How To Become To A Greater Extent Than Or Less Novel Zealand On A Budget
Updated: 1/5/2019 | Jan 5th, 2019
It’s slow to larn around New Zealand. Buses become everywhere, cars constantly pick upwards hitchhikers, campervans are slow to rent, together with backpacker rider vehicle tours zigzag around the country. Plus, at that spot are trains together with planes.
In short, there’s no shortage of shipping options.
When I was inward New Zealand recently, I used nearly every 1 of these options so, today, I desire to percentage the pros together with cons of each so you lot know how to larn around New Zealand the most (cost) effective together with efficient manner possible!
Backpacker Tours
One of the most pop ways travelers larn across New Zealand is yesteryear backpacker bus. These buses offering a hop-on/hop-off service that allows travelers both the flexibility to become at their ain stride together with the convenience of having activities together with accommodation organized for them. New Zealand has 2 major hop-on/hop-off buses: The Kiwi Experience together with Stray.
- The Kiwi Experience – The Kiwi Experience is the biggest together with most pop backpacker rider vehicle inward New Zealand. It attracts mainly immature gap-year travelers. I’d state it’s nearly 50% 18-22-year-olds, 40% 23-27-year-olds, together with 10% 28+. I similar how they become out of their manner to build certain everyone socializes together with gets to know each other: the drivers play a lot of games together with icebreakers, together with at that spot are grouping dinners most nights. The downside is that: (a) the buses spot around 55 people, together with when they’re full, they larn a piddling flake cliquey (and during the busy season, the rider vehicle is pretty much ever full); together with (b) the passengers are genuinely focused on getting drunkard (the bus’s affectionate nickname is “The Green Fuck Bus”), therefore why so many immature people accept it. I’d state if you’re 25 or younger (or but looking for a party), this rider vehicle is for you.
- Stray Travel – Stray has smaller buses, providing a to a greater extent than intimate setting together with making it easier to encounter people. While at that spot are many gap-year travelers on the bus, Stray picks upwards to a greater extent than older, independent travelers. The rider vehicle drivers don’t play every bit many games or receive got every bit many icebreakers, making it a flake awkward when you lot outset measuring on the rider vehicle solitary together with aren’t an extrovert. If you lot aren’t genuinely looking to political party a lot or desire to pass fourth dimension alongside to a greater extent than mature travelers, Stray is for you.
For a small-group tours that caters to to a greater extent than than but the backpacker crowd, banking concern check out Haka Tours. They offering some epic gamble tours all around the province together with are a adept pick for travelers looking to larn their adrenaline pumping!
Trains
New Zealand has 3 develop lines: Northern Explorer, Coastal Pacific (currently shut because of the earthquakes), together with TranzAlpine. These are non commuter trains but scenic develop rides: they come upwards alongside viewing platforms, well commentary, data packets, together with large windows for taking photos.
Here are the prices:
I took the TranzAlpine across the South Island. It had been a dream of mine to create since my outset see inward 2010 together with I loved every infinitesimal of it. It lived upwards to all the hype. You go yesteryear rivers together with mountains, cross gorges, together with ringlet through vibrant dark-green farmland. It was a genuinely peaceful, informative, together with scenic manner to larn across the South Island together with made me want at that spot were to a greater extent than trains around the province (come on, NZ, you lot tin create it!).
This isn’t the most efficient or cheapest manner to larn around (heck, the Northern Explorer from Auckland to Wellington is eleven hours!) but I can’t recommend this enough. It’s worth every penny.
Tip: InterCity offers a bus/train combo ticket from Christchurch to Greymouth together with so onward to Nelson or Franz Josef, but it’s genuinely cheaper to mass it separately.
Buses
If you lot aren’t renting a car, buses are the best together with cheapest manner to larn around New Zealand. Buses halt inward every town, together with at that spot are frequent departures from fifty-fifty the smallest cities.
With the closing of the budget rider vehicle service NakedBus (RIP friend), InterCity, New Zealand’s largest populace rider vehicle network, your exclusively option.
You tin also honour tickets every bit depression every bit $1 NZD if you lot mass at to the lowest degree 2 months inward advance. I tend to purchase shipping last-minute so I never scored those super discount fares but they are an awesome bargain if you lot can!
These are the average ticket costs for sample routes:
Prices exclude the $3.99 booking fee for InterCity
InterCity has 2 move passes, both of which valid upwards to 12 months: FlexiPass, an hours-based rider vehicle go yesteryear (15-80 hours) designed for backpackers together with independent travelers; together with the TravelPass, a fixed-route go yesteryear that’s exclusively adept for spots on that specific route. The FlexiPass costs betwixt $135 – $545 NZD (you tin superlative upwards your hours if you lot run out), patch the TravelPass costs betwixt $125 – $1045 NZD.
With the InterCity TravelPass, you lot tin halt anywhere along the route. For example, if your go yesteryear includes move betwixt Picton together with Christchurch, you lot could create Picton to Blenheim, Blenheim to Kaikoura, together with Kaikoura to Christchurch all on 1 trip.
So +1 for the IC TravelPass.
I bought the $135 InterCity FlexiPass for xv hours. Adding upwards my journeys on the South Island individually, the cost of my tickets would receive got been $172, so the go yesteryear does salvage money. However, there’s a caveat: you lot tin exclusively go the FlexiPass on InterCity buses, together with on the South Island they contract out a lot of routes, so I couldn’t go my go yesteryear from on most of the routes to Milford Sound, Mt. Cook, or Bluff (to larn to Stewart Island). HOWEVER, every bit of August 2018, you lot can go your go yesteryear for thee places so the go yesteryear is fifty-fifty a ameliorate bargain now.
So what’s a traveler to do?
If you’re booking far inward advance together with getting the inexpensive discount fares, don’t purchase a pass. I’d also skip the large fixed-route pass, every bit they don’t offering value when compared to other giant passes or tour operators. For example, the InterCity TravelPass is $1045, but Stray has to a greater extent than comprehensive passes for less — currently its Max Pass is exclusively $929 together with has to a greater extent than destinations together with activities. Kiwi Experience’s Sheep Dog does the same for $799. At the higher prices, the backpacker buses build ameliorate feel than a rider vehicle pass.
I’d purchase a FlexiPass since it is hours based together with for upwards to twleve months. Combine that alongside other inexpensive tickets bought far inward advance, ridesharing, or anything else. Mix together with stand upwards for what you lot create for optimal savings. Use the go yesteryear for expensive routes together with cheaper options for other, shorter routes!
Flying
Flying inward New Zealand isn’t that cheap, every bit at that spot are exclusively 2 companies that dominate the entire market: Air New Zealand together with Jetstar — together with on most routes, it’s but Air New Zealand. While you lot tin honour some inexpensive fares on shorter routes or yesteryear booking a few months inward advance, unless you lot are genuinely pressed for fourth dimension or traveling from isle to island, I’d skip flying.
Here are prices for some pop routes:
Campervans together with Car Rentals
Campervans litter New Zealand, specially on the nature-heavy South Island, where people hike together with camp, because they serve every bit accommodation together with shipping all inward one, together with for budget-conscious travelers, that’s a win-win. There are v primary rental agencies: Jucy, Travellers Autobarn, Spaceships, Britz, together with Wicked Campers. Jucy is dominant; I saw to a greater extent than of its cars together with vans than whatever other company.
Prices vary a lot. Your daily charge per unit of measurement volition alter depending on where you lot pick the vehicle up, if you lot are dropping it off at a dissimilar place, how long you lot are renting it for, how far inward advance you lot book, together with when you lot mass (going during the high season? Prices seem to double!). You postulate a grade inward accounting to figure out how these companies cost their cars! Here are sample daily rates for when you lot pick upwards together with drop-off at the same location:
Here are sample daily rates for when you lot pick upwards together with drop-off at a dissimilar location:
If you lot drive, getting a campervan is going to live 1 of the most economical manner to larn around. You’ll live able to go your van/car every bit accommodation, pick upwards travelers to separate the cost of gas, together with perchance honour move partners to separate the cost of the vehicle itself. If you lot are spending $70 NZD per twenty-four hours for a Jucy campervan that tin fit 3 people, that’s a savings of upwards to 50% compared to a hostel together with daily rider vehicle ride, which volition laid you lot dorsum $30-50 a day.
If you lot go a campervan, live certain to d0wnl0ad the awesome CamperMate app, which lets you lot honour nearby campsites, gas stations, together with dump stations.
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is slow inward New Zealand, together with it’s 1 of the primary ways to larn around. There are plenty of people who volition pick you lot up. Additionally, you lot tin but inquire around whatever hostel for a ride — everyone is doing the same circuit. I got from Wanaka to Queenstown to Fiordland that way. Plus, hostels also receive got boards where people are looking for rides. Additionally, banking concern check out the Thumbs Up NZ or Carpool New Zealand ridesharing apps.
Book Your Trip to New Zealand: Logistical Tips together with Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a inexpensive flying to New Zealand yesteryear using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my 2 favorite search engines. Start alongside Momondo.
Book Your Accommodation
You tin mass your hostel inward New Zealand alongside Hostelworld. If you lot desire to remain elsewhere, go Booking.com every bit they consistently provide the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance volition protect you lot against illness, injury, theft, together with cancellations. I never ever become on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for 10 years. You should too.
Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!
Want More Information on New Zealand?
Be certain to see our robust destination take away on New Zealand for fifty-fifty to a greater extent than planning tips!
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