→ Open the Trip Site — Itinerary · Full Itinerary (rich day-by-day with interactive timeline, Leaflet map, live weather) · At a Glance · Map & Places.
For Allston + Donnie's eyes.
Last update: 2026-06-19 — July rebuild · Option D. Three legs: Melbourne 3 nt (Jul 3–6) · Sydney 4 nt (Jul 6–10) · New Zealand 3 nt (Jul 10–13). All four flights booked. Two locked anchors: Penguin Parade (Phillip Island, Sat Jul 4) and Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Opera House (Thu Jul 9, 7 PM). NZ finale = Option D (relaxed Auckland arrival, then a Waitomo + Hobbiton south day, then Rotorua's Zorb + Polynesian Spa). Remaining hotels, the NZ rental car, and the NZ activity time-slots are Donnie's to book.
| Item | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ BOOKED | Wed Jul 1 11:20 PM → Fri Jul 3 8:15 AM | |
| ✅ BOOKED | Mon Jul 6 11:05 AM → 12:30 PM (joint) | |
| ✅ BOOKED | Fri Jul 10 07:10 → 12:20 (3h10m nonstop, joint) | |
| ✅ BOOKED | Mon Jul 13 1:50 PM → 6:50 AM | |
| 🐧 Penguin Parade · Phillip Island | ✅ BOOKED | Sat Jul 4, dusk (General Viewing ×2) |
| 🎻 Sydney Symphony Orchestra · Opera House | ✅ BOOKED | Thu Jul 9, 7:00 PM, Concert Hall (2 tickets) |
| 🏨 Melbourne hotel | ✅ BOOKED | Melbourne City Apartment Hotel area · Twin Studio · Jul 3–6 |
| 🏨 Sydney hotel | 🔵 PENDING | Twin · 4 nts Jul 6–10 · Donnie books |
| 🏨 New Zealand hotels | 🔵 PENDING | Auckland (Jul 10) · Rotorua (Jul 11) · Auckland/airport (Jul 12) |
| 🚗 NZ rental car | 🔵 PENDING | AKL pickup · AKL↔Waitomo↔Rotorua loop · Donnie drives (IDP) |
| 🕳️ Waitomo Glowworm Caves | 🔵 PENDING | Sat Jul 11 ~9 AM · 45-min boat tour · Donnie books |
| 🎬 Hobbiton Movie Set | 🔵 PENDING | Sat Jul 11 early PM (Matamata) · Donnie books |
| 🌀 Zorb + Polynesian Spa · Rotorua | 🔵 PENDING | Sun Jul 12 AM · Zorb time-slot + spa (walk-in OK) |
| 🚐 Phillip Island transport | 🔵 PENDING | Sat Jul 4 · day rental or coach · Donnie's domain |
- Sydney hotel — confirm property + that it's a twin, 4 nts Jul 6–10.
- NZ hotels — book Auckland (Jul 10), Rotorua (Jul 11), Auckland/airport (Jul 12).
- NZ rental car — AKL pickup, returned Jul 13.
- NZ activity time-slots — Waitomo Glowworm Caves (~9 AM Jul 11), Hobbiton (early-PM Jul 11), Zorb (Jul 12 AM). These sell out — book ahead.
- Phillip Island transport for Sat Jul 4.
- Jul 6 reminder (Allston): check email for the Sydney Symphony e-tickets (sent ~3 days before the Jul 9 concert).
Supplementary Mermaid + ASCII visualizations of the 13-day trip. The primary visual is the interactive trip site linked above.
%%{init: {'theme':'dark'}}%%
gantt
dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD
title SFO to Melbourne to Sydney to New Zealand - July 2026
axisFormat %b %d
section Outbound
UA60 SFO to MEL :done, f0, 2026-07-01, 2d
section Melbourne (3 nights)
Arrive MEL - jetlag ease-in :active, m1, 2026-07-03, 1d
Penguin Parade (Phillip Island) :active, m2, 2026-07-04, 1d
Melbourne city + friends :active, m3, 2026-07-05, 1d
section Sydney (4 nights)
JQ534 MEL to SYD - check in :active, s1, 2026-07-06, 1d
Harbour - Rocks, Botanic Garden, Manly :active, s2, 2026-07-07, 1d
Bondi to Coogee coastal walk :active, s3, 2026-07-08, 1d
Flex + Sydney Symphony at Opera House 7pm :active, s4, 2026-07-09, 1d
section New Zealand (3 nights - Option D)
QF141 SYD to AKL - relaxed Auckland arrival :active, n1, 2026-07-10, 1d
Waitomo Glowworm Caves + Hobbiton to Rotorua :active, n2, 2026-07-11, 1d
Zorb + Polynesian Spa - drive to Auckland :active, n3, 2026-07-12, 1d
section Return
UA916 AKL to SFO 13:50 :done, f3, 2026-07-13, 1d
%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': {'primaryColor': '#1E293B', 'primaryTextColor': '#F8FAFC', 'primaryBorderColor': '#334155'}}}%%
pie title Time Allocation (13 days · excludes sleep)
"Transit" : 34
"Food" : 38
"Outdoor" : 34
"Culture" : 18
"Downtime" : 28
"Logistics" : 16
"Wellness" : 8
%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': {'primaryColor': '#1E293B', 'primaryTextColor': '#F8FAFC', 'primaryBorderColor': '#F59E0B', 'lineColor': '#94A3B8'}}}%%
flowchart LR
SFO["SFO\nSan Francisco"]
MEL["MEL\nMelbourne\n(3 nights)"]
PHI["Penguin Parade\nPhillip Island"]
SYD["SYD\nSydney\n(4 nights)"]
SOH["Sydney Opera House\nSSO concert Thu Jul 9"]
AKL["AKL\nAuckland\n(arrival + final night)"]
WAI["Waitomo\nGlowworm Caves"]
HOB["Hobbiton\n(Matamata)"]
ROT["Rotorua\nZorb + Polynesian Spa"]
SFO -->|"UA60 · Jul 1\nnonstop · BOOKED"| MEL
MEL --> PHI
PHI --> MEL
MEL -->|"JQ534 · Jul 6\nnonstop · BOOKED"| SYD
SYD --> SOH
SYD -->|"QF141 · Jul 10 07:10\nnonstop · BOOKED"| AKL
AKL -->|"Sat Jul 11\nself-drive ~2h"| WAI
WAI -->|"~1h30"| HOB
HOB -->|"~1h"| ROT
ROT -->|"Sun Jul 12\n~2h45"| AKL
AKL -->|"UA916 · Jul 13 13:50\nnonstop · BOOKED"| SFO
style SFO fill:#1E293B,stroke:#475569,color:#94A3B8
style MEL fill:#1E293B,stroke:#0D9488,color:#0D9488
style PHI fill:#14532D,stroke:#22C55E,color:#F8FAFC
style SYD fill:#1E293B,stroke:#8B5CF6,color:#8B5CF6
style SOH fill:#2E1065,stroke:#8B5CF6,color:#F8FAFC
style AKL fill:#1E293B,stroke:#F59E0B,color:#F59E0B
style WAI fill:#14532D,stroke:#22C55E,color:#F8FAFC
style HOB fill:#14532D,stroke:#22C55E,color:#F8FAFC
style ROT fill:#14532D,stroke:#22C55E,color:#F8FAFC
Each row = 1 day, 20 characters spanning 24 hours (~1.2h per char). Category key below.
0 4 8 12 16 20 24
- - - - - - -
Jul01 ....DDDDDD....LLLTTT SFO - Departure day (UA60 dep 11:20 PM)
Jul02 TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT Pac - In-flight over the Pacific
Jul03 ..TTLLDDDDFFCCDDDDDS MEL - Arrive 8:15 AM - jetlag ease-in - sleep N1
Jul04 ..FFWWWLLOOOOOOOTTDS MEL - (opt) Peninsula Hot Springs - Penguin Parade dusk - sleep N2
Jul05 ..FFCCCCFFFCCCCFFFDS MEL - City - NGV / laneways / markets - friends - sleep N3
Jul06 ..FLTTTLLLDDFFCCFFDS MEL>SYD transit - JQ534 11:05 - Sydney check-in
Jul07 ..FOOOOOFFCCOOOFFFDS SYD - Harbour: Rocks, Botanic Garden, Manly ferry
Jul08 ..FOOOOOOFFCCFCFFFDS SYD - Bondi to Coogee coastal walk
Jul09 ..FFCCCDDFFCCCFCCCDS SYD - Flex day - Sydney Symphony at the Opera House 7pm
Jul10 .FLTTTLDDDDDFFCCFFDS SYD>AKL - QF141 07:10 - relaxed Auckland arrival - sleep N1
Jul11 .FTTOOOOTTOOOOTTFFDS NZ - Waitomo Glowworm Caves AM + Hobbiton PM - drive Rotorua N2
Jul12 ..FOOWWWTTTTTTFFFFDS NZ - Zorb + Polynesian Spa AM - drive Rotorua to Auckland N3
Jul13 ..FFLLLTTTTTT....... AKL>SFO - UA916 dep 1:50 PM (lands SFO 6:50 AM same day)
KEY: T=transit O=outdoor F=food C=culture W=wellness
L=logistics D=downtime S=sleep .=midnight buffer
| Leg | Flight | Date | Dep → Arr | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO → MEL | UA60 | Jul 1 | 11:20 PM → 8:15 AM (+2) | BOOKED ✓ nonstop |
| MEL → SYD | JQ534 | Jul 6 | 11:05 AM → 12:30 PM (1h25m nonstop) | BOOKED ✓ joint |
| SYD → AKL | QF141 | Jul 10 | 07:10 → 12:20 (3h10m nonstop) | BOOKED ✓ joint |
| AKL → SFO | UA916 | Jul 13 | 1:50 PM → 6:50 AM (same day, gain a day) | BOOKED ✓ nonstop |
| City | Hotel | Nights | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne | Melbourne City Apartment Hotel area · Twin Studio | Jul 3 + 4 + 5 | BOOKED ✓ (refundable) |
| Sydney | pending — twin | Jul 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 | 🔵 PENDING (Donnie books) |
| Auckland | pending | Jul 10 | 🔵 PENDING |
| Rotorua | pending | Jul 11 | 🔵 PENDING |
| Auckland (airport) | pending | Jul 12 | 🔵 PENDING |
| City | Days | Nights | Key Activities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne | Fri–Mon 7/3–7/6 | 3 | Jetlag ease-in · Penguin Parade (Sat) · friends · NGV / laneways / markets · optional Peninsula Hot Springs |
| Sydney | Mon–Fri 7/6–7/10 | 4 | Harbour (Rocks · Botanic Garden · Manly) · Bondi–Coogee coastal walk · Sydney Symphony at the Opera House (Thu Jul 9 7 PM) |
| New Zealand | Fri–Mon 7/10–7/13 | 3 | Relaxed Auckland arrival · Waitomo Glowworm Caves + Hobbiton (Sat) · Zorb + Polynesian Spa, Rotorua (Sun) |
| Total | ~11 ground days | 10 nights | NZ leg = self-drive AKL→Waitomo→Hobbiton→Rotorua→AKL (Donnie + IDP) |
| Day | Drive | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 7/10 | AKL airport → Auckland city | ~30–45 min |
| Sat 7/11 | Auckland → Waitomo (~2h) → Matamata/Hobbiton (~1h30) → Rotorua (~1h) | ~4.5h |
| Sun 7/12 | Rotorua → Auckland (~2h45) | ~2h45 |
| NZ leg total | ~8h |
Option D puts the timed activities (Waitomo + Hobbiton) on a single dedicated south day (Sat Jul 11), leaving the QF141 arrival day (Fri Jul 10) relaxed in Auckland — no rush off the plane.