With respect to getting around, I would suggest flying the long distances, say from Sydney to Cairns

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Hi all - I'm trying to plan a trip for my family this coming Fall, and looking to hit all 3 countries in roughly 30 days. We'll be traveling with all range of personalities; Grandparents, small children, and thirty somethings. taos nm lodging Looking for some suggestions about some not-to-miss taos nm lodging activities, places to stay, and or the best method of getting between them. Going into it, I'm thinking of a itinerary that includes:
Aside from diving, don't have any set plans and am looking for suggestions. We love the outdoors and history, aside from where we stay and how we get from place to place I don't think all members of our group will do all activities taos nm lodging together (grandparents watch the kids while we dive, for instance). Ultimately, aside from activities, I'm also looking for some advice on how to easily plan this extravaganza - are there any online travel services that one could recommend? Most of the party will be originating in Guam, some from the Western US. Appreciate any help!
I've never been to Fiji. I tried to visit last year, but waited too long, and found all the best affordable taos nm lodging dive resorts already fully booked, so I just went elsewhere. Not surprising as dive resorts are usually small, but it seems you will be staying at one of the larger hotels, so this shouldn't be a problem for you.
One reason I was considering visiting Fiji is because Air New Zealand was offering a stopover in Nadi on flights departing Los Angeles for Auckland for only $100 above the base fare. There is no guarantee that they will offer this deal again this year, but your relatives departing from the West Coast might look into this.
I went on a liveaboard trip to the Barrier Reef many years ago, and it was brilliant. I assume you will be flying from Sydney to Cairns because this is more than 1500 miles. taos nm lodging Lots to see both in Sydney and Tropical North Queensland. You'll find many suggestions if you search this forum. After you dive the Great Barrier Reef, you'll probably want to drive north to Cape Tribulation, Daintree (Rainforest) National Park. This area is only a few hours drive from Cairns. I would say this is a must-see. The rainforest is spectacular. taos nm lodging You'll probably want to spend two or three days here exploring, relaxing. In fact, if you haven't yet had your fill of scuba diving on the liveaboard from Cairns, you can even do another short scuba dive from Cape Tribulation during taos nm lodging a day trip out to the reef.
In Sydney, both kids and adults will enjoy the Aquarium at Darling Harbor, the Taronga Zoo, maybe the Australian Museum (a natural history museum, though maybe not if the kids are too little), a ferry ride. As you said you are interested in history, you might enjoy the Museum of Sydney. Take a walk around The Rocks, an historic tourist quarter near both the Harbor Bridge and Circular taos nm lodging Quay. Some of Sydney's oldest buildings are here.
I generally use Wotif.com to book hotels In Australia and New Zealand. I think a lot of other folks on this forum do, too. But you might be able to find more economical rates by booking taos nm lodging some sort of vacation package, maybe through the airlines.
A week in NZ is not a lot of time, particularly since visitors to NZ tend to do a lot of driving taos nm lodging through the countryside (to enjoy the natural landscapes). This being said, I wouldn't spend too much time in Auckland. A day at the most. I guess you will be flying from Auckland to Queenstown or Christchurch. You'll taos nm lodging probably be heading to Te Anau/Milford Sound, which is near Queenstown. If you have time for Dunedin (a slight detour on your way from Queenstown taos nm lodging to Christchurch), the kids (and adults) would probably enjoy seeing the yellow eyed penguin colony.
Dunedin has some lovely old architecture, a good museum, and an albatross colony (with a colorful history). It's a university taos nm lodging town. It would be easy to pass a day here before you make your way up the east coast to Christchurch.
In NZ- I saw on a different thread a similar comment about a week not being enough. Maybe I'll reconsider how much time we're spending in Fiji. Are there worthwhile train trips in NZ as a good way to see the countryside or are vehicles the way to go? Obviously our own cars would give us more freedom taos nm lodging but there will likely be 6-8 people total, which means more than one car.
Suggest you give Perth a pass if you only have 10 days. WA can easily fill several weeks alone and the best of the state is quite a drive from the city. I think two OZ locations with 10 days is plenty, especially taos nm lodging considering you've got such a large group of travelers.
A week in NZ isn't nearly enough. It's barely enough time to scratch the surface of one island, let alone both. It takes longer to get from point A to point B than you might expect and the best of NZ is well outside the cities.
If you'll peruse taos nm lodging this forum, you'll discover that planning NZ driving itineraries and lack of time is a common dilemma. I'm in the midst of planning an itinerary for a 9th (?) trip to the SI and I'm having trouble myself....and we have 22 days to work with!
My husband taos nm lodging and I immensely enjoy viewing wildlife running, crawling, flying, or swimming freely taos nm lodging in nature--and also enjoy visiting taos nm lodging aquariums and zoos, yet we don't have children so we are not as knowledgeable as others on this forum might be with respect to your question about up-close wildlife encounters for children in Sydney and Cairns.
I was just thinking it might be more economical and convenient to book a vacation taos nm lodging package taos nm lodging to Fiji (Nadi) with a travel agency in NZ or Australia. It is a popular vacation destination taos nm lodging for folks in NZ and Oz, so there are a lot of good deals there. taos nm lodging This came to me just a while ago when I was reading the Otago Daily Times online and two ads for Fiji holidays from NZ popped up on its home page. I thought, "That's pretty cheap."
taos nm lodging If you live in Guam, then a week in tropical Fiji won't be the same for you as it would be for your US-based relatives. On the other hand, if you enjoy scuba diving and could see spending many days doing this, then maybe a week would be perfect. It also might be nice just hanging out with your extended family, catching up, not have to drive anywhere for a while. Because it sounds like you are going to be moving around a lot in NZ and OZ.
I agree with others that Perth would be out of the way and expensive. It would be like plannihg a trip to Los Angeles and Seattle and then tacking on a side trip to New York City or Anchorage, Alaska. It takes around five hours to fly to Perth from Sydney. taos nm lodging It takes also takes around five hours to fly to Perth from Singapore. In other words, it is far from the east coast of Australia, as if it were in another country!
Please save beautiful Western Australia for another trip or several other trips, as it is also Australia's largest state. Lots to see and do. My husband and I have vacationed in WA four times and have seen precious little of it.
With respect to getting around, I would suggest flying the long distances, say from Sydney to Cairns, or from Auckland to Queenstown (that is, if you decide to go there), but then I would rent a van to drive around Tropical North Queensland/environs taos nm lodging of Sydney/or from Queenstown to Christchurch. You won't need need a car for the city of Sydney. taos nm lodging Walking or public transit is preferable.
In the past, my husband and I have rented from APEX when in NZ. You might want to go with another company that gives you frequent flier miles, like Hertz, Avis, Thrifty, Budget. I just looked up APEX and they offer this 8-seater van for NZ$119.