It’s enough to give you a complex; it really is. Especially if you’re Australian.
TripAdvisor has just published a list of travel bests, in its Traveller's Choice Destination Awards. Top destination in the WORLD? Milford Sound, New Zealand. Second? Queenstown, New Zealand. Sorry guys, we don’t even get a look in; well, not in the top 20 anyway. Sydney manages 22nd; Cairns 23rd.
Photo by Phillie Casablanca
The other top 20 places are (in order) Phillipsburg in St Maarten (Caribbean); Cayo Largo (Cuba), Rhodes; Charlotte Amalie (Virgin Islands); Cruz Bay (Virgin Islands); Bridgetown (Barbados), Banff (Canada); Lake Tahoe; Salzburg; Cape Town, Amalfi; Bath; Siena, Victoria (don't get your hopes up, this one's in Canada); Hamilton (no, not New Zealand - Bermuda!); Dingle (Ireland); Lake Louise (Canada) and beautiful old Bruges (Belgium).
We do fare better in the top Pacific destinations – as you’d hope. This time, Sydney makes third place, followed by Cairns, Byron Bay, Auckland, Wanaka, Christchurch and Melbourne, in that order. And, once again, Milford Sound and Queenstown are first and second.
Photo by Scott Thompson
Well, there’s no denying it: Milford Sound is extraordinary. It's moody, it's magnificent. In the literal sense of the word, it’s awesome. Rudyard Kipling called it the Eighth Wonder of the World. And – quite suddenly, it seems – the world is aware of it.
Do try to get there if you’re in the South Island. It’s a bit out of the way - well, let's be truthful: it's miles and miles out of the way, but tours are available. Or you could hire a car and do the amazing drive through the alps: the silence, if you’re on your own, is something else.
Yes, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: good on you, Kiwis! You’ve got a bonzer country there. And if we can’t beat you, we might as well join you. Stand by for an Aussie influx...
Photo by daniel.kelpe