What Budget for a New Zealand Holiday?

Kiwipal presents many itineraries for cars and motorhomes. The price for each stay is generally much lower than the one charged by tour operators. But you have to consider also the expenses on site to calculate your budget. Not to mention the incidental expenses that nobody seems to know, but do exist.

The Kiwipal philosophy is to help you to calculate your budget, but do not expect me to give you a precise estimate, since there are as many budgets as travelers. You should start by choosing an itinerary on Kiwipal and get yourself a paper and a pencil. We will study every expense together, but I must clarify the issue of travel agencies before we start.

Going through an agency, you pay the travel agent, but also a company whose expenses (insurance, taxes ...) are important and reflected on the prices.

In the Internet era, you no longer need a travel agent to plan your stay in New Zealand. Why should you pay an intermediate when you can book your entire trip during a single weekend?

I suggest you read my article about the best way to prepare your luggage for New Zealand. You might need to buy a few things to complete your luggage. Depending on the hikes you want to follow, the budget can increase fast.

Good news if you live in Europe, because you probably don't need a visa (to double-check however). Provided, however, that your stay does not exceed the duration of three months.

Count a minimum of € 100 for a travel insurance with cancellation options. Multirisks insurances are generally sold between 2 and 4% of the journey's total price.

Traveling to the other side of the globe without an insurance is strongly not recommended.

I'm not trying to scare you, but the care of a fracture and repatriation exceed € 15,000. this is enough to ruin your holiday and your bank account.

You can check if the services associated with your credit card include an insurance.

But even so, you should subscribe an additional insurance (e.g. Chapka Insurance).

A round-trip ticket between Europe and Auckland cost about 1200 euros. Prices decline slightly if you book well in advance, but do not expect to go below 1100 euros. The journey often involves a stopover in Dubai or Singapore. Maybe you will have enough time to visit a city on your way? To be able to pay for a meal in town or at the airport you should take $25 à 50 $ for a shuttle and a restaurant.

Do not neglect anything that can make your flight more enjoyable. Hearing protection and cushions for the neck are highly recommended for a 24-hour trip.

For domestic flights in New Zealand, it is advisable to book at least four months in advance to get a better price. As an indication, here are some pricing examples:

After a 24-hour flight, adding another distance by subway or public bus should be reimbursed by your care insurance. You should include the taxi cost in your budget (you will probably thank me later for this suggestion). Hopefully, the tax that used to exist for travelers leaving New Zealand from elsewhere than Auckland's airport has been removed long ago, but is still mentioned in outdated web guides.

Ask your bank how much it charges an ATM withdrawals abroad. This is also the occasion to ask the amount of your credit card ceiling in New Zealand. In any case, one should always travel with the phone number of his bank. On average, banks charge 7 $ for every 150 NZD withdrawn abroad. It may seem appropriate to make a single withdrawal before leaving to New Zealand, but I advise against it for safety reasons, even if you lose some money in bank commissions.

Local VAT is called the GST (Goods and Services Tax). It is fixed to 15% of the product price. Many countries allow the tourists to get a refund of this tax at the end of their stay, but this is not the case in New Zealand! A bad surprise, but there is nothing you can do about it.

The restaurant price is on average 10% cheaper than in France, for example. Grocery stores are cheaper with 15% deviation. The prices fall a bit when you leave the big cities. Here are some classic expenses to give you an idea of the budget required.

Twenty years ago, tipping in a restaurant was almost considered as an insult in New Zealand. The habit of tipping is spreading year after year, but it is not mandatory. You can leave 5-10% of the bill if the service was truly exceptional.

However, tipping is required in taxis (about 10% if the race was perfect).

It is also considered polite to reward someone who carry your luggage with a dollar.

Some tips are necessary if you want to book your vehicle by the Internet.

Contrary to what one might think, the cheapest offer on the market is not always the most economical.

The floor price is at $15 per day to rent a car. Such an offer is, of course, not available among the most famous rental companies such as AVIS. But such discounts should worry you if you plan to rent a car.

The market is saturated by old Japanese cars from the 90s. Not only do they consume more gasoline, but they are often archaic in terms of security. Small rental companies sometimes tend to announce imaginary manual transmissions in a country where automatic is king. Kiwipal, of course, does not list such bad rental companies in its comparator.

The reasonable average price is about $40 per day for a small four-door car. But the price climbs up to $100 and even $150 to book a 4x4 vehicle or SUV.

If you plan to drive on the beach (on the 90-mile beach for example) this must be taken into account as you can't rent an economical car for such use.

While choosing your model, please keep in mind you will need enough space to store your luggage in the trunk. A small car will do for two people, but hardly for four!

You will normally pay no surcharge for a one-way booking, but it is imperative to refuel before returning the keys. Obviously, the longer you book and the less you pay, but if you are under 25 years, you can expect to pay a bit more than expected for insurance reasons.

It is easy to get a $40 fine if you park your car at the wrong place and the radars are deployed in the whole country. You will receive your fine by mail and do not expect to avoid payment just because you live abroad, or you might get in trouble at the airport.

People always imagine saving money when traveling in a motorhome. But during the high season, a car and hotel combination can sometimes be more interesting.

For a small camper van it takes about 45 $ per day from May to September, but often more than $70 to $100 from December to February (summer). There are a wide variety of models for a couple or a whole family.

Still it is necessary to park in an authorized site. Freedom camping is legal but only in well-defined areas. One must always check with the nearest iSite to avoid a $200 fine!

The most comfortable solution is to park the motorhome in a Motorhome Park at $70 per night.

You can take the opportunity to connect the vehicle to a power supply.

The Holiday Parks are a little more festive (ie noisy) but with roughly the same price. Around $50 to $70 per adult by booking because they display often full.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) manages 200 camping grounds, often for free, but with a fee when they include showers and toilets (expect at least $14). You can sometimes connect a camper-van vehicle to a power supply by paying a few extra dollars.

Many bus companies are available through the country. The bus network is dense, and I simply cannot reproduce all the prices on this page.

The bus is perhaps the most economical way to travel, but it is slow and not appropriate for a stay of a few weeks where mobility is the key. On the contrary foreign students, seasonal workers and young with a Working Holiday Visa can buy apass to collect points and get discounts.

The rental contract usually includes an insurance covering theft and damage to the vehicle in case of road accident. Paying a $10 to $20 extra per day can reduce the insurance deductible to less than $200. To be safe, you can also add a $5 option to cover the glass breakage (which is never covered by default).

Perhaps you are already covered by your insurer in your own country, but your contract is probably invalid abroad and you must not travel without a good insurance.

Unleaded petrol is about 10% cheaper than in Europe, but consumption depends on your vehicle. Cheap automatic cars tend to waste fuel because of the marked relief of the country!

You should avoid diesel which is not always available at the gas stations, but if you are driving a camper-van, you probably won't have the choice (most of these kind of vehicle run with diesel).

In the itineraries on Kiwipal, we indicate the total number of kilometers. But this is the distance of a perfect trip, without any detour on the road. You should add a 15% margin when you calculate your gasoline budget.

The crossing from one island to another is usually done on the Ferry Interislander or Blue Bridge ferries.

Anyone traveling by car can embark his vehicle on board to retrieve it on the other side for a reasonable price. But if you travel with a motorhome, it will cost $270 for the transportation in the hold. Not to mention the price of the trip per person which is about $65. Once again, you don't need a travel agency, because you can book your ferry tickets by the Internet in few minutes.

The hotels charge a note between $100 and $150 a night for a couple. For that price you can rent a three-star hotel room for a quality similar to what you would get in Europe. Please note that the hotel prices increase of 25% in large cities.

Once again, you have nothing to gain by booking through a travel agency which generally imposes you a list of accommodations you didn't choose. In all cases, you should book several months in advance, especially if you hope to visit the country during summer.

The rates varies between $50 and $100 per night per person for a good B & B. Which always includes breakfast (this is the principle...). In general, the quality of service is equivalent if not superior to what you can book in Europe.

You are a student or broke (if not both) and you want to meet people? Expect to pay $20 for a bed in a dormitory and $10 more for a single room. Loyalty cards from YHA and BBH are interesting only if you book at least ten nights.

You should not spend too much money connecting your devices to Wi-Fi. The bandwidth is low (this will be improved in the coming years) but all the correct hotels are connected to the Internet. Most campsites charge $5 for a basic one-hour access. Another reason to stop watching your smartphone all the time. Otherwise, the Wi-Fi network of the Octagon in Dunedin is public, but often saturated.

In New Zealand, the National parks are free, but some great hikes of several days are to be paid. The famous Milford Track$150 per person during the high season... and only $15 during winter!

The principle of free museums is widespread in New Zealand. The famous Te Papa of Wellington is free. It would be great to give at least$10 to support this great initiative. Not all museums are free, like the Rotorua Museum but organize great temporary exhibitions.

New Zealand is also a reference for extreme sports. The city of Queenstown is known as the world capital of adventure. Alas, most activities are paid at full price. Without necessarily talking about bungee jumping (not so many people dare to try), the jetboat, kayak or rafting tours are affordable, at least once during your stay. There are discount cards and discounts if you book several attractions at the same time.

Plan a budget between $50 and $100 for any exceptional activity. And if you can pay for a tourist flight during your stay, you can choose between Bay of Islands, the glaciers or the whales of the Kaikoura Peninsula, which are all unforgettable experiences!

Sorry to repeat myself, but do not use an agency to book your activities and you will often get a better price.

Otherwise, check the rates on the Internet to find special offers, especially at the last minute.

The most famous hike of the country is free, but you need to pay a shuttle that will drop you at the start of the trek in the morning and will collect you at the end of the track in the late afternoon. Expect to pay about $40 per person if you are based in Taupo or Ohakune.

This is the major destination of the South Island. The National Park is accessible on foot or by sea exclusively. Therefore, one must rent a kayak or book a water taxi. If you have never experienced kayaking, you should join a half-day tour with a guide, for an average price of $80 per person. If you are already familiar with the kayak, you can even book a model without a guide for $100 a day (for 2 people).

The Milford Sound is emblematic of New Zealand. You could get away with a simple view of the Mitre Peak, but a cruise up to the Tasman Sea is a must. Expect at least $85 per person.