Money Saving Tips for North Island NZ
 

We are going to be doing a self drive on the North Island and would love to hear some money saving tips. I understand NZ is a bit pricy compared to midwest US standards.

I just got back from a 16 day self drive vacation of both islands and I am from the midwest!
The one thing that I loved in NZ as opposed to our hotels in the states is that when you check in on the smaller hotels they give you the internet code and a choice of milk for your "tea". All of the places we stayed were amazing and reasonable with self catering which is nice for making breakfasts to save some money-most of the breakfasts seem to be around 15-18 NZD.
What cities are you staying at on the North Island? We stayed in Auckland,Rotorua,Taupo and Wellington if you need hotel suggestions? If you are going to Rotorua and Taupo and need suggestions for eating or sightseeing-let me know!

Another option would be staying in hostels. Many have private rooms, and some have ensuite bathrooms if that's important. Check http://www.yha.co.nz and http://www.bbh.co.nz for more information.

Lee Ann

Duty free,
This is a groupon package so we had no choice of hotels but they are copthorne or kingsgate. We are hitting the same 4 cities you did so any recommendations would be great.
We would have loved to do South Island also but maybe next time. Unfortunately we are still working class stiffs and have limited vacation time and $$$.

When are you going and for how long?

We arrive 4/4/13 & have 7 nights there... 1 night in Auckland, 2 in Rotorua, 2 in Wellington, 1 in Taupo & back to Auckland for 1 more night. As I said it was a groupon package so not a lot of flexibility.

Plan on packing lunches. You could buy a small cooler when you arrive and stock it with drinks, fruit, snacks, sandwich supplies, yogurt, milk, etc. We brought some protein bars with us; with fruit, something to drink, and maybe some chips, we had a quick and convenient lunch as we were hiking or whatever.

Lee Ann

Are we permitted to bring food into NZ? I know it is restricted in Australia.

They are very particular about bringing any type of food in so don't.You can get everything you need down there.Just be prepared for the prices-Sauvignon blanc from Oyster Bay NZ here in Chicago usually runs around $11 but down there its around $24 at the grocery stores. Lunches even for sandwiches usually run between $12 and $20 NZD and dinners are easily $28 upwards to $38 NZD wherever we went and we do cheap!

Our favorite grocery store in NZ was called COUNTDOWN as it had a great veg/fruit section,wine,deli.etc. We found out towards the end of our trip that if you spend over $75 in groceries, you can present your grocery bill with the special code at the bottom of it at several big name gas stations and you get 10 cents off each gallon of gas.

AUCKLAND-go downtown to the harbor area and have lunch along with the park area out to the sailboats. Great views and vibe.One of the largest/famous wineries is right by Auckland Airport called Villa Maria. It is beautifully landscaped and has tours,lunches,etc. although we thought that they were pricey but later realized that that really is the price of food in New Zealand?

ROTORUA-One tip I should give you is that at all the tourist/ISITE spots you can find these JASON'S free tour booklets of each town that has coupons for the town.The one we got for Rotorua sent us to one of the best restaurants called CAPERS.It is a fabulous restaurant with wonderful food and great presentation. The coupon for Capers gives you two entrees plus two glasses of wine for $40 NZD.(Their entrees are usually around $29 each!) The owners also own a famous tavern restaurant in town but Capers is a gem for their food!

I would also recommend going to the Maori thermal pools called Te Puia in Rotorua.It is Maori owned and operated and it is absolutely amazing! Unlike some of the other thermal sites offered in the area, it is authentic and very well run.They do NOT pour soap into a thermal pool hole at 1030am every morning to make it explode as one of the more famous ones does.

My daughter and I didn't know whether we wanted to spend $100 a piece for the Maori" hangi" (the traditional cooked underground) dinner feast at one of the thermal pools in Rotorua. The salesclerk at the Te Puia told us to just buy the day tour plus a show (only $12 more than just the tour) which operates every 2 hours throughout the day.It has the same "dinner dancing" but no dinner and it was only $57- we put our savings on going back to Capers twice that visit for better food!
There is also a free thermal park by the swimming pool center as you drive into Rotorua that is interesting yet small.

TAUPO was beautiful and a great spot for shopping and eating along the main waterfront area.The lake is huge and the volcanoes in the distance make a surreal setting of beauty.
Do drive out of town and go to the OraKei thermal pools that are only reached by boat across the lake-very cool and a different type of geothermal activity that is also run by the Maoris with a very cool cave and walking bridges around the park.

Yes and no.

NZ is very strict regarding food, as is Australia, but it's not completely prohibited. You must be very careful what you bring in and be sure to DECLARE everything. Don't be one of those poor travelers who forgets he has an apple in his bag and gets slapped with a $200 fine.

Generally speaking, commercially prepared items are okay - things like cereal bars, cookies, coffee, canned products, etc.

Fresh foods are generally prohibited - fruit, dairy products, eggs, that sandwich left in your bag from the flight, etc.

DECLARE any food. They'll either let it in or take it away, but you're good to go as long as you DECLARE.

More info here:

http://www.newzealandatoz.com/index....e/display/648/

Thanks for all of the great tips everyone. We are still seven weeks out so if you have additional tips or recommendations I would love to hear them.

BTW... Do you think a GPS is necessary? I am a map person but DH is a GPS junkie.

It's very easy to get around NZ with a map. There are only so many roads to begin with. I guess it depends on your personal comfort level, but I personally don't get the whole GPS thing.

Assuming you have chosen th echeapest car rental/flights/hotels it comes down to food and activities

Food
If you want to savour local food and atmosphere by all means eat out. If you just want to feed your body fuel go cheap.

Take a thermos/flask some plastic bowls, small plates, cups and knife,fork and spoon. Should take up less space than a shoe box.

If breakfast is not included - make your own. Buy some cereal and milk Or bread and jam peanut butter etc. or Fruit.

If breakfast is include eat as much as you can so you only need a small lunch. Take some extras from breakfast with you (some people of ths forum are VERY against this option.
At least fill up a thermos of boiling water for morning tea.Most places will give youthat much at least.

Lunch
Similar to Breakfast - make it.

Dinner
Many supermarkets will have hot Chickens. Get one and some premade salad (or buy the ingredients). Some will even have roast potatoes etc.Drinks will be cheaper in a supermarket than a food shop.
The bread department will have pizza type rolls. Breads are often on special late in the day.
Buy some meat and have a BBQ - most parks will have free gas or electric BBQs

If your accommodation has cooking facilities make good use of them. My wife baked choc chip biscuits in the oven on a canal boat and that kept us in morning and afternoon tea for a week!
Cook a chicken for sandwiches for the next few days.

Activities.
Look critically at the activity. If it is something you have done before or at least very similar - is it worth doing again, just because it is in New Zealand?

Look for options that don't have things you don't want. Cruises etc often offer lunch or dinner which are often overpriced. Are you better off taking your own or doing the cruise that doesn't offer food/drink. This is where they are making their money.

As said in a previous post - look for discounts and family tickets etc. But again look at those options critically.

Venues with poker/slot machines will often have free or cheap tea and coffee and soft drinks.Sometimes they will have cheap meals/food as well. They want you to stay and gamble. You are clever and will not gamble!

Scrimp on the things that don't matter - luches etc.
Splurge on the things that do.
What will you regret not doing? Eating out or not affording the Helicopter flight?

So appreciate all of the suggestions, keep them coming, careful budgeting is what allows us working stiffs to keep on traveling.

I'm afraid you are going to be shocked at the price of food and groceries in NZ. Even my Kiwi friends are...it's a good opportunity to lose weight!

Cheapest meals are generally fish & chips and sandwiches. If you have a car, the supermarkets are very good and have bulk food items and prepared foods to go. Rotorua has a big Pak N Save and would be a good place to stock up for snacks and meals on the go.

In Auckland you can find relatively inexpensive meals at Asian restaurants in the central business area..the wharf area is expensive.

You can check online and see if any of your hotels have kitchens, but I doubt it.

GPS..I agree it isn't necessary. You might go on Google Maps and print out local directions for each hotel, but between cities is easy. Getting out of Auckland, ask your hotel for good directions.

I think the hotels you are in charge internet use fees. This is another thing in NZ that can be a pricey surprise, especially when they are charged on an hourly basis. See if you can give up the internet for a week, or visit a cafe offering free Wi=Fi. There are a few Starbucks around, I think one in Rotorua. Wellington has free wifi around their waterfront. If you don't want to get stuck with roaming, don't use your cellphone. You can buy dial-around calling cards at Dick Smith (one in downtown CBD Auckland on Wyndham).

I have already downloaded as many maps to go & information guides that I can find to put on my Ipad.

We usually try to purge ourselves from the 'net when we are gone but will use will free wifi if it is available.

As for phone I have a GSM Quadband that I use for emergencies but try not to make a habit of it.

It sounds like the supermarkets will be are best friend. I am not surprised the pricces are high we found them to be so in the Cook Islands which is why I am asking for all of the advice I can get.

We are going to North Island on the Groupon deal as well but extending our stay in South Island for additional 8 days. Those are great tips for saving money from the group here. Neuman506, we will be arriving on 2nd April maybe we will meet on the way since we are doing the same route.

I was also wondering about GPS too and the map of NZ would cost us around $80 US for our TomTom GPS. I wonder if it is worth buying our map and bringing the GPS with us. I see that Melnq8 & mlgb said that it is not necessary. I do have a great "paper" map of NZ but it was dated back to 2001 when we visited the North Island and tour the Northland. I just wonder if this map would be out-of-date?

Your car rental will probably give you a map, but I might bring the old one as well just in case, it may be a little outdated but I am guessing not much.

If you are an Auto Club member, and can make it to the NZ AA office, you can get a reciprocal membership. They used to give really good paper maps, but most recent visit the maps were not so great. So it wasn't worthwhile last time, since I had better maps from the prior trip(s). But you get other bennies so may be worth it if you are there during open hours, the main office is on 99 Albert downtown Auckland. www.aa.co.nz also has lots of good online information and their trip time calculators are pretty accurate.

When you are at Auckland airport, swing by the big info center which should have lots of guides by AA, Jasons, etc. (They used to be free at the airport, not sure if true these days). Of course carrying all that paper is a pain, but I liked to have an AA guidebook for when I don't have hotels booked and don't have internet on the road. (Sorry Fodors).

BTW do you know that Google Maps street view works in NZ? This can be really handy if you are going somewhere for the first time, it will show you buildings on the street and you will know what to look for, you may even see the sign for you hotel.

www.maps.google.com (search for your hotel by name, click the little man and move him to the street with the locator pin).

I've also used www.wises.co.nz in pre-GPS days.

I like GPS partly because it is so convenient and if there are road closures and detours the GPS will give alternate routes while my printouts from Google will not have alternatives. The other concern of mine is that I will not have wi-fi on the road since I will not be using my iPhone due to the exorbitant cost of data access and unfortunately we are not AA members.

Thanks for the tips. I also read about iSites where we can get info. Another idea is that I could download the all the map images to my iPad since I won't have wi-fi on the road. I heard all the hotels we are staying in charged for Wi-fi access so we may have to search cafes that offer free wi-fi.

Jo888,
Are you coming in from SFO? When I look at the Hawaiian flight there appears to be eight people on our confirmation number.
I would love to have extended to do the South Island but we just don't have the time. I guess we will just have to come back.
The eyesight maps appear to be good that I downloaded for my iPad.

There are ways to find out about road closures without having GPS.

In NZ wi-fi and internet in general is expensive and they are also map-literate. So doing without GPS is probably the norm.

The government websites are good,

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/

for weather
http://www.metservice.com/national/home

for parks
doc.govt.nz

Most DOC publications can be downloaded for free, whereas if you purchase them at the DOC offices, there is a charge.

BTW Te Papa national museum in Wellington is free. National Parks are free. Most botanic gardens are free, including the one in Wellington (you need to pay for the cable car though).

Commercial activities tend to be expensive due to poor exchange rates. Look for discount offers, perhaps the AA card will get you % off.

The Auckland airport has numerous free maps,brochures and booklets for NZ housing. We took our European TOM TOM with us and downloaded the NZ maps and were glad we did as it helped especially in the bigger cities for getting around.

Bring some CD's with you or an IPOD format for the car as the music really passes the time on the long car runs between. Auckland and Rorotua,Taupo to Wellington,Christchurch to Mt. cook!

We got a little irritated at the lack of non-specific directions when we were in NZ in 2004 - "go north on the highway until you reach..." - but after a couple of days, we realized that they were accurate. There just aren't that many highways in New Zealand. :-)

Lee Ann

Neuman605 - Hawaii Airlines also leave from Seattle so we are lucky that we don't have to fly to LAX or SFO to catch the flight. Good idea for downloading maps on to iPad.

Is it worth the $$ to take a the Hobbiton Movie set @ Matamata/Rotorua?

I'm from Southern Illinois and have lived here for 12 years. I think you'll just generally be shocked at the prices of things. Even living here, we can't afford to eat out. It's stupid. But you do have all your fast food places here. I would recommend shopping at Countdown. Most places offer a fuel savings if you spend $40 or more on a shop. Right now it's .4 cents a liter which is not much. Sometimes you can get .10 to .30 cents if they are running promotions. Gas prices will vary region to region. We live in Hamilton and paid $2.17 a liter a few weeks back and when we went for a holiday in Rotorua we paid $1.96 a liter. But just coming from one end of Hamilton to the other, it's $2.20 on our end and it was $2.12 on the other. We went to Rotorua a few weeks back and stayed at a holiday park which is something I would recommend doing. But we are a family of 5. A backpackers is a cheap option as well. Be prepared to pay expensive prices for attractions. We paid $100 for Rainbow Springs and there isn't really much to it. Even the hedge maze was $45. Rotorua is an awesome place to visit though, I feel at home there. We lived 45 minutes north of Auckland for 8 years and I myself would recommend venturing away from Auckland city to see more of greater Auckland, it's awesome! Anyway, just my 2 cents ;)

Good lord $100 for Rainbow Springs? Per person?

NZNelson,
What are your recommendations for the greater Auckland area? We don't have a lot of time there but are thinking of a harbor cruise and the Sky Tower, other than that we really aren't sure what to do. Also what/where would you recommend for best priced Maori experience.
Thanks in advance for your advice.

$100 for Rainbow Springs was for a family of 4. And it's nothing compared to the big attractions of the US. All attractions here are like that though. Rainbows End which is our ONLY theme park with roller coasters and such is incredibly expensive and boring.

Neuman - I think it will depend on what you want to do in Auckland. I would recommend the Sky Tower. It's a great thing to say you did ;) A harbor cruise would be nice as well. I don't know the pricing of such. We used to live in Whangaparaoa which is a lovely area as is most of the East Coast beaches. If you want a drive and to explore, I could recommend that. Free beaches and free scenery. Just beautiful! Feel like camping? Shakespeare Park is a lovely place to camp, right on the beach. There is a cruise that leave Gulf Harbour that takes you to a bird sanctuary on an island. Can't remember the name right off. Fishing charters are always fun too. Coming from the midwest, you won't be getting these sorts of saltwater fish and they are yummy! I think if you are looking for a Maori experience such as a dance and hungi, your best bet will be Rotorua. When my family came here in 2001, we booked a hungi and dance show through a hotel in Rotorua. Can't remember what it cost. There are many of these experiences in Rotorua. Check out the website rotoruanz.com. I don't know what sort of money you have to spend but another way to find places to stay is bookabach.co.nz where you can book holiday homes around the country. Not all of them are cheap but traveling with a group can make them affordable and fun ;) We've just booked on in Tindalls Bay for $360 for 3 nights. So we have a house with beach views. Gorgeous! Can we share e-mail addresses here? If so I can give you mine if you want to contact me direct ;) Christi

Motels or cabins are the way to go as opposed to hotels. Motels will have kitchen, some cabins do also. Going to the supermarket and buying cereal, milk, vegemite :-) will save you going out for breakfast.

Fish and chips is not a cheap meal anymore, well it isn't in Nelson anyway.

We won our NZ trip as part of a Lord of the Rings promotion. I was interested in visiting Matamata, but they had removed everything from the filming, and the pictures I saw looked like the way Tolkien describes the "scouring of the Shire" in Return of the King. :-) It seemed a little depressing.

Since filming The Hobbit, the owners of the farm got permission to leave the sets up, and they've built a pub on the property. It looks and sounds much more appealing now.

Don't go to a hotel-based hangi. Instead, visit Te Puia www.tepuia.com or, if you don't want the concert and hangi experience, you could just go during the day.

In Auckland, we took the ferry over to Devonport, picked up a self-guided walking tour brochure at the information office, had lunch, and enjoyed a nice relaxing day walking through town.

Lee Ann