With the Aussie high, a visit to our most popular overseas destination has never been priced better. New Zealand’s proximity, excellent skiing, spectacular scenery, and generally laid-back lifestyle (almost comatose in places) make it a great place for a vacation or extended trip. In 2008, almost 900,000 Australians visited New Zealand. Recent marketing impulses from the New Zealand government have kept people coming; it’s hard not to get a little excited after a bad work week when those ads come up … it really is a great place to relax. So what is the best way to get there and get around?

Flights to New Zealand

There are many great deals for New Zealand, with decent competition for your money from different airlines. This has made flights as cheap as ever, but be careful, booking early is still key as cheap seats will sell out well in advance, especially at peak times. Direct flights to Queenstown from Australia are always full during the winter.

Important tips for booking flights to New Zealand:

• New Zealand’s international airports are Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown (limited direct flights from Oz in ski season)
• A good time of year to buy tickets is January. Air New Zealand will launch their special offers around this time and seats will be available later in the year (for the ski season or flights through September).
• Splitting the return fare between two airlines is one way to save money: Qantas, Virgin Blue, or Air New Zealand may be the cheapest on the way to Auckland, while Emirates are usually the cheapest on the return leg (a good opportunity to fly a big airline). Check online for one-way rates instead of returns. A little searching will save you money.
• Generally, you should budget around $ 450- $ 500 Aussie return inc. Tax for flights to New Zealand. Cheaper than this and it’s a lot.
• Direct flights to Queenstown are almost certainly closer to $ 600 including tax if you arrive early
• Virgin Blue is the only budget airline that flies to all three major airports in Australia
• Lan Chile and Aerolineus Argentina can sometimes have cheap seats as they stop here on the way to South America (via Auckland)
• New Zealand is the most popular international destination for online flight bookings and you don’t really need to use an agent if you are happy to book online. Save yourself that the commission agents will charge you when you book on the web

Around the World in Star Alliance New Zealand is an easy stop on the way to the Pacific states or islands.

At One World, Qantas or Lan Chile will take you there on the way to the United States or South America. Counts as part of the Australian region on continent-based tickets.

Best time to go Fall (March to June) or spring (August to November) are good times to visit. Fares are cheap at the moment and there is less tourist traffic around popular spots. The colors are great and your vacation will certainly be more relaxing. On the South Island, September to October is a great time with the combination of the changing seasons and the snow capped mountains making the tours spectacular.

As in Australia and around the world, try to avoid local school holidays as prices will be higher. Try to avoid January, the first week of February, April, and the first weeks of July.

Move

Rent a car

The cheapest time to rent a car is during the winter months from June to October. The wide variety of rental companies and the strong dollar mean it’s an easy and inexpensive way to get around any time of the year. $ 40 a day will get you started. Check out the big carriers like Hertz, Easy Rent, and Budget, along with a group of smaller carriers.

Motorhomes

Renting a motorhome has become one of the most popular ways to see New Zealand, and for good reason. It will give you complete freedom and it will be a little cheaper than staying in hotels during your stay. There is a large network of campsites where parking, or just leaning out for a night out in the country is much easier than on the east coast of Australia; You will seldom be bothered by a 6am ranger who tries to fine you $ 300 for parking. in a public place. (those rangers, they’ll catch you)

In general, a caravan will cost you around $ 100.00 per day with all the amenities. A good tip is that buying comprehensive travel insurance in Australia will allow you to save on your car insurance in New Zealand. A decent Australian policy will have high rental car excess coverage, allowing you to choose the cheapest insurance option for your motorhome. The travel insurance policy will pay off multiple times.

Check out companies like Britz, Pacific Horizon, KEA, Apollo, and Maui. There is a lot of competition for your dollar.

Make sure you understand the different road conditions in New Zealand – winter driving on narrow roads with sleet and snow can be very difficult and cut down on any travel.

For longer stays, buying a car is an option – second-hand cars can be quite cheap, and the change of ownership process is easy (just one trip to the post office).

Put your car / motorhome / person on the ferry between islands

Moving between the two islands with your car or on your own is easy and quite reasonable. Ferries run 5 times a day between Wellington in the north and Picton in the south. Look for deals on these sites:

-Inter Islander

-Blue Bridge

Expect to pay around NZ $ 50 for a single car-free trip.

Backpacker buses

New Zealand is by far one of the easiest countries to backpacking. An almost perfect network of hostels has excellent public buses or, more easily, backup buses like the Kiwi Experience. The latter is a hop on hop off style bus that will take you around the islands at your own pace, conveniently stopping at top sights and outside the door of select hostels. If you can put up with the strange white shoe that Brit wears by spending Daddy’s money, this can be a great way to see the islands, with plenty of options for adventure activities along the way. Also check the ‘magic bus’ and ‘street travel’ websites for similar services.

Lane

There are some great scenic train rides in New Zealand that are reasonably priced and a good way to ditch the rental car for a few days. On the North Island you can travel between Auckland and Wellington, or on the South Island the Christchurch-Picton train is always popular. The latter includes the Kaikoura mountain ranges on one side and the Pacific coast on the other. The trip lasts about five hours, runs through 22 tunnels and is highly recommended.

Domestic flights

Currently, Zuji or Air New Zealand are two sites that will allow you to book and pay for domestic New Zealand flights online. The prices are quite cheap; for example, a budget of around $ 90 inclusive of taxes for one way from Auckland to Wellington.

Accommodation: As with flights, booking well in advance is the key to getting a reasonable price for accommodation. If you’re winging it and booking just one night and renting a car, be aware that ski season and school holiday accommodation options in New Zealand are dwindling very quickly. Also, there can be a huge price difference across agents and different websites. Make sure you take the time to review at least a few options before booking.

Ski? Inexpensive rates and packages, along with decent snow, make a ski trip to New Zealand an easy choice over expensive and fickle trips within Australia. A week in New Zealand can really be cheaper than staying at home.

The main difference between Australia and many other destinations is that you cannot stay right in the snow (with the exception of Cardona, above Wanaka, and these apartments are booked months in advance). You will be staying in nearby towns to shop, but this is no drama as transfers to the mountains are cheap and being in Queenstown any night during the ski season is not a bad thing.

Booking in advance is the key, especially for large groups. Try and book flights and packages in January; there are always a multitude of offers available. Consider reserving for late season, August through October. Snow is quite reliable and will avoid price caps.

Main regions

Queenstown

Queenstown, New Zealand’s capital for both skiing and adventure activities, has never lost its appeal. You can ski in up to 5 areas, including nearby Wanaka. There is accommodation ranging from the most luxurious to a ton of backpacker style options that we generally don’t have in Oz resorts. Queenstown is great in the summer too, with plenty to keep you busy out of the mountains.

Wanaka

About 70 km from Queenstown, Wanaka is a large tourist center although less crowded and hedonistic than Queenstown. It’s a cheaper option than Queenstown, but it has less landscaping value and comes with little of the village-style atmosphere that you get from its more flashy neighbor.

Mt hutt

Mt Hutt enjoys the longest ski season on the South Island due to its status as one of the highest ski fields in the southern hemisphere. It is just 1.5 hours’ drive from Christchurch. Accommodation options are Methvan or Mt Hutt, ranging from cheap, no-frills motels to luxury resort-style.

Mount Ruapehu

Located on the North Island, Mount Ruapehu is little known to people outside of New Zealand. For the locals, this area represents constant snow and the most developed ski areas in the country. Tour operators practically ignore this region, although many New Zealanders are the first choice during the winter. Helicopter skiing is best served on the South Island, along with other adventure activities.

Helicopter Skiing For helicopter ski trips or scenic flights over parts of both islands, options abound. Just be sure to check the safety history of the carrier you choose.

Some other helpful tips Stay longer than the five-day average most Australians do – a month of travel here should leave you wondering what’s the rush at home

Don’t bother buying road maps – the Value Tours brochure, from any agent in Aus, has a full rundown of accommodation options and a decent free map. Sort of like an NRMA guide. Failing that, the free tourist maps when you arrive are just as good.

Always look for deals in January for the ski season

Also look to ski the North Island for something different