New Zealand was on our Bucket List for long but we finally
did the 17 day fantastic trip this month. We knew what we wanted to do and
where all we wanted to go but the itinerary had the flexibility to extend or
reduce a day here and there. As always, we planned everything on our own, no
Travel and Tour companies. I will dedicate this blog on the tips of travelling
to New Zealand, especially for an Indian. My second blog will cover highlights (destinations)
of the trip.
NZ $ was 50-52 INR when we traveled. $ is NZ$ and adjusted whenever
compared.
Malls, Lavish Hotels
and Shopping? Skip NZ: If you are one of those who loves going to Dubai,
for example, for its big malls and modern architecture, then NZ may disappoint
you. It is a country for nature lovers. Also it’s not for those whose one big
item on the vacation agenda is shopping. The country imports most of what it
consumes so everything is expensive. (If you indeed have to shop, go to
Warehouse, a kind of Wal-Mart of NZ) If you like staying in lavish star hotels,
then it’s not the place either. NZ is best seen outside of its big cities such
as Christchurch or Auckland and there are no five star extravagant hotels in
the countryside. So if forests, seas and natural landscapes don’t excite you,
then maybe you don’t have to go.
Plan 2, may be 3
weeks: NZ is a small country but an absolutely beautiful country. If you
close your eyes while on road and open after 30 minutes, you will see natural beauty.
Close again open after 20 mins, you see beauty again. The country has done a
marvelous job of preserving its national parks and surroundings. There is a
lot of stuff to do, especially adventure related. Plus if you are travelling
from India, you have already spent a lot of time and money reaching there. To
make the most of it, a week-10 days is not good enough. Plan 2-3 weeks.
Drive, Drive, Drive:
Being a common wealth nation, it has right hand drive so Indians will have no
problem on judgement as long as they are following the signs and rules. All
passengers wear seat belts – front or rear. Most roads are two-lane only,
except when you reach motor way, (New Zealander’s Express Way) but driving
speed is 100 kmph, unless otherwise mentioned. Indian DL is accepted. Book in
advance, rental car companies block card but do not take the money and
cancellations are easy. Read rules. Shop for rental cars wisely – look for
deals across Ace, Apex, Jucy, Quality, Economy, RitePrice, Rentadent etc. plus lot
of companies that operate only in North or South Island. (Type destination e.g.
‘Auckland to Roturua rental car’ for more names). Take full comprehensive
insurance – while it makes the deal expensive it is tension free. Do not take
GPS, your phone will do just fine. Choice of cars are not all that great,
unlike let’s say in Europe or US. They are expensive as well. (SUV in US for
$50 a day (minus insurance), while you will get it for not less than $60-70 in
NZ). Petrol is also expensive. $2.2 per litre, US is half of that. In spite of
all these costs, I would recommend you to drive. Roads are smooth and
beautiful. I am not an auto enthusiast and don’t enjoy driving so much but we
did some 2500 kms and it was a pleasure. The country is so scenic you want to
stop often for a photo opp. Depending on your itinerary, most drives are less
than 4-5 hours from one point to the other after accounting for generous
breaks. Most cars will not have USB port. I would recommend that you speak to
the rental company before booking as it helps listening to our music while on
road. Cars do have CD though. Fill your tank in larger cities as the petrol is
cheapest there.
Phone: As soon as
you land in NZ, take one of those prepaid cards right from the airport. We took
one Vodafone card from duty free at some $37 which gave 120 mins of free
outgoing calls (domestic, international, what have you!); 2 GB of download,
continuous internet access, 200 SMSs and all incoming free! On the other phone we
kept the Vodafone India international roaming. While not as good a deal, kept
my Indian number alive in case of some emergency.
Australia visa: In
case you are transiting through Australia to reach NZ, you will need an Australian
transit visa. It is not very expensive ($20 per person) but it’s an unavoidable
hassle.
Season: NZ
summers are from December to April. They are the peak travelling season as well.
I try avoiding crowd, so shoulder months of Nov and May would be my advice.
Plus you get better deals on hotels and activities. But summer is good as well
as there are no weather related surprises that may stall your plans, especially
if your schedule is tight.
Pay using your Master
debit card: Contrary to popular opinion, debit cards give decent good deals.
Before leaving we tried taking some NZ $ in cash and the rate we got was in
excess of Rs. 53 per NZ$. Same was with prepaid international cards. We got a
rate of Rs.50 when we used the ICICI debit card. HDFC was close to 52. Visa debit card was not working for some reason.
When swiping your card, chose the credit
option and enter your pin. Carry little cash since you can withdraw cash from
ATMs there as well.
Stay with locals:
My final tip is to stay with locals. In the former part of our trip we used
AIRBNB and stayed with locals. They are friendly and their tips are invaluable. (Check https://www.facebook.com/TongariroAdventures who were our hosts. Great couple - very helpful. Strongly recommended if you are in the area). AIRBNB gives lots of options on the kind of privacy you need – separate
bathrooms, separate entry exit and even separate houses. While costs of staying
in a hotel vs. AIRBNB may be similar, staying with locals gives you a
perspective of the country and its culture. The kind of advice they give cannot
be found in guide books and Google! Plus many offer kitchen and laundry usage.
For singles, there are hostels and rooms on a sharing basis at very cheap
prices – say $150 a week.
Food & Drink: NZ
does not have a great list of its own cuisine. Its influenced by West. You get
burgers, pizzas etc. But there are lots of Thai restaurants that most Indians
like. (When ordering Thai, ask them to make it hot). Looking at the price you
can figure the quantity. If a dish is priced around $20-25, then you can order
an extra helping of rice/bread and that would be good for two people. There are
a lot of Indian restaurants as well, especially in cities. Once in a while you
feel like eating typical homemade Indian meal and many places offer microwave
and cooking facilities. Carry company sealed MTR, Paramapara, Haldiram snacks
and Basmati rice and declare when you enter. Don’t carry meat, fruits, soil,
leaves etc,. Drink NZ wine. You can get a good one for $15. You can carry your
wine to restaurants and pay for it extra (mostly between $5-10). It still works
out cheaper.
Talk money: NZ is
an expensive destination. Cycles cost $30-50 for half a day. The bus we took
from Auckland Airport to city downtown cost $16 per person. A box of Pringles may cost $4.5 to
6.5 depending on where you shop. A back of the envelope calculation for two
value conscious people per day would be $120 for stay, $100 for food, $75 for
car/petrol, $200 for activities/entry tickets + flight tickets and
miscellaneous expenses. Yes, entry tickets are expensive and so are all
adventure related activities – you would do something or the other every day
and hence a $200 per day budget is decent.
Must dos: There
may be lots more, I am only listing from amongst what we did and these are
absolute musts. Places to visit:
Milford Sound, Queenstown, Lake Taupo. Things
to do: Skydive from Glenorchy (most scenic) where Lord of the Rings was
shot. Take the Tranzalpine train, forest walks and cycling. Anywhere in NZ is
great for walks and cycling. More on these in the second blog on Highlights of
the NZ trip.
