Guest Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 We're heading to NZ in September and I just wanted to try and get a sense of how expensive a country it is to visit as opposed to holidaying in Australia. I'm talking accomodation, eating and drinking, car hire and all the other things that go into a 3 week road trip. We're not big on stuff like bungee jumping and all that stuff, we're essentially there to check out the beautiful countryside and spend time with relatives. Gotta say I can't wait! Have always wanted to visit, so it's a bit of a dream come true for me! My Australian in-laws have told me that it's a huge rip-off over there, and that the locals have always got their hand in your pocket to rip you off, so just wondered what people's experiences have been? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I found it was more expensive than Australia for petrol and food and I think even with camp sites etc. Not massively but it was noticeable. That aside, it wasn't really an issue and had a brilliant time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmo Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 As it 'appens i was just talking to a mate that lived i NZ for 10 years and he said how beautiful the place was, but the mind numbing boringness was a huge factor in why he came home. But for tourists i suppose it might be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sustain Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I have found it cheaper than Australia, and in my own way are about to make it even cheaper:cool: My girls have found more activities to do (larger rather than hiding in the house from the heat) September is a great time to come. What are your plans? South island? - Christchurch is like MacKay for accommodation. Car rentals are cheaper off airport. Same with Accommodation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 campervan rentals are cheaper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 We just came back from 10 days in NZ driving around the North Island. Petrol is more expensive. Around NZ $1.90 a litre in most places but occasionally NZ$1.60 where there is a Gull. I'd have said that otherwise generally in shops prices are much the same - with maybe NZ being slightly more expensive. This is probably due to our dollar being almost on a par with theirs. If it was at its usual rate it would appear that prices were almost identical. I would add that NZ certainly do know how to charge the tourists in some places, though. We spent some time in Paihia up in the Bay of Islands. Admittedly, Paihia is a tourist town but accommodation and restaurant prices were much higher than I would have expected. It was hard to find a decent place there that charged less than $30 for a main - even the Thai restaurant was charging high $20s for most dishes. Double what we pay here in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney. Restaurant prices in less touristy towns were not as bad and more in line with what we pay here. Coffee was universally great. Even in tiny little one-horse towns you could get a decent flat white for $4. Forgot to add - lots of wine available cheaply in the supermarkets. We mostly drank whatever was on special at Countdown (Woolworths) and tried plenty of lovely, local wine not usually available in Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sustain Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 campervan rentals are cheaper! Staying with mates even cheaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 If you have mates :') Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I would think they would be fairly on a par with Australia. The currency is quite close now to parity with Australia. Petrol is more expensive for some reason, not sure if they don't have their own refineries, and need to ship if from offshore. But otherwise not enough difference to worry about. I was last there in 2005. It is a great driving holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I have found it cheaper than Australia, and in my own way are about to make it even cheaper:cool: My girls have found more activities to do (larger rather than hiding in the house from the heat) September is a great time to come. What are your plans? South island? - Christchurch is like MacKay for accommodation. Car rentals are cheaper off airport. Same with Accommodation. South Island to visit family, but will try and take in some of the North as time allows. Just been reading the Lonely Planet Guide and it all just looks so beautiful, so I doubt three weeks will be enough to explore too much of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16000km Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Campervan is the way to go, we drove around the South Island for 4 weeks last September and mainly used the DOC (Department of Conservation) campgrounds, I think we paid around $12 -15 for the van and us three and mostly had the places to ourselves. But make sure to take warm clothing, we stepped out into snow one morning at Mt Cook – loved it ! I didn't find it more expensive than here, maybe for some items but then others were cheaper than in Australia. We totally enjoyed the family experience with our 11yo, being 'stuck' in the campervan of a night, no TV and electronic toys but campfires, walks, games and reading instead, wonderful. And the landscape is that stunningly beautiful (plus we were extremely lucky weatherwise, only had 2 days of rain on the West coast), I could have stayed. In fact, we're still thinking we might move one day, just not sure what on earth people do for work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 We used to stay with my brother in Queenstown. It's a tourist mecca and quite expensive but a great place. Wonderful scenery in the South Island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Look forward to return report. Never been there myself. Although expensive the shorter distances involved should make up for petrol costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianaussie Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Incredible place; particularly the south island. I've been to NZ 3x and cannot rate it highly enough. Its got all the best parts of the world (English green countryside, Canadian mountains, Australian beaches) in 1 little country. I would live there tomorrow if I had any connections to keep me entertained. Fantastic people as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcworld Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Campervan is the way to go Totally - look at the older vans like Mighty Campers. Outside of the peak seasons it's a very cost effective option as well as being a lot of fun. Facilities are great and I reckon in September will be quiet. The South Island is an amazing driving holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelWaring Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I got on the wrong plane and lived in NZ for four years (I even have citizenship), before coming to Australia in 74. Then everything was incredibly expensive and everyday things were in short supply, they protected local industries by import licensing and huge tariffs. Since living in Australia I've been back to New Zealand many times and then I found food and accommodation a bit cheaper than Australia, much else cost more. We both found the local fresh food to be very good, the eggs had a great taste as did many other things. In the early days I was still a carnivore and remember eating good venison at very reasonable prices. Car hire was very expensive in the early days but it gradually reached about the same rates as Australia. We've visited most areas at least twice and for us the must see places are Queenstown and Bay of Islands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I got on the wrong plane and lived in NZ for four years (I even have citizenship), before coming to Australia in 74. Then everything was incredibly expensive and everyday things were in short supply, they protected local industries by import licensing and huge tariffs. Since living in Australia I've been back to New Zealand many times and then I found food and accommodation a bit cheaper than Australia, much else cost more. We both found the local fresh food to be very good, the eggs had a great taste as did many other things. In the early days I was still a carnivore and remember eating good venison at very reasonable prices. Car hire was very expensive in the early days but it gradually reached about the same rates as Australia. We've visited most areas at least twice and for us the must see places are Queenstown and Bay of Islands. May come down to the exchange rate. They used to be a lot more difference than there is now. I think now it is about $1A = $1.04NZ. If they hit parity then maybe most things will cost about the same because imports should be at the same price in Aus and NZ. Maybe some difference but not too much. South Island is beautiful. A week to 10 days is plenty to travel around the South Island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelWaring Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Back in the 70s an NZ$ would buy about AUD$1.08 but it didn't seem to help with the economy as far as plebs were concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 May come down to the exchange rate... If they hit parity then maybe most things will cost about the same because imports should be at the same price in Aus and NZ. Run that one past me again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Well I may be wrong but as we get closer to parity with NZ, ie 1 AUD dollar is roughly equivalent to 1 NZ dollar. Most imported goods could be similar in price. If transacted in US dollars they should cost the same to import to Australia and New Zealand. There shouldn't be a huge difference in price of things I wouldn't have thought. Not saying they will be identical but not wildly different like going to Europe or US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelWaring Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 NZ has some kind of GST, I think it started at 10% like ours but has since crept up to 15%, it is also on more goods and services than ours, I think only property rentals and bank charges are exempt; perhaps someone can clarify this one. It must make some difference to the total cost. Way back when I was there the NZ Dollar as with the AUD Dollar at the time did not float. The exchange rate for both countries was fixed by the Governments, like China does now. New Zealand kept revaluing (saying it was worth more), their dollar. This was actually a conspiracy against me, by the time the proceeds from my house in UK had been transferred they were worth quite a lot less in New Zealand Dollars. Of course when I wanted to take my money with me to Australia they started to devalue costing me more again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcworld Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 South Island is beautiful. A week to 10 days is plenty to travel around the South Island. On my campervan trips I'm more than happy to drive a few hundred kms a day but a week is still not enough to 'do' the whole South Island IMO. A week to 10 day trip involves some compromises for sure. Assuming you start at ChCh...you can head north to Kaikoura, Nelson etc and loop back via the west coast and over Arthur's Pass...I'd say that's 5 days assuming you want to do that odd activity / walk etc. Alternatively a southern loop that includes Dunedin, Queenstown, Wanaka, Milford Sound and the west coast is easily a week if rushing. ' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 On my campervan trips I'm more than happy to drive a few hundred kms a day but a week is still not enough to 'do' the whole South Island IMO. A week to 10 day trip involves some compromises for sure. Assuming you start at ChCh...you can head north to Kaikoura, Nelson etc and loop back via the west coast and over Arthur's Pass...I'd say that's 5 days assuming you want to do that odd activity / walk etc. Alternatively a southern loop that includes Dunedin, Queenstown, Wanaka, Milford Sound and the west coast is easily a week if rushing.' I did skip the deep south, Didn't go down to Invercargill. I flew into Christchurch and drove down to Dunedin. Then headed west to Queenstown and did Milford Sound, Mount Cook, up the west coast to Greymouth and Nelson. Then got ferry to North Island and drove to Wellington, Rotorua, Auckland and Bay of Islands. Most places are less than a day's drive and if you stay a couple of nights in each place it doesn't take too long. I would definitely recommend a boat trip through Milford Sound. We were lucky in that it had been raining heavily earlier and lots of little waterfalls made spectacular viewing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 On my campervan trips I'm more than happy to drive a few hundred kms a day but a week is still not enough to 'do' the whole South Island IMO. A week to 10 day trip involves some compromises for sure. Assuming you start at ChCh...you can head north to Kaikoura, Nelson etc and loop back via the west coast and over Arthur's Pass...I'd say that's 5 days assuming you want to do that odd activity / walk etc. Alternatively a southern loop that includes Dunedin, Queenstown, Wanaka, Milford Sound and the west coast is easily a week if rushing.' i did that a few years ago... im sure a few weeks at least were spent going round the south island! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 It is a stunning place, no doubt about it. It takes you back to how things used to be in many ways but I have friends from there who also say if is fantastic to visit but not to live . Guess if you are into boats etc, couldn't be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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