Tweet I’m proud to announce the arrival of my new New Zealand Backpacing Guidebook : New Zealand Backpacking Unwrapped. As of December 2012 this book is available exclusively on Amazon – fully updated for 2013!!! The guide is over 125 pages of quality information which I’m sure will help you during your next visit to [read more…]
Tweet Lonely Planet has named Wellington 4th in the top ten cities of the world to visit in 2011. According to Lonely Planet : With its quaint wooden houses tumbling down a ring of hills to the city centre, clustered on reclaimed land around the glittering harbour, in ‘100% Pure New Zealand’, the country’s most [read more…]
Tweet You’re considering hiring a camper van in New Zealand but you don’t know what you want. Are they difficult to drive? Expensive to run? Are they slow? This guide to hiring a camper van in New Zealand will guide you through many of the things to consider. This guide will only deal with renting [read more…]
Tweet Although it may seem crazy for a lot of countries, many long term budget travellers and backpackers in New Zealand buy used cars or campervans (motorhomes or smaller) to get around. There’s a huge choice of vehicles imported from Japan, auto and manual, diesel and petrol, and cars and vans. Optional (but recommended) insurance [read more…]
Tweet You’ve arrived off the plane as a backpacker with your working holiday visa, ready for your gap year, or you’ve moved over here as a resident and you need a bank account. So how hard is it to set up a bank account in New Zealand? The good news is it’s very easy, and [read more…]
Tweet Bus tours are one of the most popular methods of travelling around New Zealand for backpackers, longer term and budget travellers. The most popular options are Kiwi Experience, Magic Bus, Stray Travel, and the public transport network, but which is most suitable for you? Travel Passes Most of the transport options below will offer [read more…]
Tweet There are some excellent hostels in New Zealand whether you’re a backpacker, want to socialise, or just want to save on hotel costs. Pick the wrong one however and you may find you’re in the middle of a big party, or it’s just now as friendly as you hoped. Although hostels can conjure up [read more…]
Tweet I always find shopping in a new country is interesting. In New Zealand there’s a whole load of interesting foods from feijoa fruits to kumara, and there can be different names used than what you may use back home. For everyday shopping in New Zealand there are only a few large chains around, but [read more…]
Tweet The Entertainment book is a bit of a institution in New Zealand and can be used to get 2 for 1 budget deals, discounts and other offers for dining, activities, hotels and entertainment. Offers are available throughout the country, particularly in the well populated locations such as Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Queenstown, Waikato and [read more…]
Tweet If you want to buy a contact or prepaid SIM card for your mobile in New Zealand you have a limited selection of only three operators : Telecom, Vodafone, and 2Degrees. This guide will give you an overview of which company to select during your visit. Telecom mobiles never used to have SIM cards [read more…]