New Zealand. Aotearoa. Center-Earth. No matter you wanna name it, one factor is similar: it’s a spectacular vacation spot. And for many people, it’s a place we now have been dreaming of visiting. However how do you begin planning a visit to this real-life fantasyland? On this video, we’ll stroll you thru the necessities —from timing and transportation to must-visit spots. As a result of sure, it could be an epic vacation spot, however it additionally takes a little bit of technique.
Step 1: Resolve how lengthy your journey might be.
Measurement-wise, New Zealand is a bit tough when seen on the map. It does seem like simply a few droplets within the ocean, particularly when the big Australia is in the identical body. However it’s not that small. And even when it had been, there’s only a lot to see and do. It’s bought glaciers, glowworm caves, snow-capped peaks, iconic filming areas, and charming cities. And likelihood is, you’d wish to see all of them.
Our first recommendation is to keep longer. We stayed for 10 days, and it felt actually brief. Attending to New Zealand will not be simple or low cost, so take advantage of out of it by staying longer and seeing extra, particularly in case you plan on making a cease at a number of cities.
However in case you can actually allocate a number of days, that’s nice, however it’s going to be more difficult except you’ll be specializing in only one or two locations.
Step 2: Construct your itinerary.
As soon as you determine what number of days you may be spending in New Zealand, it’s time to begin constructing your itinerary. Step one is to establish what locations are non-negotiable for you. For instance, in case you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, I’m positive you’ll not forgive your self in case you don’t set foot in Hobbiton. Proper?
So record them out. In our case, we solely had a number of: Hobbiton, Christchurch, and Queenstown.
And simply by trying on the map, I spotted early on that they’re fairly far aside. So from right here, we tried to give you a route that may join all of those and may realistically be loved in 10 days.
From the get-go, we knew our entry level could be Auckland. As New Zealand’s largest metropolis, it has the nation’s largest airport and is essentially the most standard jumpoff level to Hobbiton. However as an alternative of going again to Auckland, we determined to remain for a few days to Rotorua, since it’s also a preferred vacationer vacation spot.
Rotorua has an airport, which serves direct flights to Christchurch, so we opted to fly for this leg. However from Christchurch to Queenstown, we wished to journey by land so we might admire the landscapes alongside the way in which. So we’ll solely be reserving 4 lodges, one every in Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch, and Queenstown.
However as we continued researching, we realized that we might additionally go to different sights. For instance, from Christchurch to Queenstown, as an alternative of reserving a direct bus, we found that there are one-way excursions on Klook. One-way as a result of it should choose you up in Christchurch, make a number of prolonged stops at vacationer spots alongside the way in which together with Lake Tekapo and the areas near Mt. Prepare dinner, after which drop you off in Queenstown. It’s like a bus switch and group tour in a single!
On Klook, they’ve Christchurch to Queenstown and Queenstown to Christchurch by way of Lake Tekapo and Mt. Prepare dinner, and Auckland to Rotorua by way of Hobbiton.
✅ Auckland to Rotorua by way of Hobbiton
✅ Christchurch to Queenstown by way of Mt. Prepare dinner & Lake Tekapo
✅ Queenstown to Christchurch by way of Mt. Prepare dinner & Lake Tekapo
Step 3: Work out transportation.
One factor that turned obvious early on whereas researching for this journey was that public transportation choices between cities in New Zealand had been fairly restricted. That is why, many on-line publications will inform you that one of the best ways to get round is by renting a automobile or a campervan.
I agree. By driving, not solely do you may have complete management of your time, you additionally don’t get restricted by inflexible bus or tour schedules. However earlier than you lock it in, be sure you have a legitimate driver’s license and that you just’re assured driving on the left facet of the street.
However in case you’re touring alone or a pair, you may find yourself spending extra. It’s extra superb in case you’re a part of a gaggle so you may have companions to separate the fee with.
If driving is out of the image for no matter motive, you’ll be able to take InterCity Buses. However once more, know that departures are few and much between. For instance, from Auckland to Rotorua, there are solely a handful of journeys accessible. However you’ll be able to completely make it work in case you plan your journey effectively.
An alternative choice is by becoming a member of the one-way excursions that I discussed within the earlier part of this video.
You too can fly. Home flights in New Zealand are delightfully cheap, so don’t rely them out simply but. For instance, once we flew from Auckland to Christchurch, we solely paid round 108 NZD (P3640) per individual.
Initially we wished to fly straight from Rotorua Airport to Christchurch, however this route was twice or thrice dearer so we determined to journey again to Auckland Airport as an alternative.
Talking of flights…
Step 4: Examine flight costs.
New Zealand is fairly distant, so it’s no shock that flights going there are costly. Its nationwide flag service is Air New Zealand, which has direct flights to and from Taipei, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, Vancouver and numerous cities throughout Australia, the USA, and the Pacific. Different airways like Qantas, Jetstar, China Airways, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Air, Qatar Airways and Emirates fly to New Zealand too. So do quite a few American and Chinese language carriers.
We’re primarily based within the Philippines and there are not any direct flights accessible. Philippine Airways used to supply direct Manila to Auckland flights, however that route has been discontinued. So we needed to join elsewhere. However this journey is a part of our larger Australia-New Zealand journey so we flew from Melbourne.
Should you e-book prematurely, a roundtrip flight from Manila often prices PHP 40,000 to 50,000 in off-peak season and round PHP 60,000 in peak season.
As a lot as attainable, attempt to e-book each legs of the journey with the identical airline or at the least airways with code-share agreements, so that you gained’t must clear immigration at your layover airport and choose up and verify in your baggage once more. Particularly in case you’re connecting in Australia, which would require you to acquire a Transit Visa first.
Anyway, in case you see fares and preparations that you just like, don’t e-book simply but. Simply evaluate and canvas. Don’t finalize something.
Step 5: Examine lodging choices.
One other factor it’s good to contemplate is lodging. The excellent news is, most New Zealand metropolis or city facilities usually are not that large. Even Auckland, which is the nation’s largest metropolis, isn’t as bustling and is definitely fairly chill in comparison with different large cities in different nations. So in concept, so long as you’re inside the metropolis heart or city heart, you have to be nice.
However one factor it’s good to be ready for is the fee. Whereas planning our journey, we rapidly realized that lodging charges in New Zealand are fairly steep particularly in the summertime months.
- In Auckland, we booked a room at SkyCity, which is simply subsequent to the Sky Tower, Auckland’s most iconic landmark. We paid round NZD 170 (P5740) per night time. Nice location, and the Sky Drive, which is the airport bus terminates simply across the nook. Examine Charges & Availability! ✅
- In Rotorua, we stayed at Rock Strong Backpackers, a hostel proper within the metropolis heart inside strolling distance of main sights. It was only a fan room, however New Zealand summers are fairly delicate so we didn’t thoughts. It’s geared up with all the fundamental facilities, a TV, a desk, toiletries, and all. And sure, it has an ensuite bathroom and tub. We paid USD 87 (NZD 147, PHP 4950) per night time. Sure, for a fan room. That’s how costly rooms are right here. Examine Charges & Availability! ✅
- In Christchurch, we booked a personal room at Haka Home, which I believe can be categorised as a hostel, however it didn’t really feel prefer it in any respect. It was newly renovated and our room had ensuite bathroom and tub and all the things was squeaky clear, so it felt like we had been staying at a boutique lodge. Superior location, too, near most factors of curiosity together with the Botanical Backyard and Riverside Market. They’d no elevator although, so it may be difficult in case you have heavy baggage. This room set us again NZD 183 (USD 109, PHP 6145) per night time. Examine Charges & Availability! ✅
- However Queenstown was the priciest of all of them. We stayed at one other hostel referred to as BLACK SHEEP Backpackers Hostel, in a fan room with out its personal bathroom and bathe. The place was neat and good, and it’s not too removed from the middle of the motion, however we shelled out NZD 215 (USD 128, PHP 7240) per night time for this. And this was the most cost effective that we discovered even when we booked this fashion prematurely. Examine Charges & Availability! ✅
By the way in which, you don’t must memorize all these particulars. We compiled all of the NEW ZEALAND TRAVEL ESSENTIALS together with an inventory of all of the lodges and hostels we tried within the TPT Masterlist. Simply go to and scroll till you see the part about New Zealand. We even have a compilation for different locations world wide. Examine Charges & Availability! ✅
So yeah, New Zealand lodging is tremendous costly. Simply preserve it in thoughts when budgeting to your journey. That’s most likely why some vacationers select to simply hire a campervan.
Anyway, similar to with flights and transpo, don’t decide to your lodge reserving but. As an alternative, select properties that provide FREE CANCELLATION. Each Klook and Agoda have these choices.
- Should you e-book with Klook, please use our promo code THEPOORTRAVELERKLOOK for as much as P300 OFF or TPTKLOOK5 for as much as P500 OFF. These codes may change sooner or later so greatest to simply go to thepoortraveler.web/klook to redeem up to date low cost codes!
- Should you favor AGODA, use our promo code AGODATPT for 10% low cost.
No matter you select, ensure it’s FREE CANCELLATION as a result of there’s one essential factor that it’s good to handle first earlier than you make any reserving remaining…
Step 6: Apply for a New Zealand visa.
You is perhaps questioning why I’m mentioning the visa simply now. Effectively, 2 causes:
First, a New Zealand visa isn’t low cost. It prices NZD 100 (PHP 3300), as of this writing. And it’s often legitimate for simply 1 12 months. It’s not just like the US or Canada visas which may give you as much as 10 years. No, simply 1 12 months. So in case you’re not but 100% sure that you just’re New Zealand-bound, don’t apply. You’ll simply be losing cash if you find yourself not utilizing it.
Additionally, earlier than you begin the visa utility course of, it’s greatest that you’ve a powerful grasp of your journey plans. When making use of for a New Zealand visa, you’ll be requested to your journey dates and lodge addresses, and you’ll even submit an in depth day-to-day itinerary to bolster your case. Having a strong journey plan will enormously improve your possibilities of approval. You too can add your lodge bookings as supporting paperwork, though it’s optionally available.
I’m not going to delve deeper into the method as a result of we now have mentioned it intimately in our complete NEW ZEALAND VISA GUIDE! ✅
Should you favor it in Tagalog or Filipino, simply watch this video.
In line with the official New Zealand Immigration web site, visa processing often takes 4 weeks or 1 month. I bought mine after solely 2 days however don’t rely on it. It’s all the time greatest to use at the least 2 months earlier than your goal departure date.
Step 7: Finalize all of your bookings.
When you’re granted a visa, finalize all of your bookings! E book these flights, excursions, transfers, and different stuff that you just had been eyeing. Or if issues change, modify accordingly.
Once more these are all of the promo codes that you should use. We’ve reductions for lodges, excursions, and eSIM for web connection. We even have particular charges for journey insurance coverage, unique for TPT subscribers.
Be sure to additionally accomplish and submit the New Zealand Traveller Declaration Type inside 24 hours earlier than your departure flight. It must be of their system by the point you arrive in New Zealand.
That’s all for now. Keep in mind, plan good, journey protected, and make each journey WORTH IT!
