This year’s HHN was so much better than recent years. I have been going since 2016 and it hasn’t been the same since COVID, this year was pretty much back to form.
The houses were so much better.
I feel like the scare zone in the NYC street could have been better but the cat lady one was very cool. The vampire one in Hollywood blvd was very cool too. Also liked the DJ area.
We were there for the closing night and stayed until close at 2am. Super cool to see the scare actors farewell their roles etc so I’d recommend it.
This was the first year they had a roaming character with Art the Clown from the Terrifier. Which worked so so well. I hope they do that next year too.
Done a couple of really different travel experiences the last 12 months
The first started on NYE last year and went into NTD this year when I took mum on a chartered scenic flight over Antarctica. What an experience. These scenic trips tend to sell out rather quick but to see the Antarctic ice with the sun reflecting on it at midnight is something I won’t forget for some time.
Then on grand final eve I went on a cruise for the first time since a child going from Sydney to Fremantle across the top then after time in Perth the Indian-Pacific back to Sydney…after doing the Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin last year.
The food is very good. Local ingredients to the fore.
The off train experiences are quite different. Going down Katherine Gorge was incredible. I paired that trip with a tour of Kakadu and Litchfield national parks to really get the full experience, then headed to Cairns for a week with a trip back to Brisbane on the Spirit of Queensland
This is a question that no-one may know the answer to, even @aceman, but hoping someone has done this before…
We all know there are some QF flights that are ostensibly international flights but can take domestic PAX. These are usually the domestic legs of international flights from LHR, CDG etc coming into PER. Usually domestic passengers have to leave the international terminal they arrive in.
HOWEVER: what if the flight is actually the first leg of an international flight? That is, people flying PER to USA via SYD. It would be stupid for them to have to go through Australian incoming immigration just to turn around and go back through outgoing immigration. struggling with long lines in both directions. But Australian bureaucracy specializes in stupid.
Does anyone know if such passengers can do the sensible thing and stay in SYD international terminal airside before leavinging on the QF international flight?
had never heard of that place before september, then went to cairns on a holiday, and my algo started swamping me with beach holidays and that one did stand one by a long shot. but then that was mainly to snorkel/swim with the turtles.
It’s a favourite holiday destination here in NZ. Reasonable flight and accommodation cost (although food is pretty expensive but you can take your own -even meat). It’s a very small island and laid back.
You are very lucky as it’s only a shortish 3hr flight from Auckland and there is a couple of daily’s. From Australia it’s near on 6hrs on a Jetstar flight once every couple of days.
What time of year? With kids? What do you like to do - adventure or relax? Does quick getaway mean direct flights?
Vanuatu can be adventurous but we found it pretty chilly in July. The Cooks are quite beautiful (like French Polynesia) but there isn’t a huge amount to do. Fiji is very accessible from Oz and has good variety. All of it is expensive compared to SEA. For a well priced quick break with similar seasons (stable warm weather during our winter), it’s probably Indonesia.
2nd half May / 1st half June would be better if you can hang out that long. Or Aug / Sept. I.e. after cyclone season & either side of school hols. Shoulder season should be a bit cheaper too.
Vanuatu for me. Has that right balance of off the beaten track, but nice accommodation choices from large resorts to family run bungalows etc.
I lived in the Solomons for 6 years back in the 90s, so visited Vanuatu, Fiji, PNG and New Cal a number of times. Solomons is for the most adventurous, mainly divers and fishermen, Fiji seemed to cater to the package tourist quite a lot, so good for young families etc, and Vanuatu was a blend of both Solomons and Fiji.
Port Vila is much nicer than Suva or Nadi, you can climb a volcano in Tanna or go scuba diving in Santo, or just relax at a nice resort back in Vila. Nice cafes and restaurants in Vila too, might be from the French influence.
New Cal too expensive and not much to do. Never been to Cook Islands but my daughter went there last year to make some ads for Jetstar, she said it was very beautiful and ideal if you just want to be lazy and drink cocktails around a pool, etc.
Especially the episodes which end with “we are still unsure on what exactly was the cause of this accident”.
But in reality, my tip for nervous flyers is to just watch the cabin crew. Unless they panic, odds are everything is normal and there is no reason for concern.