01
BrisbaneAustralia
12 – 13 April
Transit night
▾
Transit night
Wellington → Brisbane
Booking RefKIPPQH
PriceNZ$667.26
Paid
Ibis Styles Elizabeth Street
Booked viaBooking.com
PriceNZ$211
Paid
✦ Ideas for Brisbane
🗺 See & Do
Explore South Bank and the city centre in the morning before pick-up — a nice warm-up walk after the flight
Australia Zoo — en route to the Sunshine Coast, a fun first-day stop. Steve Irwin's legacy
🍽 Eat & Drink
South Bank has an excellent riverside dining precinct — a nice first meal to mark the beginning of the adventure
🚗 Pick up car, drive to Noosa ~2.5 hrs
02
NoosaQueensland, Australia
13 – 16 April
3 nights
▾
3 nights
Alpha Rental Car
Booking RefD013056297
Price£135.38 (incl. insurance)
Paid
⚠️ Security deposit £520 required on collection. Insurance included in price.
Carramah Noosa Heads Apartment
Booked viaBooking.com
PriceNZ$869 / AU$750
Pay at property
✦ Ideas for Noosa
🗺 See & Do
Noosa National Park — coastal walk with koala sightings and headland views; one of the best easy hikes in Australia
Noosa Main Beach — calm, patrolled, perfect for an easy first swim in the Pacific
Noosa River — kayak or paddleboard at sunset, glass-flat water
Hastings Street — boutique shopping and café hopping in the sun
🍽 Eat & Drink
Hastings Street is a genuinely excellent dining strip — everything from casual beachside cafés to proper restaurants
Fish and chips by the river — a Noosa ritual
🚗 Drive back to Brisbane Airport
✈️ then fly north
03
WhitsundaysQueensland, Australia
17 – 21 April
4 nights
▾
4 nights
Ibis Brisbane Airport (transit night, 16 Apr)
PriceNZ$312
Paid
Brisbane → Whitsundays (Proserpine)
Booking RefUW2D4G
PriceAU$281.46
Paid
Sunlit Waters Studio Apartments
PriceNZ$218
Paid
Reef Sleep — Overnight on the Great Barrier Reef
Booking Ref3145306
PriceAU$1,409.74
Paid
Airlie Guest House
PriceNZ$426
Paid
✦ Ideas for the Whitsundays
🗺 See & Do
Reef Sleep — already booked! Sleep overnight on a pontoon on the Great Barrier Reef. One of the great experiences of a lifetime. Leave 7:30am Port of Airlie; return 6pm next evening.
Thundercat sail to Whitehaven Beach — high-speed catamaran to one of the world's best beaches with brilliant white silica sand redcatadventures.com.au — 8:30am pickup from Airlie Guest House
Airlie Beach Lagoon — a free saltwater swimming lagoon right on the esplanade, great for an evening swim
Sunset drinks on the main strip looking out over the Coral Sea
🍽 Eat & Drink
Airlie Beach has a good dining strip — try barramundi on your first night, one of Australia's finest fish
Stock up on snacks for the Reef Sleep the night before — you'll be out on the water for over 36 hours
✈️ Short hop north to Cairns
04
CairnsQueensland, Australia
21 – 25 April
4 nights
▾
4 nights
Whitsundays → Cairns
Booking RefJQ5MT3
Paid
Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort
PriceAU$751.56
Pay at property
Bargain Car Rentals
Booking RefU-CNS-1887445
Price£115.35 (incl. insurance)
Paid
⚠️ Security deposit £520 on the day. Additional driver can be added for free.
✦ Ideas for Cairns
🗺 See & Do
Great Barrier Reef tour — aim for the outer reef, which has better coral and visibility than the inner reef. Operators to look at: Wavelength, Passions of Paradise, Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel
Kuranda — rainforest village; take the Skyrail gondola one way and the heritage Kuranda Scenic Railway the other. Koala Gardens has koala cuddles Car hire days give you the freedom to drive up yourself
Waterfalls tour — Mossman Gorge, Crystal Cascades, Granite Creek Gorge (wallabies!), and optionally the Daintree Rainforest cairns-tours.com/tour/waterfall-wanderers-day-tour
Cairns Esplanade Lagoon — free public swimming lagoon at sunset; the Novotel is a short walk away
🍽 Eat & Drink
The Esplanade has an excellent range of restaurants — Cairns punches above its weight for food
Barramundi fillet — the freshest you'll get anywhere; often served at local spots along the waterfront
Rusty's Market (Fri–Sun) — brilliant farmers' market for tropical fruit; try a whole coconut or fresh mango
✈️ Long haul to Japan
05
TokyoJapan
25 Apr – 6 May
11 nights
▾
11 nights
Cairns → Tokyo (Narita)
Booking RefTWG7XW
PriceAU$635.87
Paid
Apartment in Shinjuku
Booked viaAirbnb
Price£975.33
Paid
✦ Ideas for Tokyo — 11 nights, take your time
🗺 See & Do
Golden Gai (Shinjuku) — hundreds of tiny alleyway bars, each seating 6–8 people. A Tokyo must-do right on your doorstep
teamLab Borderless or Planets — world-famous immersive digital art installations. Book well in advance
Shibuya Crossing — watch first from above (Starbucks window or Mag's Park), then dive in yourself
Asakusa & Senso-ji Temple — the most atmospheric historic district; arrive early, walk the Nakamise shopping street
Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane) — smoky yakitori alley in Shinjuku, minutes from your flat
Tokyo Skytree or Tokyo Tower — Fuji is visible on clear days from both; Tower is more romantic, Skytree is more spectacular
Shinjuku Gyoen — massive national garden a stroll from your apartment, perfect for a slow morning
Harajuku — Takeshita Street for wild fashion, then Omotesando for architecture and high-end vintage
Tsukiji Outer Market — the freshest sushi breakfast of your life; go 6–9am before the stalls sell out
Akihabara — the anime, gaming and electronics "Electric Town"; overwhelming and brilliant
Kappabashi — specialist kitchen knife district; a wonderful and unusual Tokyo gift
Zojoji Temple — ancient Buddhist temple with Tokyo Tower directly behind it; one of the great Tokyo photo moments
Imperial Palace Gardens — free, calm, beautiful; closed Mondays and Fridays
Tokyo Metro Govt Building — free observatory; open evenings, great Mt. Fuji views on clear days
Disney Sea — reportedly completely unlike any other Disney park on Earth; worth a day if you're in the mood
Day trip to Kyoto — 2.5 hrs by Shinkansen: Fushimi Inari (red torii gates at dusk), Nishiki Market, Arashiyama bamboo grove, Gion geisha district
🍽 Eat & Drink
Ramen — specialist shops in Shinjuku; try Ichiran for the solo-booth, fully customisable experience
Cocktail bar — Tokyo has several of the world's top 50 bars, defined by extraordinary precision and ritual
Yakitori at an izakaya — skewered grilled meats with cold Asahi beer; Omoide Yokocho is right on your doorstep
Sushi at Tsukiji — counter omakase at 7am is one of the world's great meals
Tonkatsu — deep-fried breaded pork cutlet with rice and miso; the great Japanese comfort meal
Japanese Curry — Coco Curry chain is reliable and satisfying when you're tired and hungry
Famichiki — FamilyMart fried chicken. Non-negotiable. You'll have it at midnight at some point and it will be perfect.
Coffee — look for third-wave shops with concrete-timber interiors and Google ratings above 4.5; Tokyo's coffee scene is world-class
🚌 Transfer to Mt Fuji area ~2 hrs
06
Mt FujiYamanashi, Japan
6 – 8 May
2 nights
▾
2 nights
La Vista Fujikawaguchiko
PriceNZ$1,067 + 600¥ tax
Paid
✦ Ideas for Fujikawaguchiko
🗺 See & Do
Onsen at La Vista — your hotel has hot spring baths. Soak with Fuji reflected across the lake. Do it at sunrise and again at sunset
Chureito Pagoda — in Arakurayama Sengen Park; the classic postcard image of a five-storey pagoda with Mt. Fuji behind. Worth the 400-step climb
Mt Fuji Panoramic Ropeway — ascend to Tenjoyama Park for elevated views of the lake and mountain
Lake Kawaguchi — pleasure boat cruise or cycle the northern shore for the best Fuji photo spots
Oishi Park — seasonal wildflowers with Fuji as backdrop; free and spectacular
Itchiku Kubota Art Museum — extraordinary textile art; unexpectedly beautiful and totally unique
🍽 Eat & Drink
Hōtō noodles — the local mountain speciality: thick flat noodles in rich miso and vegetable broth. Perfect mountain food in early May
Your hotel will likely offer kaiseki (Japanese multi-course dinner) — splurge on it if offered, it'll be exceptional here
🚅 Shinkansen / highway bus to Osaka
07
OsakaJapan
8 – 13 May
5 nights
▾
5 nights
Home in Chuo Ward
Booked viaAirbnb
PriceNZ$831.91
Paid
✦ Ideas for Osaka (+ day trip to Kyoto)
🗺 See & Do
Dotonbori — the neon-lit canal district; the Glico Running Man, street food everywhere, and the pulse of the city at night
Umeda Sky Building — the "Floating Garden" open-air observatory with see-through escalators. Arrive 30 min before sunset to watch the city shift from gold to neon
Namba & Shinsaibashi — covered shopping arcades stretching for kilometres; Osaka's great indoor street food and retail corridor
Hozenji Yokocho — a tiny moss-covered alleyway hidden just off Dotonbori; a pocket of old Japan
Shinsekai — retro 1920s district; the Tsutenkaku Tower and a very different Osaka mood
Amerikamura — youth culture, vintage clothing, street art; Osaka's Harajuku
Day trip to Kyoto — 15 min by Shinkansen. Fushimi Inari (go at dusk for the magic), Nishiki Market, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, the Gion geisha district
🍽 Eat & Drink
Osaka is Japan's food capital — the local philosophy is kuidaore ("eat until you drop"). Take it seriously.
Takoyaki — octopus balls from a street cart; the definitive Osaka street food, born here
Okonomiyaki — savoury Japanese pancake; try making it yourself at a teppanyaki restaurant in the Dotonbori area
Kushikatsu in Shinsekai — deep-fried skewers, the dish invented in Osaka. The rule: do NOT double-dip the communal sauce.
Street food crawl through Dotonbori — budget a whole evening just for grazing from stall to stall
✈️ Fly to South Korea
08
SeoulSouth Korea
13 – 19 May
6 nights
▾
6 nights
Osaka → Seoul (Incheon)
Booking RefTrip.com: 1653708207221649
PriceNZ$531.98
Paid
Loft in Myeong-dong
Price£600.73
Paid
✦ Ideas for Seoul
🗺 See & Do
Gyeongbokgung Palace — rent a hanbok (traditional dress) and entry is free; the palace is spectacular, and you'll look great Bukchon Hanok Village is a 15-min walk from here — hundreds of traditional Korean houses on a hillside
Han River picnic — order fried chicken and beer and eat on the riverbank at Yeouido or Banpo Park. This is what Seoul locals do on their free afternoons
Myeongdong night market — you're staying here! After dark the street stalls come alive: tteokbokki, sweet pancakes, exotic skewers. Also best skincare shopping in the world
Insadong & Ikseon-dong — old-world Seoul: artisan crafts, traditional teahouses, charming narrow alleyway cafés
Namsan Seoul Tower — cable car at sunset for a city-wide panorama
Hongdae — university district with buskers, indie fashion, and nightlife
Starfield Library, Gangnam — the jaw-dropping floor-to-ceiling bookshelf in COEX Mall is genuinely spectacular
DMZ day trip — the North Korean border, one of the strangest places on Earth; must be booked as a tour in advance
🍽 Eat & Drink
Korean BBQ — find a local spot and grill samgyeopsal (pork belly) or galbi (marinated ribs) at the table. One of the genuinely great meals on earth
Chimaek — Korean fried chicken + beer. Order it to the Han River and eat on the grass like a local
Myeongdong Kyoja — Michelin-recognised but affordable; knife-cut kalguksu noodles and mandu dumplings, right in your neighbourhood
Street food in Myeongdong — tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), hotteok (sugar pancakes), gimbap (seaweed rolls)
Makgeolli — fizzy milky rice wine; drink it cold in a traditional pojangmacha tent bar
Soju — Korea's ubiquitous spirit; mixed with beer it's called somaek. Very drinkable. Very dangerous.
✈️ Fly south to Vietnam
09
Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam
19 – 22 May
3 nights
▾
3 nights
Seoul → Ho Chi Minh (checked luggage)
Booking RefEDEAEA
PriceUS$222.80
Paid
⚠️ Two bookings exist for this route (Vietjet VJ865 06:45 ref TUERBJ + Vietnam Airlines VN409 10:35 ref EDEAEA). Double-check which flight carries your checked luggage.
Evie House
Price2,970,000 VND cash at property
Pay at property
✦ Ideas for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🗺 See & Do
Mekong Delta & Cu Chi Tunnels — half-day or full-day tour combining the vast wartime underground tunnels with a Mekong river boat trip. A genuinely essential experience
The Cafe Apartments (District 1) — an apartment block on Nguyen Hue where every unit is a different boutique café. An afternoon coffee crawl through a building
War Remnants Museum — the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective; sobering and essential
Ben Thanh Market — iconic indoor market; good for souvenirs and local food, busy and touristy but worth an hour
Saigon Opera House & Central Post Office — beautiful French colonial landmarks in the heart of District 1, near your hotel
Thao Dien (District 2) — the riverside expat area; artisan bakeries and craft beer taprooms for a slower afternoon
🍽 Eat & Drink
Phở Nam (Southern style) — sweeter and more herb-laden than Northern pho; the bowl that defines Saigon mornings
Cơm Tấm — "broken rice" with a grilled pork chop and fried egg; the definitive Saigon lunch
Bánh Mì — grab one from a street cart for under a dollar. The best street food bang-for-buck on the planet
Rooftop bar sundowner — District 1 has several options looking out over the city heat and chaos
✈️ North to Da Nang, taxi/grab to Hoi An ~45 min
10
Hoi AnVietnam
22 – 24 May
2 nights
▾
2 nights
Ho Chi Minh → Da Nang
Booking RefH4YCDA
PriceUS$115.78
Paid
Mulberry Collection Silk Eco
Booking Ref1486585064251119
PriceNZ$238.10
Paid
✦ Ideas for Hoi An
🗺 See & Do
Visit a tailor on day one — Hoi An is world-famous for extraordinary bespoke clothing at unbelievable prices. You need at least 24 hrs for fittings, so go on arrival
The Ancient Town by lantern light — in the evening, the yellow-walled merchant houses are lit up and the river fills with lanterns. Rent a small boat and float a paper lantern
Japanese Covered Bridge — the most famous symbol of Hoi An; dates from the 16th century
An Bang Beach — short taxi ride from town; a quieter, lovelier beach than Da Nang with beachside cocktail bars
Tra Que Vegetable Village — a peaceful farming village a few km out; very low-key and unexpectedly beautiful
🍽 Eat & Drink
Bánh Mì Phượng — Anthony Bourdain called it the world's best bánh mì. This is not hyperbole. You must eat one.
Cao Lầu — thick noodles with pork and local greens, made using water from a specific ancient well unique to Hoi An. Cannot be authentically replicated anywhere else
White Rose Dumplings — translucent shrimp dumplings shaped like white roses; a Hoi An speciality found only here
Evening riverside drinks — the Ancient Town at dusk is one of the most beautiful places in Southeast Asia
✈️ Fly north to the capital
11
Hanoi & Ha Long BayVietnam
24 – 29 May
5 nights
▾
5 nights
Da Nang → Hanoi
Booking RefSF22J5
PriceUS$128.74
Paid
Lavender Central Hotel & Spa
Price2,226,408 VND at property
Pay at property
Amanda Luxury Cruise — Ha Long Bay Overnight
Price7,508,160 VND at property
Pay at property
Tirant Hotel ✦ Breakfast & High Tea included
Price10,046,592 VND at property
Pay at property
✦ Ideas for Hanoi & Ha Long Bay
🗺 See & Do
Ha Long Bay cruise — already booked! Limestone karsts rising from jade water, kayaking through caves, seafood on deck. The last great adventure before home
Hanoi Old Quarter — the maze of 36 streets, each historically dedicated to a trade (Silk, Silver, Paper, Tin…). The heart of the city; get genuinely lost in it
Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple — the island temple in the middle of the lake in central Hanoi; peaceful and quietly beautiful
Hanoi Train Street — residential alley where a train passes within inches of the café tables; check local times
Temple of Literature — Vietnam's first university, built 1070; a genuinely beautiful and tranquil complex
Hoa Lo Prison — the "Hanoi Hilton"; a French colonial prison turned POW camp, now a fascinating museum
Ninh Binh day trip — "Ha Long Bay on Land": limestone karsts and cave boat rides, 2 hrs south of Hanoi
🍽 Eat & Drink
Bún Chả — Hanoi's signature dish: grilled pork patties with cold rice noodles and herbs. Obama ate this here with Anthony Bourdain. Find a local spot in the Old Quarter
Egg Coffee (Cà Phê Trứng) — a Hanoi invention; coffee topped with sweet whipped egg foam. Try Café Giang, the original
Phở Bắc (Northern style) — simpler, clearer broth than Southern pho; have it for breakfast in the Old Quarter at a tiny street table
Bia Hơi at Beer Junction — fresh unpreserved beer on plastic stools at Tạ Hiện Street. About 20p a glass. The best value drinking experience in the world
Your hotel includes High Tea at the Tirant — a rather civilised farewell to Southeast Asia
✈️ Homeward bound via Doha
12
LondonEngland — Home
29 May
Journey's end
▾
Journey's end
Hanoi → Doha
Booking Ref9PNRIB
Paid
Doha → London Heathrow
Booking Ref9PNRIB
Layover~5 hrs 15 min in Doha
Paid
✦ The final stretch
✈️ Doha Layover
5 hours is plenty of time to enjoy Hamad International Airport — widely considered one of the world's finest. The indoor rainforest and giant Lamp Bear sculpture are worth a wander
Qatar Airways lounge if eligible — a good place to reflect on 47 days before the final leg
🏠 Arriving Home
Landing at Heathrow at 22:10 on a Friday. 47 days after leaving Wellington. Take a moment on the plane before you land.
You did it the right way. New Zealand will always be there. And you'll always have had this.