KITCHEN ISLAND IDEAS NZ
hey guys we are robin and laura the teambehind backpackerguide.nz and this is our thirty essential tips forbackpacking in new zealand to answer all your questions on working traveling andliving in new zealand we have put together this whopping list to help youfrom the moment you start preparing your trip to the moment that you leave newzealand number one get yourself a workingholiday visa there is so much to do in new zealand that you'll want to spend asmuch time here as possible a working holiday visa in new zealand would allowyou to stay in the country for up to 12 months and even allow you to workthat means that you'll be able to afford
to stay longer and do morethey are the 40 country which i legible for working holiday visa new zealand sowe've put in the description below a link that will detail if your country iseligible as well as how to apply number 2 stay in hostels what makes newzealand such a backpacker friendly country is its huge amount of hostelsexpect to pay between 20 to 30 new zealand dollars per night in a dorm roomand that's with shared facilities like kitchen and common areas and laundrywe've stayed in over 100 amazing hostel in new zealand as part of our web seriesnew zealand's biggest gap year so make sure to check it outnumber three travel in the shoulder season
new zealand summer runs from december tofebruary and the country goes nuts at that time of the yeareverywhere is more crowded the prices are likely to be higher and a lot of ourcompetition and activities are usually fully booked despite what many touriststhink you can definitely enjoy new zealand in the offseason and shoulderseason mountain biking hiking whitewaterrafting bungee jumping skydiving it can all be done all year round in newzealand for this reason laura and i love to travel in new zealand between apriland september which bring us to number four work in summer this will free youup for travelling in the shoulder season
and there's heaps more work opportunity insummer in new zealand especially hospitality tourism fruitpicking and much more we have more than 800 job listings on backpacker guide nzas well as articles on how to find a job quickly in new zealand so be sure tocheck that out we'll put the links in the description below number five travelfrom south to north most tourists and backpackers arrived in auckland andstart travelling south from there to avoidthe big tourists and backpackers funnel you may want to take a fly down to christchurchor to queenstown and start your travels from therethis is particularly handy for those of
you who want to rent a car or acampervan to travel new zealand most car rental companies are desperate forpeople to bring vehicles back up north so you can get much cheaper prices thatway also you could even score a car relocation deal which means hiring a caror a camper van for free we'll make sure to put a link to car relocation in thedescription below speaking of car relocation number sixon our list is pick the best transport for you this is something that everybackpacker has an opinion on but it's also the most personal choice you willhave to make for your entire trip so don't listen to anyone just listen toyourself actually listen to us telling
you to listen to yourself that's rightthere are pros and cons to each type of transport in new zealand whether it istaking the train flying renting a vehicle buying a vehicle taking one ofthe backpacker buses time budget and the sort of people that you want to meetalong the way all relies on what transport method you choose although wetravelled with a massive camper van during new zealand biggest gap yearthis is definitely not the way of transportation that we will have usedwhen we first arrived in new zealand we've got them all hop-on hop-off buses car rental campervan rentals train plane and we have heaps ofinformation but all of those on
backpackerguide.nz so make sure tocheck that out as well but number 7 on our list is if buying acar don't get scammed there are some pretty questionable cars and camper vansknocking around new zealand and we found that out the hard way before buying acar or a camper van you should do a car inspection a test drive of the car andalso it's a good idea to do a pre-purchase inspection with aprofessional mechanic if you have no idea about cars there's also somepaperwork you need to look out like the warrant of fitnessthe certificate of registration and the change of ownership moving on fromvehicle tip number eight is use the
backpacking facebook groups there areheaps of backpackers in new zealand and the community is super active so justuse the facebook search bar and type backpacking in new zealand you'd findheaps of group full of people that want to travel together exchange tips andeven sell bits and bobs that you may have forgotten to pack from back homenumber nine always have layers of clothing with you and famous saying innew zealand is four seasons in a day and that's because the weather can change sorapidly so even in your day pack in summer always have an extra layer andnumber 10 on our list is hike until your shoes wear out there are heaps of absolutelymind-blowing landscape in new zealand
and the best way to see them andcheapest way is to hike hike in a hike again the department of conservation ofnew zealand does an amazing job of maintaining the tracks and signage soeven the complete beginner will have no chance to get lost and have a blastnumber 11 try some work for accommodation now there are quite a fewways to work for accommodation in new zealand but the most popular two areeither working in a hostel or wwoofing wwoofing is a term usually used todescribe working two to four hours five days a week in exchange foraccommodation and food now we have quite a few of these opportunities listed onbackpacker guide and you can also become
a member of wwoof new zealand. and number 12 besavvy when you hitchhike hitchhiking is legal and common practice in new zealandand it's a great way to meet locals however just know that there is anelement of risk when hitchhiking it's always a better idea to hitchhike withsomeone else and if the driver looks a bit dodgyjust avoid tip number 13 you are only in new zealand once don't lock yourself upin work only to realise at the end of the year that you missed out onmost of the amazing stuff that new zealand has to offer make sure you planaccordingly and leave a lot of room for exploration adventures and meeting new people so at the end of the
year you feel hashtag no regretsour tip number 14 is book direct the cheapest deals almost always come directlyfrom the hostel the activity provider and even the transportation companythis means that just don't have to give a commission to a sales agent andchances are that if even if you find deal cheaper somewhere else they'll beable to match it booking direct doesn't only benefit youit benefits the company too number 15 get used to being less connected decentwi-fi hotspots are pretty hard to come by in new zealand so you're either gonnahave to hunt out for the hot spots or use your cell phone but we'll come backto that in just a moment
tip number 16 is declare declare declare yes when arriving in new zealand you will experience the strictbiosecurity rules in your plane you will be given a passenger arrival card where you can tick boxes to tell immigration officers and biosecurityofficers what you have packed in your backpack and if you're not sure tickthe boxes just so you can avoid hefty fines for them bringing in a countrysomething that you should not have we have heaps of tips about arriving innew zealand on backpackerguide.nz so make sure to check those out so you're well prepared tip number 17 is travel alonesure it's pretty easy for us to say that
since you've seen us traveling all rightnew zealand together but we both arrived in the country alone and we had the timeof our lives no offense none taken bitch but it'strue traveling alone means that you get to make your gap year your own it's anawesome confidence booster and you are more likely to mingle with other solotravelers if you're alone yourself you'll be called a so called solotraveler but by taking backpacker buses or staying in hostels or whatever if youwant your backpacking trip to be shared with other people that's definitelydoable number 18 get an 18+ card yes there's only three type of id to buyalcohol in new zealand
it's your passport an 18+ card ora new zealand driver license nothing else will workso don't even try seriously they check ids almost in every bars in new zealandso what you want to do is to head to the post office grab a form fill it up andyou'll get your 18+ card in no time we have a full guide about that onbackpackerguide.nz and the link is belownumber 19 have an open mind having an open mind and saying yes to things opensup so many opportunities you'll find work faster you're gonna do someactivities that you never thought you did you might even end up doing a jobwhich is completely random the
opportunities are endless you never knowif you don't try right number 20 stick to your travel budgets there are so manytemptations in new zealand in terms of drink food skydives so you really needto have discipline to stick to your budget but there are loads of freeactivities you can do in new zealand and we have heaps of budgeting articles onbackpacker guide new zealand we recommend that you arrive in new zealandwith 5500 new zealand dollars plus enough funds for your return flight andyour travel insurance this will set you up for success it's enough money for youto travel and have some fun before settling down getting a job saving moneyand well travel and have some fun on a
similar note number 21 eat well andcheaply the food prices might be a little bit more expensive than whatyou're used to but it's still doable to have a healthy and cheap diet in newzealand when you're changing your lifestyle and using more energy this iswhen you need to eat fruit and veggies the most don't be that guy that eatsnoodles every day you'll just get sick so don't do ittip number 22 is get an eftpos card now what the hell is an eftpos card well it's simplythe new zealand version of the debit card opening a bank account in newzealand in getting a debit card will save you heaps on international transferas well as transaction fee plus having a
new zealand bank account is mandatoryfor those of you that may want to work in the country so in our book it's amust-do speaking about work tip number 23 isadapt to the new zealand job market do not assume that employers will adapt toyou you have to adapt to them new zealand has different styles cvsdifferent style interviews and different approach to work in general soyou want to go on backpackerguide.nz and check out other articles on thissubject there is tips to perfect your cv there's tips for your interviews there's tipsto how to job hunt its a mix between online and face-to-face so make sure youcheck those out so you are well-prepared
and you get a job in no time tip number24 is get off the beaten track so yes you've heard of auckland queenstownwellington and christchurch alright but new zealand is so much more there's heapsto be discovered seriously on new zealand's biggest gap here where we did365 activities in 365 days we went to some of the most off the beaten trackplaces out there and that is where you get some of the best experiences sosubscribe below follow us and make your bucket list and tip number 25 is load upon the free activities so back to budget you're gonna want to spend most of yourtime doing free activities in new zealand and hell there are a lot of freestuff to do
hikes crazy rock formations waterfallsfree gigs museum art gallery and some hostels even give you free kayakfree surfboard you are spoilt for choice on backpacker guide new zealand wehave loads of articles on free stuff to do all over the country so get browsing26 on our list is it's okay to be a tourist alright there's plenty ofactivity new zealand that you heard so much about and you're probably thinkingman it's too touristy and i won't do them but you know what that will bepopular for a reason so hop on that god damn milford sound cruise and enjoy thestunning views they are amazing you have a blastnumber 27 plan according to your travel
time if you've given yourself a fewmonths to travel or maybe just a couple of weeksjust don't try to do everything even we did it managed to get absolutelyeverywhere and we did 365 days on the road new zealand might be a smallcountry but getting around takes time so make sure you plan accordingly spend agood amount of time in selected places but just don't try to go everywherenumber 28 is compare the cellphone providers there are four companies innew zealand skinny spark vodafone and 2â° your phone habits are probably gonnabe very different than what you currently using back home so you have totake that in consideration when
comparing them you want to find a planwhich is quite flexible as well because you may change your phone habitsthroughout the year from when you travel and meeting heaps of people on the roadto when you're more settled working and having a routine somewhere in newzealand so we've done a lot of comparison that we link all our articlesright down on the description below number 29 is be a savvy consumer youneed to be aware of your right when traveling around new zealand you want toknow what is gst good and service taxes this applies to everything you might useit and is usually included in the price you want to pick up loyalty cardespecially from supermarkets you want to
compare prices for fuel for instancedon't get fuel near the auckland airport get it somewhere else this couple ofbrands like waitomo or mckeown which are much cheaper than the otheryou also want to collect vouchers from supermarkets and all the places there isheaps of little thing that you want to know to be a savvy consumer while on theroad in new zealand this is why we have a whole budget section on backpackerguide.nz so you can start learning the ropes and tricks of the life here soyou make sure that you stretch those dollars further and finally number 30don't be afraid to move on so you've got out of your comfort zone you travelledacross the world
met some new friends got a new job a newplace to live in new zealand and pretty soon you're gonna start feelingcomfortable again and too comfortable to move on now people find it much moresatisfying to do short stints of work and travel ratherjust staying in one place for ten months and then traveling for a couple ofmonths at the end just remember how easy it was to start a new the first timedon't be afraid to move on and move on to your next destination so that's itfor 30 tips for backpacking in new zealand we really hope that you findthat super helpful and this will be something that you'll carry onthroughout your whole trip backpackerguide.nz
is a superb resource foryou to plan travel in new zealand and make the most of your gap year here makesure to check it out into a bookmark it so you can use it throughout the yearyou can also subscribe below so you can follow on new zealand's biggest gap yearwhere we challenge ourselves to do 365 activities in new zealand in only 365days this is absolutely insane and that should help you make the best bucker list ever. kia ora! kia ora!
