How to travel New Zealand on a budget is the first thing on a lot of travelers’ minds, as it is not a cheap country. I’ve lived in New Zealand for 3 years now, so read on for my tips and tricks on how to travel New Zealand cheaply.
Bookme.nz
Bookme.nz is an absolute goldmine of cheap deals. Search via location and snag great prices on activities in New Zealand. Examples include jet boating, scenic flights, Onsen Hot Pools and Hobbiton. It’s used by a number of large tour operators to sell last-minute tickets. You can book in advance, but often the best deals are found if booking last-minute.
Transfer Car
Transfer Car is a rental vehicle relocation service where you can get to drive rental cars and vans for free. This is to take rental vehicles back from where the previous customers finished their trip, to the main pickup location. And often the ferry ticket between north and south island is included! Only catch is that you’ll be on a fairly tight schedule. You just need to be over 18 and have a full driving license that is valid in New Zealand.
House Sitting
House sitting has been my favourite discovery. You can save serious money on accommodation by house sitting instead. Plus you also get to look after cute pets! House sitting is very common in New Zealand due to how far away it is from everywhere else. If Kiwis want to go on holiday overseas, they generally go for a few weeks at a time! Head over to Kiwi House Sitters to find a place to stay!
Wise
Using a Wise card can save you a huge amount on unnecessary fees. It will also ensure you the best foreign exchange rate. Start buying kiwi dollars a few months before your trip. Wise will enable to you open a New Zealand dollar pot with them that functions in the same way as a local bank account.
First Table
How to travel New Zealand cheaply often comes down to food. Prices are pretty high in NZ, especially in supermarkets (think NZ$10 for a punnet of tomatoes!). But don’t let that stop you from enjoying the beautiful food available here. First table allows you to book an early dining slot (literally the first table) at a number of NZ restaurants and then get 50% off the final bill. What’s not to love! Available for parties of up to 4 people.
Airpoints
Sign up to Air New Zealand’s Airpoints scheme (anyone can join). Earn points on daily spending such as fuel or supermarket shopping at New World. Points can then be spent on snacks at the airport, meals on Air NZ flights (and partner and Star Alliance airlines). Or, save them to buy domestic or international flight tickets. You can get a digital Airpoints card on your phone meaning you don’t need to get one delivered.
Avoid the school holidays
Prices skyrocket during the school holidays and accommodation gets pretty booked up. Note that NZ school holidays may be at a different time of year than your country. Because New Zealand is so far away geographically from other countries, most Kiwi families holiday domestically. This means everything’s noticeably busier and more expensive when school’s out.
Stay in freedom camping sites
The most popular way to travel New Zealand on a budget is to hire a camper van and stay in freedom camps. There are plenty of free campsites around New Zealand. Download apps such as WikiCamps New Zealand or CamperMate to find them. This is a great way to explore the great outdoors that New Zealand is famous for. You’ll need to make sure that your vehicle meets the requirement for each campsite e.g. most require vehicles to be self-contained.
Stay in DOC huts
The Department of Conservation (DOC) has numerous huts you can book. Most are set in beautiful locations such as the Mueller Hut (pictured below) or huts along the Abel Tasman Coastal Walk. This is the best way to experience some of New Zealand’s more remote areas. Facilities are simple (bunks and rubber mattresses – bring your own sleeping bag). But vibes are great and you’ll meet lots of like-minded travelers. Book and pay via DOC’s website here.
Hopefully this article on how to travel New Zealand cheaply has inspired you to visit this beautiful country without breaking the bank!
Read my other New Zealand blog posts here!
Meggie says
This was so eye opening. I love that you havr advice from your experience there. Do you have to be a NZ resident to.do House Sitting? Love that idea!
Rowan Flora says
House sitting is great! And no you don’t need to be a resident 🙂 It’s just a private agreement between you and the owner.
Sharyn McCullum says
Great tips. Doing these things does help you travel to NZ cheaply.
Josy A says
Oooh very useful! We managed to have quite a cheapo holiday in NZ (most of the things I wanted to do involved hikes, which is always pretty cheap!) We did a rental transfer for the car, but I wish I had known about Bookme.nz and the other tips!
Maryanne says
Been to NZ three times and love it. I feel like NZ was made for driving a van around so that is a really good tip. Your other tips are really good too. I’ll be using some of them the next time I head over there. Thanks for sharing!
Kelly says
Love all these tips! I’ve always wanted to travel to New Zealand and I’ll be saving this for a future trip! Also I’m obsessed with all your images they’re stunning!
Rowan Flora says
Thank you 🙂
Elyse says
This is such a good guide because generally, NZ is such an expensive place to visit. Love all your photos too
Rowan Flora says
Thanks!
Cosette says
New Zealand is still on our must-visit list, so these tips come in handy for when we get to go.
Farrah says
Ooo, thanks so much for this! I’m planning on hopefully going to New Zealand sometime next year and this will be super helpful! Great to know about First Table and the camping sites!
PlacesofJuma says
Thanks for the many ideas for saving money. I will keep this one in mind for next year 🙂