth visiting as a separate trip!
Sam


'm originally from the UK, now living in Australia. It's perfectly feasible to do a week in each. The flight between them is only 4.5 hours. If you definitely have to choose then go to NZ - two weeks isn't long enough to see enough in Australia, whereas with two weeks in NZ you can see a lot of it. There won't be any snowboarding in November - it's coming into summer. In my opinion, although Australia is beautiful, NZ is absolutely stunning. Do the drive from Christchurch to Queenstown and then go to Wanaka - Lord of the Rings was filmed around here and it is awe-inspiringly beautiful.
Sarah Bailey

Go to the wedding then shoot over to NZ. We are only three hours away. The bad news is that the skiing will be over by November.
Greg Lydon


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