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 New Zealand. Although the ebook is aimed at backpacking in New Zealand, there is a lot of information there for both long term visitors, and new residents in New Zealand. It will be perfect for you if you have a working holiday visa for New Zealand and are wondering what lies head.
I’ve spent weeks making sure that the information in this guide book is correct and relevant for backpackers, which is why this blog has suffered a bit over the last few weeks.
Due to me neglecting this blog a bit whilse writing the ebook I am happy to give the readers of this site a discount of 15%. If you head on over to the checkout and enter the code of ‘nzunwrappedblog’, and apply the discount to your shopping cart, you’ll get a reduction. Don’t forget to update your cart before checking out!
UPDATE – DECEMBER 2012 – NEW EDITION AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON AMAZON!
Here’s the highlights :
- When to travel and all the budget airlines.
- How to set up the boring stuff on your first day – bank accounts, tax number and mobile phone.
You can kick back and relax once you get these essentials out of the way. - Visa options – even if you’re over 31 for the standard working holiday visa!
Using this you could get 3 YEARS of being allowed to work in NZ without applying for residency! - How to hire a campervan, from $10 OR EVEN FREE!
- How to buy your car or van and maximise your chances of getting most of your money back.
(my first car here cost me less than $30 NZD a week when I sold it! – cheaper than hiring) - How to get bus fares from $1.
- LOADS OF DISCOUNTS – from everyday food shopping to buying stuff for your van.
- Eating out well, but on a backpackers budget.
How to get access to amazing 2 for 1 deals at top restaurants – everyone needs a treat right? - Where to get up to 80% off activites and other treats (from skydiving to spas!)
- Paying NZ prices for books? No way – we’ll tell you where to get items shipped at UK prices – with no shipping!
- Use social media to get up to 20% of car and van hire.
- Everything you need to know about seasonal jobs – from fruit picking to ski resorts.
- Hostelling – are discount cards really worth it?
- The pros and cons of the main cities – where do you want to base yourself?
- Free things to do in the major cities.
- Best ways to meet local people.
- Like it here and want to stay? You’ll find out top tips to smooth your way through a Skilled Migrant residency visa application.
There’s a lot more in there, but you can get access to all of this for less than the price of a night in a hostel and a drink!
Reminder – you’ll get a 15% discount on checkout using the code ‘nzunwrappedblog’. I’m sure you’ll get a lot out of this guide and you’ve got nothing to loose as there is a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied! All you have to do it email the address given on the order – no questions asked.
I hope you find this book useful as it contains a lot of information that you won’t find in any other guidebooks!
You’ll also get an exclusive 5% discount code for travel insurance in the book! That alone could pay for the book.
UPDATE – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!!!
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 a camper van – if you are interested in buying one either for backpacking, or for longer term use, check out the guide to buying a used car of campervan instead (coming soon!).
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 is cheap and it opens up a lot of unique places to stay on route. Here’s the lowdown to help get the banger of your dreams. (grab a coffee – its a long article!)
If you have had a look around for a camper van and can’t find what you’re looking for and have a bit more time you could consider buying a ‘blank’ van. This is a van that hasn’t been converted in any way such as well serviced ex-tradesmans van and converting yourself, or using a specialist company such as Vantastic Interiors in Auckland. This may end up being a bit more expensive as you’ll have to buy all the stoves, cutlery etc on top of your costs, but you could end up with a van that’s much easier to sell, and in better condition. This option is better if you are hanging around a city doing temp work and have time to play with, although some people have managed to convert vans using their downtimes at working at places like WOOF’ing farms which have had wood and equipment to use. I’d only recommend this if you have an appropriate background.
Backpacker Car Market Victoria Street – just down from the playing fields in an small open air car park across from Victoria Park Market (corner of Hasley St / Gaunt St). On Saturday morning, this market is geared towards backpackers. On site inspection services are available. Get here on Saturday early to get the first viewings and before people try taking their car to Ellerslie the following day. 
Kiwi Experience are one of the better known backpacker tour buses……but not always for the right reasons. Kiwi Experience travel in large groups, in large buses and can dominate a destination or accommodation venue they stop over in. Ideal for younger backpackers who want the party crowd.
Magic buses also tend to be large coaches but they sell themselves on having less enforced overnight stays, and a bigger network of destinations with daily departures year round. Passes include options with a ‘coach and jet pass’ so you can get a domestic flight to your start location – e.g. if you were starting in Auckland and finishing the coach tour in Christchurch.
Of course you could still use the more standard bus networks to get around New Zealand like Intercity Coachlines as it is still comprehensive and covers all the ‘big ticket’ areas. There are other key companies around such as Tranzit that you can use for bus tours as well but you won’t get the same ‘travelling’ experience as the more upbeat budget 
tours above. At the end of the day it all comes down to what experience you want, and how much you want to have planned for you or not. Although all the big companies above will try to get you on tours and into hostels you are still free to use most of them just as a means of transport, but you won’t be getting the most out of them that way.
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 the idea of teenagers partying and sleepless nights, New Zealand is well known for its excellent hostels and locations of them. Using this guide will steer you towards how to pick the best hostels for you.
There are exceptional facilities in some of the hostels around the country – superb large kitchens, TV lounges, enviable locations and some may have added extras such as bikes for rent etc. If these are important to you ask when you book, or check the listings on the websites as they are usually detailed there. This picture shows one of the kitchens in one Taupo hostel we’ve stayed at – I’d be happy with the same facilities and cleanlieness in my own place!
Pak’n’Save is the place to shop for budget foods throughout New Zealand. If you drive past one you can’t miss the big, yellow warehouses. Pak’n’Save is the equivalent of Lidl and Aldi’s in Europe however it doesn’t have quite the same low cost feel and you’ll get big brands here as well. Look out for special deals and you can grab a bottle of wine from around $6 at weekends. Expect no frills in presentation but you’ll get most of the everyday stuff you need here, as well as some household goods.
Last but certainly not least is what could probably be classed as many Kiwi’s favourite all round shopping location : The Warehouse. Although it’s not mainly a place to shop for food, it does have some food products but mostly snacks. Outside of food, you can get pretty much everything else you want from households wares, bedding, car accessories, clothes, gardening and outdoor equipment, and sports equipment, all for pretty cut throat prices. You’ll bound to visit one of these when in New Zealand if you are a resident or independent traveller as it can help kit you out with everything from cheap t-shirts, to fitting out your camper van with stoves etc.
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 Wellington. The Entertainment book is sold through fund raising groups and raised over $5m in 2009 for groups throughout Australia and New Zealand. 
