The first great reason is the location. Situated on the Queensland and New South Wales border, Coolangatta is the gateway to the Gold Coast. It’s modest in size but you’ll quickly discover that Coolangatta is a small town with big city facilities

Getting there is easy too. Buses run up and down the coast, and the nearby Gold

Coast Airport handles domestic flights from around Australia, as well as international connections with New Zealand, Japan and Singapore.

Then there’s the weather. Coolangatta gets plenty of sunshine all year round, on average the sun shines for 300 days each year. This means temperatures from 20C – 28C in summer and from 11C – 21C in winter.

For many holiday makers the prime reason for a visit to Coolangatta are the beaches. They are delightful, with excellent surfing spots and are patrolled for your safety. You can choose from three beaches at “Cooly” as the locals call their home town – Coolangatta, Greenmount and Rainbow Bay. All are patrolled daily from 8.00am to 5.00pm unless the beach is closed.

Coolangatta is one of Australia’s premier surfing resorts with Greenmount and Kirra being the most popular beaches. The most challenging surf break is at Port Danger. Kirra Point also attracts more experienced surfers in search of a challenge.

Holiday makers in search of a more placid experience can take walks around the coast. One of the most popular is around the point to Snapper Rocks. If you’re lucky and visit in the cooler times of the year, you can witness whales on their annual migration. Wooded Greenmount headland is the place for sunrise viewing.

You’ll also be pleased to know that Coolangatta is a splendid shopping destination. Your first stop should be the Showcase Shopping Centre on Marine Parade which offers beachfront shopping. It houses a host of shops, restaurants and cafes.

For a more authentic shopping experience, you should head for the markets. There are many weekly markets in and around Coolangatta selling handmade local arts and crafts, along with fresh produce and delicious food. These include Carrara Markets on Saturdays and Sundays, Uki Markets on the 3rd Sunday of the month, and Burleigh Heads Markets on the 4th Sunday of the month.

Then there’s the daddy of them all, Coolangatta Art and Craft Market. For this grand event, vendors set up stalls along the beachfront on the second Sunday of the month. It’s a great place to browse for local handicrafts, gifts

The final great reason for taking your holiday in Coolangatta is the range of accommodation available. From campsites to hostels to a grand range of Coolangatta hotels, you’re sure to find the perfect place for you to stay. Among the best are the Oaks Calypso Plaza Suites Coolangatta and the Beach House Seaside Resort Gold Coast.

Christchurch is the busiest city in the South Island and also offers an international airport, with flights connecting directly to a lot of overseas destinations. The Sumner Beach, Gondola, Avon river and Cashmere hills are the main attractions in Chistchurch. The city centre is always busy with trams running frequently making it a great place to hang out!

Dunedin with it’s Cadbury’s factory and Queenstown with it’s adventure attractions are the other two cities that can’t be missed in the South Island. Queenstown also has bungee jumping opportunities, jet boats and ski dive opportunities. Milford sound tours also leave from Queenstown, and are highly recommended. Stewart island can also be visited by ferries leaving Invercargill.

Most cities in the South Island are well connected by Trans Rail and that’s perhaps the most convenient way to travel. Alternately, rental cars can also be booked and a drive along the West Coast is highly recommended. Getting to the South Island from the North Island is possible by either catching the Interislander ferry from Wellington or a Sounds Air flight from Wellington airport. Domestic flights run by Air New Zealand and other airlines also connect most other cities in the South Island to Wellington.

About The Author

Ramnish Gupta is based in New Zealand and has a keen interest in travel and photography. His website http://www.newzealandphotography.co.nz has travel information and photographs from all over New Zealand.

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