Ski holidays in Oceania

Oceania

If you’re travelling here, we recommend that you take a good guidebook. We like the layout and content of the Lonely Planet book. It provides an excellent mix of travel information and practical advice. Click below to purchase. You won’t regret buying it!

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If you’re travelling here, we recommend that you take a good guidebook. We like the layout and content of the Lonely Planet book. It provides an excellent mix of travel information and practical advice. Click below to purchase. You won’t regret buying it!

Ski holidays in Australia

Australia

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Australia is a huge country that is both beautiful and unforgiving at the same time. Much of the interior of the country is barren and made up of desert and bush, while the verdant coast is scattered with stunning beaches, paradise islands and some quality towns and cities. Australia’s best skiing is in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, and the ski season generally runs from May to September, while the busy summer tourist season is from December to March.

A growing number of holiday makers, adventurers and tourers have discovered that the Snowy Mountains offers much more than expected, all year round. Although mostly recognised for its winter sports and alpine resorts, “the Snowies”, as its affectionately known, is fast becoming a playground for those interested in something uniquely different. Snowy Mountain packages to Perisher, Charlotte Pass and Thredbo are the best selling ski holidays in Australia.

Thredbo is Australia’s premier ski resort. Located near to the country’s highest peak, the resort has convenient travel options from both Sydney and Melbourne. Much money has been spent on Thredbo in recent years and the ski village is both attractive and lively, while the skiing itself features the largest vertical and longest slope in Australia.

Mount Buller is located in Victorias High Country, not far north of Melbourne and boasts a massive array of ski lifts as well as some of the most exhilarating scenery in all of Australia. Mount Buller has been the winner of the Australian ski award for ’Best Year-Round Resort’ and covers a huge amount of skiable terrain as well as offering extensive, alternative ski activities.

Not far north of Thredbo are the famed Perisher Blue and Smiggins Hole ski resorts, owned by billionaire Kerry Packer. These resorts have more slopes than any other in Australia and the powder and moguls here are awesome. Australia also boasts numerous other resorts in New South Wales and Victoria including the likes of Charlotte Pass, Selwyn Snowfields, Falls Creek, Mount Beauty and Mount Buffalo.

Sydney’s Kingsford Smith International Airport receives most of Australia’s inbound and outbound air traffic, while Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra all have international airports that offer regular flights overseas. There are many reputable bus companies that operate extensive networks throughout the country, although road distances between towns and points of interest in Australia are usually lengthy.

http://www.australia.com/

If you’re travelling here, we recommend that you take a good guidebook. We like the layout and content of the Lonely Planet book. It provides an excellent mix of travel information and practical advice. Click below to purchase. You won’t regret buying it!

Ski holidays in New Zealand

New Zealand 

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New Zealand has to be one of the most beautiful and diverse countries in the world, if not the most beautiful. The land is scattered with active and extinct volcanoes, the mountain ranges rival those of the big European ranges, there are beaches galore and the cities are laid back and charming. There are also some world-class ski resorts here, which open from June to October, while the high tourist season for summer attractions is between December and March.

There are more than two dozen ski resorts in New Zealand, of which the Mount Ruapehu ski area on the North Island is one of the country’s favourites. Snowboarders have natural half-pipes created by lava flows, while views from the slopes of adjoining Whakapapa are unforgettable.

Mount Hutt Ski Area is located on the South Island in the Southern Alps, where the mountains are really big. Mount Hutt offers excellent skiing and snowboarding on its wide slopes as well as great off-piste glacier skiing, all with fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean. Mackenzie Ski Area offers superb views of Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest point; the Southern Alps and Lake Tekapo, and it has less crowded slopes than some of the other resorts.

Queenstown is the adventure capital of New Zealand and it offers a full range of slopes on its Remarkables mountain range at the Coronet Peak ski resort. There is night skiing here and snowmaking facilities. Lake Wanaka near Queenstown harbours four ski areas, of which Cardrona is a snowboarder’s paradise, boasting four boarding parks.

Nearly all visitors to New Zealand arrive by air and there are seven international airports, with Auckland handling the bulk of flights. Other airports are situated at Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Queenstown and Wellington. There is no ferry service to New Zealand by sea, although cruise ships regularly dock in Auckland. The rail network isn’t extensive; however, reliable bus services run all over the islands, as do backpacker shuttles. Driving is relatively hassle-free, with good, uncongested roads and cheap fuel, although some mountain tracks can be tricky.

New Zealand is a safe country and the roads here are a pleasure to drive on, although care should be taken on approach to the ski resorts due to hairpin bends and tractors.

http://www.newzealand.com/

If you’re travelling here, we recommend that you take a good guidebook. We like the layout and content of the Lonely Planet book. It provides an excellent mix of travel information and practical advice. Click below to purchase. You won’t regret buying it!