KEY POINTS:
Watching your budget while on a family holiday to the Gold Coast can lead to extreme measures.
We weren't exactly on the skids at the end of a week based at Broadbeach but our journalistic curiosity was aroused by salesmen pitching hugely expensive holiday-timeshare packages and helped by the lure of an A$80 ($90) shopping voucher.
After all, this was the Gold Coast, this beguiling strip of sand, waterways and rainforest which took its name from fortunes made and lost in real estate in the past 50 years.
And there was an inevitability about it. Dotted strategically around theme parks and shopping malls are peddlers trying to tempt you into giving up "just a few hours of your time" to learn about about some of the greatest holidays in the world.
While we underwent just on three hours of hard sell, our children - Jed, 9 and Laura, 7 - were parked in a kids' club.
They weren't happy, but - in keeping with a fairly slick operation - were well looked after.
We were taken to the upper floors of the Sofitel with two other couples and subject to some mildly entertaining hucksterism while careful not to ask too many questions to prolong what became excruciating when some clown dressed like a Las Vegas pimp started making off-colour wife-swapping jokes while trying to flog holidays.
We offered fairly staunch resistance but were mild compared with a couple from Adelaide.
The bloke was an interstate truckie who reckoned he got "hit" at SeaWorld by the offer of two free nights' accommodation. Their holiday on the Gold Coast was their first for years and after being shown a video of what were admittedly some gorgeous holiday options he was unmoved.
"I don't take holidays - my idea of a holiday is sitting by the pool at home with a beer watching the footy," he told our ever-hopeful salesman, adding later, "It's amazing the crap you'll put up with to get some free stuff."
The $16,000 entry price to a lifetime of great holidays was a bit steep for us too so we picked up our voucher and headed for the Pacific Fair shopping centre.
But if you're not prepared to go to such extreme lengths to stretch your budget, here's an A to Z guide to making to most of a family holiday on the Gold Coast without breaking the bank.
Apartments are your best best. Self-contained apartments with a pool start at $110 a night for seven nights. We stayed at the Mantra Broadbeach on the Park where two-bedroom rates are $250. It has terrific views and facilities. Save by opting out of room servicing.
The Gold Coast is Australia's playground and attracts people who party hard, so if you've got the kids avoid the backpackers option.
goldcoasttourism.com.au
Buses can be a viable alternative if you can't quite stretch to a rental car. The Gold Coast Shuttle provides airport and accommodation transfers, theme-park services and regular trips up and down the main highway between beaches.
A seven-day Freedom Pass for a family costs $235 and allows pretty much unlimited travel.
gcshuttle.com.au
Coolangatta Airport is laid back, small and with just one level. It's a very family friendly handy alternative to Brisbane airport and only a 25-minute drive to the heart of the Gold Coast. Budget carriers fly there directly.
There's only a small duty-free shop and cafe once you've passed immigration on the way out so make sure you've stocked up with something to read in case you get delayed.
goldcoastairport.com.au
Dining options spoil you for choice. You could fire up a free barbecue at one of pleasant beachside reserves, enjoy barramundi and chips on the sand or go hard at the multitude of all-you-can-eat banquets.
Dining out with the family is equivalent in price to New Zealand but you can save by using the many coupons in voucher booklets, order before 6pm (when you save 30 per cent or more) and at least score a free round of drinks with a bit of good-natured haggling playing off neighbouring alfresco restaurants.
Look out for the Thursday Gold Coast Bulletin for a dining guide.
The surf clubs dotted along the coast are popular with locals and all of them offer good-value family meals.
We ate at Kuwarra Surf Life Saving Club where children's meals start at $7. And the $25 reef and beef for adults challenges even the biggest eaters.
diningout.com.au
Elevate yourself to reach level 77 of Q1 in Surfers Paradise in 42.7 seconds - the tallest residential tower in the world - and get your bearings.
Q1observationdeck.com
Flights are frequent to Coolangatta. Freedom Air, New Zealand's original "nuts and cola" carrier, flies into the Gold Coast every day (except Wednesdays) from Auckland and takes about 3hours 40 minutes.
You can take your own food but there's a fair range of snacks. Its rental DVD player for $15 was a hit with our kids.
freedomair.co.nz
Go bush at Lamington National Park, about 90 minutes' drive from Broadbeach. Its high plateaus are covered with subtropical rainforest, are rich with wildlife, and crisscrossed by 160km of graded tracks. Mt Tamborine is closer to the coast and has a more settled feel but nevertheless it has about 22km of great forest walks.
Heat can be overwhelming in high summer but at other times, especially spring, it is a welcome respite from New Zealand's cool winds. Residents say the calm, clear days of winter are the time to visit. The area boasts 250-plus days of sunshine. Summer temperatures range from 19C to 29C and in winter it's 9C to 21C
Insurance cover is recommended. Southern Cross insured us for $78 and covered pricey car rental excess. It's best to check it out with your insurer.
Junk food is unavoidable at the theme parks. It's cleverly themed and an adequate lunch for four will cost about $55.
Kitchen sinks are available with almost anything else you could need at Carrara Markets, open from 6am to 4pm at the weekend. Fresh fruit and vegetables are only about half the price they are in supermarkets. You'll find a good range of cheap clothes and it's a great place for the kids to stock up on souvenirs. The market offers a $1 bus service from hotels and resorts.
There are also night markets at Surfers Paradise on Wednesday and Friday evenings.
carraramarkets.com.au
Lavish decor can be seen at Palazzo Versace on the Broadwater. A tourist attraction in itself, this opulent hotel was designed in Donatella Versace's Renaissance style.
With accommodation from about $450 to $1500 a night, New Zealand families are not its target market, but it's worth a visit for afternoon tea to gasp at the luxury and see where celebrities hang out when they're in town.
Movies are cheaper on Tuesdays so that's the day to give the family a rest from fun in the sun.
greaterunion.com.au
Nannies and babysitters can fill the gap if you haven't friends or relatives. Qualified child-minders from Gold Coast Baby Sitters charge A$57 for three hours and $12 an hour after. Phone 1800 064 192 when you're there - no need to call from New Zealand - because they're good at rustling up a sitter at short notice.
Outlet stores are your best bet for finding designer clothes as the main shopping strips have a casual suburban feel.
The Harbour Town centre north of Surfers Paradise promotes discounts of up to 60 per cent on labels such as Lisa Ho, Polo Ralph Lauren, Oroton and Nike.
Westfield-type malls are dotted along the coast, such as Pacific Fair at Broadbeach and Australia Fair at Southport, but prices are similar to those in New Zealand so don't go there expecting to find big bargains.
Swimwear and surf shops are never far away, although don't hold out hopes of finding a classy one-piece suit. On the Gold Coast it's bikinis, tankinis or nothing.
harbourtown.com.au
For a guide to other outlets try:
www.coastshop.com.au/.
Package tours make it easy. Flight Centre has flights to Coolangatta and seven nights at Surfers Paradise from $679 each until March 31. Prices increase during school holidays.
Quiet spots can be found but that's not the focus of a family holiday in the Gold Coast, which has a population of more than 500,000 and is one of the fastest-growing areas in Australia. It gets especially noisy during the Indy cars series in October when 300,000 motor-racing fans pack the area.
Prices do get jacked up for the weekend and you have to book early. Schoolies week in early December can be rowdy as well, attracting school leavers from throughout eastern Australia.
Rental car deals can be confusing. After getting tangled for several hours searching for online deals we simply lifted the phone and booked with Avis.
It was seamless and the Holden Commodore we picked up at the airport cost us just on $100 a day (including insurance and gas) over seven days.
We did a trip into the hills but a smaller car would be fine for city driving.
You could hire daily from your accommodation base and save more but you'd have to find your own way in from the airport (about $50 in a taxi) and sacrifice convenience.
For options try:
vroomvroomvroom.com.au
Surfboards can be hired from the many surfshops. The Boardroom at Miami Beach will rent you a serviceable board for A$25 for 24 hours.
You could face excess baggage charges if you take your own.
In Burleigh Heads, the Superbank and Kirra you have three breaks from Australia's top 10 within a 45-minute drive.
There are plenty of lesser waves, but no matter where you are you'll be sharing them with a fairly enthusiastic local crew.
Surf lessons start about A$40 and are probably a good option for the kids because the water's warm and the swell consistent.
The Bottom Line for many families planning an overseas holiday is how it stacks up against the Pacific Islands, especially Fiji. The cost of a week-long family holiday is about the same, both have beautiful beaches and a steady climate.
The difference is in other attractions. Fiji has snorkelling trips on fish-filled reefs, a look at Fijian culture, and a quiet, laid-back feel.
The Gold Coast has theme parks and a much wider range of shopping and surf breaks. And it has a far more buzzy city atmosphere. Our children certainly loved Fiji, but when they were asked to choose, the Gold Coast won hands down.
Unreconstructed Ockers are out there. The bloke who cleaned the public barbecue had some fairly old-school views on new Australians but everyone else we dealt with was charming.
With four million visitors a year to the Gold Coast, they certainly get plenty of practice.
Vouchers from coupon books are worth looking at carefully. They save you money on meals, entry fees and activities once you're inside the many attractions they promote. They'll also score you some free souvenirs, such as T-shirts, photos, even golf balls.
White sand beaches stretch for 70km on the Gold Coast. They're free and with annual average water temperatures of 22C are irresistible. Watch for rips.
XXXX is the local beer and signs promoting it are everywhere. Liquor stores are dotted among cafes and surf shops, where alcohol prices are similar to those in New Zealand. A few eateries are BYO but corkage is steep.
Yachts and speedboats of enormous proportions can be admired at Marina Mirage and Southport Yacht Club and Marina on the Broadwater. The tall ship Sir Henry Morgan sails to South Stradbroke Island and companies such as Mirage Boat Hire allow you to motor-off independently. For as little as A$65 an hour or A$125 for three hours, hiring a four-person half-cabin cruiser may work out cheaper than the family fare for a cruise.
If you are putting around the Broadwater, feel free to have a nosy down the manmade canals where the rich folks have built McMansions with their own jetties.
mirageboathire.com.au
ZZZZ's early on a spring morning are as scarce as one-piece bathing suits in the shops, given Queensland's resistance to daylight saving combined with the Kiwi bodyclock. The sun is up before 5am, but a swim at dawn is a lovely way to start the day.
CHECKLIST
Getting there
Freedom Air flies flies six times a week from Auckland to the Gold Coast and also flies regularly from other New Zealand airports. Visit freedomair.co.nz .
Flight Centre has return airfares on Freedom Air from Auckland to the Gold Coast starting at $436 (excluding New Zealand airport charges) subject to availability and conditions.
Accommodation
Mantra Broadbeach on the Park in the heart of Broadbeach, a five-minute walk to the beach, starts from $202 a night for a two-bedroom apartment. See mantraresorts.com.au.
Further information
For details and bookings phone flight centre on 0800 flights (0800 35 44 48) or flightcentre.co.nz.
* The Sarney-Bradley family travelled courtesy of Flight Centre and Freedom Air.
* In Travel next week: how to make the most of the Gold Coast's theme parks.
