How to Save Money in New Zealand

Once you decide to travel to New Zealand, you probably want to know how to save money on your trip. This is particularly important if you have a tight budget. New Zealand is stunningly beautiful with amazing landscapes and awesome activities for travellers to engage in. From enjoying the amazing views of the mountains and glaciers in the stunning National Parks to tasting great seafood delicacies at a restaurant, this country has so much to offer visitors. You could be wondering, how could I save money in New Zealand if I’m travelling? Well, here are some tips on how to travel in New Zealand on a tight budget.

Travel during the off season

The high travel season in New Zealand is during summer. That’s between December and February in the Southern Hemisphere. However, there is a secondary high travel season in the winter months that are ideal for snowboarding or skiing, in Queenstown and Wanaka in particular. If you travel to New Zealand during the shoulder season you’ll benefit from great flight deals, cheaper accommodation and transport. October to November or April to May is the best season to travel to New Zealand when you want to save money. At this time, the country has pretty good weather and there is less competition in booking rental cars, rooms, and popular activities.

Take a Bus

If you do not intend to drive yourself around New Zealand, take a bus. Bus rides are long when traveling to places like Christchurch from Queenstown. However, New Zealand buses are generally affordable and comfortable. If you book in advance, you can pay a fare as little as $1. (You seriously have to be quick to get that sort of deal though). Nevertheless, you can get bus tickets between $30 and $50 for long distances even when booking at the last minute. This is still cheaper when compared to flying. What’s more, you get a chance to enjoy the countryside scenery when you ride a bus without having to drive yourself around.

Of course the down side to this is that you can’t really stop and explore during the bus journey, and your bus driver is not a tour guide. Look into the backpacker buses that are available (Stray Travel, Kiwi Experience etc). They often have deals, especially in the ‘off season’, and you’ll benefit from a knowledgable driver guide who’ll take you to places you won’t have known about otherwise!

Consider Rental Relocations

If your travel budget can’t allow you to rent a set of wheels, consider doing a relocation of a campervan or rental car. There are car rental companies that need vans and cars to be driven from one point to another. If you find such companies, you can get cheap rental while you help them out. Some of the popular routes for relocation include Christchurch to Queenstown and Auckland to Christchurch. In most cases, the cost of these rentals is $1 per day. You also get a ferry ticket if you want to move a car to a different island.

Be aware though that it’s unlikely you’ll have loads of time to explore. Being a relocation they often need the car or campervan to be back by a certain date. However, if you’re at the end of your trip and find yourself at the wrong end of the country to take your onward flight this is a great way of getting back cheaply!

Stay in Hostels

Hostels are great for saving on accommodation. They are cheaper than hotels and many other accommodation options. Staying in a hostel enables you to save money and spend it on other things that are important to your trip. You avoid regretting missing out on an important activity just because you spent your dollars on a hotel room or motel bed. When you choose a hostel, you also meet more people.

Explore New Zealand’s Nature

New Zealand has fun tourist attractions. However, some of them can seem expensive to visit. If you’re on a tight budget you might not be able to do everything you want to. (Just make a list of your absolute must do’s – no trip to New Zealand is complete without at least one bungy jump!) But you won’t completely miss out because the nature of this country is amazing. You will find some of the best waterfalls, lakes, beaches, picturesque highways, and hiking trails in New Zealand. Therefore, laze by the best beaches, go hiking, take a drive, get lost in the raw beauty of New Zealand or dive into a refreshing lake. Be assured that you won’t regret missing out on some paid activities when you opt to explore New Zealand’s nature.

Basically, these are some of the best ways to save on your budget during a trip to New Zealand. If you plan to travel to this country, try some of them to save money! That way you’ll be able to spend more on the activities you really can’t miss out on!

Author: Alice Yoon is an experienced traveler and blog writer. She’s also working for Assignmentgeek helping college and high school students with writing assignments that include essays and papers.