What Transports for a Working Holiday Visa?

Driving a whole year with a used vehicle without facing an engine failure or dismantling a tire is just a matter of chance.

There are so many stories about full nights spent on the edge of a deserted road in the middle of nowhere ...

But if the occasional problems turn into good memories with time, repetitive troubles can cost a job or ruin your holidays.

And I am not talking about the risks that an antique car with a precarious security implies in a country where you drive to the left (if you are not used driving on this side of the road) ...

I will explain how to choose a means of transportation that will not fall to pieces 50 km from the first gas station.

And I will give you some tricks to resell your vehicle at the end of your stay, and thus recover a part of your initial expenses.

Finally, even if the acquisition of a vehicle is unavoidable for a one-year trip, I would not forget to present alternative solutions.

A car rental, of course, but also the journeys by bus, train or airplane that often allow great savings.

Driving in a city requires total concentration. If the speed is limited to 50 km / h downtown, the first moments are quite stressful indeed. Once out of the cities, the tension drops as you are often alone on the road, which is not without danger.

Too busy contemplating the landscape, some drivers lack vigilance.

To limit accidents, the speed is limited to 100 km / h on the highway known here under the name of State Highway (SH), and the radars easily trap tourists accustomed to drive at 130 km / h. The roadside checks where you are asked to present your driving license are numerous.

On this subject, do not forget that citizens without an English written driving license must possess an “international driving license” to be allowed to drive and rent a vehicle in New Zealand. This document can usually be issued for free in a short time.

Whether you're going on holiday or looking for work in a remote area, renting is a cost-effective solution for a short-time period.

The New Zealand market is particularly competitive and rental offers vary from 20 $ per day for a low-cost car, to $50 for a small motorhome.

The ideal is to travel with friends in order to share the expenses.

Departing from Christchurch, it is even possible to negotiate a discount if you agree to return the vehicle to Auckland (the agencies are struggling to repatriate their vehicle on the North Island where most visitors arrive).

I advise avoiding the floor prices, synonymous of old cars models without airbags. A budget of $35 to $50 a day seems far more reasonable.

I advise you to redeem the deductible and subscribe to a broken ice insurance. Other complementary services range from the indispensable GPS, camping equipment and DVD players. New Zealand Maps, and the phone support, are almost always included.

Vehicle rental is a practical solution that offers flexibility. On the other hand, if the transportation budget exceeds $3500 for the whole trip, you may consider buying a used vehicle to save money.

If it is possible to sleep in a car, only the motorhome (and to a lesser extent the minivan) are recommended for this.

If you stay a whole year in New Zealand, you will have to face the winter and cool nights even in summer.

Being the owner of a vehicle does not absolve you of certain responsibilities, especially in terms of insurance (I invite you to read our insurance guide on the subject).

It remains to know how to find the rare pearl! Internet websites like Turners Auctions ffer vehicles at very attractive prices, usually between $1000 and $6000.

You may as well visit the youth hostels (backpackers) to spot classified ads, or trying vehicles.

It is often possible to negotiate the price with the owner.

It is not uncommon to collect camping equipment at the same time, because travelers with a Working Holiday Visa who are often in a hurry at the end of their stay need to sell everything or give items for free.

If you are lucky, you can buy an old car for a few hundred dollars only. It may be tempting to conclude the deal with a simple handshake, but you must insist on warranties and carefully check the condition of the vehicle before signing.

The Warrant of Fitness (WoF) is a technical control you absolutely need in New Zealand.

It does not guarantee a zero fault, but it certifies the good general condition of the vehicle recorded during the last compulsory inspection. Note that even if a WoF is still valid for the next 6 months, it must be redone 28 days prior to the resell of a vehicle.

The WoF is already a good indicator, but it is not always enough.

Because some people do not hesitate to falsify the WoF certificates, it is recommended submitting the vehicle to the Vinz technical check. A battery of tests on the mechanical parts costs about $110 and the full check of the assembly is delivered for $140. This is not cheap, but a tow service will cost you three times more in case of accident.

Another useful trick is to collect information about the previous owner before you even look at the vehicle.

The “Lemon check” is a service charged 25 $ which gives access to the history of the vehicle. A model that goes from hand to hand over a short period has a great chance of being defective!

When you find the vehicle of your dreams (or at least something functional), you will have to report the change of ownership to the NZ Transport Agency.

Visit the official website to download a form to fill (Notice of Change of Ownership of Motor Vehicle).

In order for the sale to be effective, the document signed by the buyer and the seller must be sent by post, or deposited at a center of the Automobile Association (AA). The new papers of the vehicle will then be sent to you by post within 10 days.

As a last resort, there are companies and garages that buy vehicles for half of its price. The transaction leaves a bitter taste, especially since a professional will search for the slightest defect without mercy to reduce the selling price. In order to escape such a tragic ending, there are other solutions...

Internet websites like Trademe or Autotrader allow to publish an advertisement infew minutes. But from my own extensive experience, it is better to start by visiting the youth hostels to meet potential buyers.

The more you put your vehicle well in evidence and the faster you'll sell it!

Some people do not hesitate to go so far as to offer camping equipment to facilitate the sale. This is a good idea, but there is an unstoppable trick to multiply your chances of finding a buyer if you are trying to resell a minivan.

A minivan with an original decoration multiplies your chances by ten, trust me!

If you've had the good idea of buying a vehicle of this kind, and if your ad has a good photo, it's not impossible to conclude a presale deal several months in advance, which is ideal!

If none of these solutions yield results, you can try selling your vehicle on a car park auction. The principle is to park your car in one of the car parks listed on Auckland Car Fair or Canterbury Car Fair for about $30. Buyers come and go around your vehicle, and if you arrive early, the deal can be concluded in a blink.

Apart from loyalty programs, long-distance coach trips come at virtually the same price as a car rental.... On the other hand, for short trips within the same region, the solution deserves to be studied seriously despite its slowness and inconvenience.

Kiwi Experience and Naked bus offer year-round subscriptions that allow you to get on and off whenever you want.

The atmosphere on board is sometimes so agitated that it is impossible to close the eye. Depending on your profile, it will be heaven or hell.

Attention, if the bus connects cities, it does not deposit you in front of your place of work!

When you know that you often have to go around an entire region to find a job, the bus is far from covering all your transportation needs.

On the other hand, rail journeys are expensive, but a young traveler's card allows to get 20% off. The golden age of the train is gone in New Zealand since a long time, but some tourist lines have survived and the railways of the Tranz Alpine Scenic or Taieri Gorge Railway are breathtaking!

It's a great way to finish a year in Working Holiday Visa after reselling a car. Beware, however, if you are in a hurry as the journeys are usually spread over an entire day!

The scenery is so spectacular that some train wagons do not have windows so you can fully enjoy the view and take pictures.

Let's say you live in Auckland and get an interesting job offer in Christchurch. If you consider the price of a car rental (with gasoline), added to a ferry crossing and an hotel night, you will pay between $150 and $300 for the trip (not to mention the fatigue and the stress).

Even if you share the cost of the car rental with other passengers, a plane ticket is two to three times cheaper and for a few hours of travel only.

While Air New Zealand is the most comfortable airline in the country, but it is not necessarily the most attractive in terms of fares.

The low-cost company Jet Star (by Qantas) offers broken prices on flights to major cities.

Admittedly, Air New Zealand offers a system of discount coupons, if you often take the same routes.

But it takes at least a dozen trips to take advantage of it, and this kind of good deal won't interest young people traveling with a Working Holiday Visa.

The plane remains a perfect solution if you find a job at the other end of the country and have to travel in record time.

Keep the idea in a corner of your head, this can prove to be useful from time to time.

The choice of a vehicle type is not obvious. We could discuss at length the advantages of the car, the minivan or the motorhome. There is a great deal of subjectivity intimately linked to the profile of each traveler.

The vehicle rental solution, however, is not excluded from the debate. Especially if you are an occasional driver and plan to take the road only during the holiday part of your stay in New Zealand.

Without a driver's license, you can rely on the bus or train network. However, you will have the feeling of missing an essential part of a Working Holiday Program, which lies in the autonomy!

I give way to Ben the Kiwi for practical questions. Please remember that there is little chance that he will agree to answer you on budget issues. There is such an infinity of combinations, between the nature of the vehicle, its fuel consumption and your itinerary, that any given answer would be a pure nonsense.

In reality, if you work during your stay, you will always be able to move in one way or another.

The country is so beautiful that it urges to all efforts and sacrifices.