New Years Eve Archives - Australia 2000 Travel

August 2, 2019

What is the Meaning of Luxury Travel?

Luxury travel commences when the discerning traveler meets a passionate, knowledgeable travel designer who specializes in handcrafting bespoke, luxury journeys to a specific part of the world, based upon each traveler’s interests and desires.

At Australia 2000 Travel we focus on luxury travel to Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific Islands, notably Fiji.

In visiting those countries annually I meet the locals, select boutique accommodations, choose the quintessential vibrant, private tour guide, move beyond the cities, seek the usual from a unique perspective.

As a travel designer I ask travelers, ‘”what” makes your eyes sparkle and your heart sing? And so begins the magic of creating individual, one-of-a-kind, stress-free, immersive travel experiences. Experiences that could include waking in a luxury tent at sunrise to see water buffalo walking by glistening in the sun after an early morning swim, dining in a local’s home, private wine tastings with the local vintner, visiting sacred indigenous sites, helicopter flights over Lord of The Rings country, firework displays at New Year, private garden, gallery and museum tours, diving on a glorious Fijian island.

I’m considered one of the top 250 travel designers in the world and recognized by Tourism Australia and Tourism New Zealand for my expertise. We take care of every single detail. All travelers need do is show up and be prepared for a good time. Past clients often say I helped them create the best trip of their lives. Now that’s luxury travel.

Vinaka vinaka, Nga Mihi, Cheers

Karen Hardy Hodgson

President

Australia 2000 Travel

Creating Bespoke Luxury Journeys to Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Islands

June 21, 2018

Thank you from 2 Happy Germans, Peter and Meggie and Their Family

Welcome Back to Fiji – Photo Credit to Peter Schmitz

It is exactly 15 years ago that I asked Karen to apply some of her magic and work out a trip to the Southern hemisphere for my wife’s and my 30^th wedding anniversary.

I thought it is about time to have the honeymoon trip we never had since, at that time, I was still attending university and we didn’t have the money.

And what a trip Karen proposed!

It started on Fiji’s Nukubati Island, a small private island off the Northern coast of Vanua Levu, an hours drive from Labasa. It is a paradise for those who like a quiet and peaceful time to relax and recharge batteries. Luxurious service, pristine waters, outstanding scuba diving, fishing and so many more things to do and last but not least, being pampered by the wonderful Fijian people.

We spent Christmas on the island and then went on to Sydney for the New Year celebrations.

Harley-Davidson Tour – Photo Credit to Peter Schmitz

Not surprisingly, Karen found what we believe- is the best location to experience this event: The Quay Grand Sydney Harbour hotel at Circular Quay, with a direct look at the Harbour Bridge and in walking distance from the Opera House and the center of the city. Sydney is a great place to visit, a truly wonderful city.

After a few days in Sydney we continued to the Whitsundays further North. Seaplane trips to Whitehaven Beach and out to the reef for some snorkeling are a must.

After four weeks, which were filled with lasting impressions and just flew by, we returned home and for weeks, we couldn’t stop talking about this miraculous trip, praising Karen’s magical work. As a result, we got our kids all wound up so that we promised to take them also on the same trip, which we did a few years later.

New Zealand – Photo Credit to Peter Schmitz

Since then Karen has organized 12, four to five-week trips to Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand.

Every trip was top notch and even in the places where we returned to, like Sydney, Karen made sure that there was always something new to see or experience. Not one boring minute in now nearly one full and exciting year of accumulated travelling time.

Australia, Fiji and New Zealand, their wonderful people, lifestyle and breathtaking nature are worth to sit 20+ hours on airplanes to get there and every dime spent, was worth spending thanks to Karen!

We have seen many wonderful places and met great people among them some very memorable:

Tasmania Australia – Photo Credit to Peter Schmitz

Cities: Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney.

Nature: The Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef, Nukubati’s Great See Reef, Flinders Range and Tasmania, North and South Island of New Zealand.

Locations: Nukubati with wonderful Jenny and the Nukubati family and The Manse in Hawkes Bay with the equally wonderful hosts Dietske and Gary.

Karen will never cease to amaze me with the magic she does. We cannot thank her enough and I hope that she will continue with this wonderful work for at least as long as we are fit for travelling those distances so that we can continue to put our travel plans in her expert hands.

March 26, 2014

Thank you from Lois Carley

Hi Karen!

What an amazing adventure! It was first class all of the way! We truly made memories as a family that will last a lifetime! I can’t thank you enough for all of your planning and preparation that went into this amazing journey. Everything was meticulously arranged in advance and it was absolutely wonderful to have this assurance throughout our vacation.

We stayed in 5 different locations in 3 weeks and they were all so different and so wonderful that we all felt like we had experienced the absolute “best” that Australia had to offer! That was really cool. The resorts that we stayed at were nothing short of spectacular! And the staff at each resort were the best we have ever encountered. We received such unbelievable customer service – it was truly a joy!

Wolgan Valley was so beautiful! Steve was able to relax in a day?s time (which is unheard of for him!). God’s country for sure! The kids did the Glow Worm Cave tour and thoroughly enjoyed that! A must see, in their opinion. Our time spent there was to die for!

Next was Southern Ocean Lodge – what an amazing place that was! So remote but so beautiful. Again – the staff were so accommodating and made us feel so comfortable. A spectacular experience all around.

On to Lizard Island??and the only word that could explain that resort is “WOW”! I could have stayed there forever! We are world travelers but we’ve never been to a more beautiful resort! The staff was unbelievably accommodating and the beaches are unsurpassed in their beauty and privacy. On Christmas Day we took out 2 dinghies and had picnic lunches packed and found our own little private beach! It was a Christmas totally unsurpassed in every way. We will never forget our time spent there. And the weather was just perfect!

The rainforest was so different from the places we had just been to! Silky Oaks Lodge was very special. We loved our rooms and the peacefulness of the surroundings.

Sydney was a very fun and interesting city. We all enjoyed our time there. The Sydney Bridge Climb was amazing and we’re glad that we did it. And the day spent with Colin on the sailboat was grand! He is such a nice man and totally took great care of all of us. It was so interesting to hear all of the stories he shared with us. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed it immensely. He really prepared quite the feast for all of us too! He’s quite the chef! Very fun.

New Year?s Eve was enjoyable as well. Steve and I were invited on the roof of the Shangri-La Hotel by the GM there – so we had a front row seat for the spectacular fireworks! We’ve never seen anything like it and will remember it always. I think we’re ruined for life as far as fireworks go! And last, but not least?.the Pub Crawl was AMAZING! Truly the exclamation point of our journey! Our pilot was fun and informative and we got to see parts of Australia that we’d never seen! It was great to experience the local culture of the smaller towns – we absolutely loved every minute of it! What a great day that was!

I also wanted to express to you how flawlessly our transportation worked throughout our trip. Drivers were prompt and friendly and everything went off without a hitch.

Karen, I really want you to know how much we all enjoyed this “once in a lifetime” experience! You are truly the ultimate professional and for that I thank you! You organized and planned a vacation of a lifetime for us that suited our family to a “T”. We will all remember this forever and the time and work you put into this for us was apparent at every turn. 5 stars!

So many people have asked about our magical trip to Australia and what a dream it is of theirs. You will be the first and only agency that I will recommend to anyone who asks!

All the best!

Lois

March 11, 2013

Thank you from The Robinet Family

Dear Karen,

We can?t thank you enough for putting together such a wonderful itinerary for us. Our trip to Australia and New Zealand was the trip of a lifetime and one that none of us will forget.

From Green Island to Ayers Rock to Sydney to Queenstown, we have memories of the most beautiful places we?ve ever seen. The adventures you chose for us were terrific.? From snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef to the Sounds of Silence dinner and camel ride at sunrise in Ayer?s Rock from Bridgeclimb, New Year?s Eve festivities and sailing on Sydney Harbour in Sydney to ziplining and bungy jumping in Queenstown, New Zealand, etc., everything was fantastic!

We?re already talking of going back! We booked this trip because we wanted to do a big family trip before our oldest son goes away to college. Thank you for exceeding our expectations. Australia and New Zealand truly are spectacular places to visit. The Aussie?s & Kiwi?s are wonderful too! They really know how to enjoy life and they made sure that we enjoyed it too. Thank you to you and your staff.

Sincerely,

The Robinet Family

July 6, 2012

Magnificent Hilton Sydney

Built on a long history of hospitality, expertise, phenomenal design and ground-breaking innovation, Hilton Sydney, is the perfect vantage point to explore one of Australia?s most magnificent cities.

Guest rooms and suites offer luxurious upscale amenities at every turn while appetites are satisfied at the award winning restaurants and bars.? “Glass” consisting of two restaurants and a wine bar,?offer simplicity, quality and consistency in all aspects of food, wine and service.? Overseen by the exceptional culinary expertise of highly awarded chef and restaurateur, Luke Mangan, Glass is an ideal setting for drinks, fresh oysters or cheese from the tapas menu.

Centrally located with magnificent views and convenient access to all that Sydney has to offer, including home the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the focal point of Australia?s spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks displays, Darling Harbour, home to some of Sydney?s best attractions and a surfers paradise, Bondi Beach, Hilton Sydney is the perfect venue for business and leisure travelers alike.

Photo Credit to Hilton Sydney — Photo Credit to Hotel Sydney

November 18, 2011

Sydney, New Years Eve Capital of the World

The countdown is on!? With only 43 days remaining until New Years Eve, one of the most anticipated nights and parties of the year, we Aussies simply cannot think of a better place than Sydney to celebrate its arrival.

Sydney Harbour Bridge NYE — Photo Credit to miquitos

Join the Sydneysiders as we celebrate the arrival of the New Year and the commencement of the Sydney Festival under starry skies.? Each year Sydney celebrates this special night with a lineup of events that begin with spectacular aerial flyovers high above Sydney Harbour and keep going until well after midnight. The highlights, of course,?are the two spectacular firework displays that take place over Sydney Harbour.

The 9 p.m. family fireworks are designed and choreographed specifically for children and feature accompanying music?in an upbeat and fun atmosphere that the whole family will love.??When the clock strikes midnight, Sydney lights up the night sky, once again, this time to ring in?the New Year. A dazzling fireworks display is launched from seven barges lining Sydney Harbour, the rooftops of seven city skyscrapers, and most impressively, from the Sydney Harbour Bridge itself.? It is truly a? spectacular display that is best appreciated?in person.

As one of the first cities to ring in the New Year, Sydney is proudly known by many as the New Years Eve capital of the world. Each year more than 1.5 million people gather to be a part of the festivities, making it one of the best times of the year to take in all that Sydney has to offer. So give us a fair go (a chance) and join us for the celebration of the year!