Travel costs New Zealand holidays: What your holiday in New Zealand costs

My travel costs in New Zealand: Overview of what a holiday with a camper van in New Zealand will cost you.

A trip to New Zealand requires not only intensive travel planning, but also a good calculation of costs. One thing is clear: New Zealand is an expensive destination! Although it is the top destination for working holiday and backpackers, you won't get away with a trip too cheaply. At the same time, however, it's a dream come true for anyone who travels to New Zealand.

I have already been to New Zealand several times with a campervan and tent. This list of travel costs was created during my 9-week trip (3 months) in New Zealand. In this article, I have broken down all my costs so that you can get a rough idea of what you will have to pay financially and so that you can plan your trip and budget better.

Is New Zealand an expensive destination?

New Zealand is one of the most expensive countries in the world to travel to. And you shouldn't underestimate that when planning your trip. But it doesn't mean that you can't travel there on a small budget. It doesn't matter whether it's a low-budget or luxury trip - everything is possible in New Zealand. You just have to calculate exactly and correctly beforehand!

The most important question for cost clarification is always: What is your travel style? In other words, what do you value, what can you do without and what activities do you absolutely want to do? Especially activities like adventure tours, round trips or hikes can quickly tear a deep hole in your travel budget!

Another big cost factor is the choice of transport. New Zealanders are avid campers. If the initial figures for buying or renting a car or camper put you off, it's worth comparing how much you could save on accommodation, for example, by opting for camping. The prices for overnight stays in New Zealand are especially high.

Catering can also be expensive. Here, too, you can save by cooking for yourself and not eating out so often.

To save costs, we mainly catered for ourselves in New Zealand.

Money & Currency in New Zealand

In New Zealand you pay with the New Zealand Dollar (NZD/NZ $), also known as "buck". The best way to find out the current conversion rate from euros to New Zealand dollars is to use a currency converter. You can calculate that 1 New Zealand dollar is roughly equivalent to 0.60 euros.

Don't be surprised if the cashier rounds up or down to the nearest dime when you're shopping. Rounding up and down is normal at New Zealand cash registers.

Preparation: Changing money in Germany or New Zealand?

You can get New Zealand dollars from your bank in Germany. Remember, however, that the money usually has to be ordered and you should allow for a waiting time of one or two weeks. Some banks also charge a fee.

If you want to change Euros into NZD, you will find exchange offices at all international airports.

My recommendation is that you don't carry German cash with you unnecessarily, but rather get a credit card for travelling. credit card for travelling with which you can withdraw money worldwide free of charge or even pay directly.

Paying with a credit card in New Zealand

As in many other English-speaking countries, it is common to pay for everything with a credit card in New Zealand. There are no extra fees for this. However, you should check with your local bank beforehand whether they charge a so-called foreign fee.

Withdrawing money in New Zealand

Although you can pay with a credit card almost everywhere in New Zealand, I recommend that you always have at least some New Zealand cash with you. Especially the remote DOC campsites are usually paid for in cash. Therefore, suitable small change is often worth its weight in gold.

You can withdraw money in New Zealand at any ATM and also when shopping directly at the checkout. When withdrawing money from ATMs, some New Zealand banks charge a small withdrawal fee, but with the right credit card you will be reimbursed by your local bank.

Table: Costs of the New Zealand round trip

To give you a rough idea of the costs that you will incur on a New Zealand trip, I would like to give you an overview with my travel cost table, which I diligently kept during our 2-month road trip. This will give you a first rough idea of what travelling in New Zealand can cost you.

On my New Zealand trip, I was on the road with my friend Susan for a total of nine weeks on the North and South Islands. We rented a JUCY Cabana and stayed at campsites most of the time without any problems.

• Duration: 65 days or 9 weeks

• Travel time: October to early December

• Means of transport: road trip with rented, small camper van

• Accommodation: Campsites

• Total cost: 11,020 euros for two, that is 5,510 euros per person
  All details will follow.

We spent a total of 65 days in New Zealand, which is a good 2 1/2 months, or 9 weeks. The cost breakdown for this is as follows:

The table shows the costs for one person if you are travelling in pairs and can split the costs accordingly. If you are travelling alone, however, you should plan for at least 1/4 more in total!

Our cost breakdown is partly very simplified. Of course, Susan and I did not spend the same amount of money. We had a cash box on the trip from which we did all our joint spending, such as petrol, shopping and camping. Susan travelled a little more frugally, I bought the odd souvenir more. This means Susan's New Zealand trip cost her more like 5000 Euros, while my expenses were around 6000 Euros.

During our New Zealand trip, we broke down our costs in detail

Info & Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the New Zealand travel costs per day?

If you now calculate the expenses you have before the trip, the daily budget for your expenses on site is around NZ$ 90 for two people. From all my pre-trip research, this was a good average that roughly covered our pre-trip calculation.

2. How much does a flight to New Zealand cost?

• Flight costs to New Zealand: Open jaw flights with Emirates, approx. 1600 Euro per person

The journey to New Zealand is quite a challenge, as the dream destination is 18,000 kilometres away and not just around the corner. The travel period is crucial for the price. Flights are most expensive in the high season between December and February. In the low season between September and November, as well as from March to May, you can find cheap bargains. However, keep in mind that the cheaper the flight, the longer it usually takes because you have to accept long stopovers. This is not everyone's cup of tea. Alternatively, you can plan these directly and spend a few extra days in Dubai, Singapore or Melbourne, for example.

Since we wanted to book open-jaw flights, we went to a travel agency run by STA Travel for support and booked the flights there. In the end, we flew with Emirates as follows:

• Outbound flight: Hamburg - Dubai - Melbourne - Auckland (total travel time: approx. 28 hours).

• Return flight: Christchurch - Sydney (2 weeks stay) - Dubai - Hamburg

This combination cost around 1,600 euros, which is relatively cheap for open jaw flights. With one-way return flights you can save money and end up with a ticket price starting at 1,000 euros in the low season.

3. Costs for travel health insurance / travel cancellation insurance

• Travel health insurance with HanseMerkur for 65 days: 90 euros per person

I usually have a private travel insurance that automatically covers me for two months abroad outside Europe. Check before you leave if you happen to have one as well to avoid additional costs!

If you don't have such insurance, I advise you to take out travel health insurance. The offers from HanseMerkur are recommended, as well as those from STA Travel.

If you really need medical care, you will have to pay for it yourself while abroad. The insurance company will then reimburse you for your expenses.

4. Costs for outdoor equipment

New Zealand is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Accordingly, many have extensive equipment with them. There are also great outdoor shops in New Zealand, such as Kathmandu or Mons Royal. If you don't want to equip yourself with a fleece jacket, hiking boots etc. in advance in Germany, take this into account in your travel budget!

• To the New Zealand packing list

5. Costs for a vaccination for New Zealand

• no costs

If you haven't been to a yellow fever area in the last few weeks, you don't need any vaccinations for your trip to New Zealand. However, it doesn't hurt to have your doctor take a look at your vaccination certificate from time to time. This way you can be sure that all standard vaccinations are still active.

6. Costs for car rental or campervan in new zealand

• Total cost for car rental: NZ$ 5460 for two 2 people

• Local car expenses: NZ$ 1134 for 2 people

Car hire in New Zealand

Finding a suitable car or campervan in New Zealand can be quite a challenge with so many suppliers. Even driving in left-hand traffic is easier in the end!

For our trip, we chose a Toyota Estima from the car and camper rental company Jucy. In addition, we booked Stress-Free insurance and a 2nd driver. So the total cost of renting a car was NZ$ 5460.

Buying a car in New Zealand

If you are travelling in New Zealand for longer than eight weeks, it might be worth thinking about buying a car. However, we opted for the more comfortable and at the same time safer option and rented a car.

Prices vary greatly, of course, depending on what you are looking for. So when calculating the price, think about whether you want to buy a van or just a car. The good thing about buying a car is that you can sell it again after your trip and thus only make a limited profit (or maybe even a plus).

Petrol costs

• total petrol costs: approx. NZ$ 852

We tried to keep our petrol costs in New Zealand as low as possible. However, since we sometimes drove every day, this was of course hardly possible. In addition, prices rise the further south you go. However, nobody could explain to us why there is a price difference between the North and South Island... You can calculate between NZ$ 1.60 and NZ$ 2.20 per litre (regular 91). Of course, the fuel consumption also depends on your choice of car!

Other car costs

Equipment

• Expenses for additional car equipment: approx. NZ$ 30

Although we were travelling with a fully equipped camper, we topped up the equipment with a few boxes and a fresh tea towel in between.

Ferry crossing

• Cost of the ferry crossing for 2 people & 1 car: approx. NZ$ 230.

You can only save money to a limited extent on the ferry crossing from the North Island to the South Island. There are two providers that differ only slightly in price: The Interislander and Bluebridge. The Interislander is half an hour faster than Bluebridge, so we opted for this provider.

Parking fees / tolls

• Expenses for parking and toll: approx. NZ$ 22

Parking fees in New Zealand are usually charged in the big cities, e.g. in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch. And they are quite expensive! If you think it's a smart alternative to park in the supermarket car parks, you've got another thing coming: there, regular checks are carried out (and by that I mean every half hour!) and all cars that have been there for a long time are marked. Fines included!

Outside the big cities, parking fees usually only apply at very touristy sights. We were therefore able to avoid them for the most part and came to a small total of just under NZ$ 20.

By the way, additional fees are also charged on some toll roads. But don't worry, there are currently only three toll roads in New Zealand on the North Island, which you can find here and also avoid.

7. Travel costs for accommodation in New Zealand

• Total cost for accommodation in New Zealand: NZ$ 1176 for two people in 9 weeks.

For our first nights in New Zealand, we booked ourselves into a very nice Airbnb accommodation in Auckland. Two days after our arrival, we headed straight out in our rental car from Jucy and spent 62 days "on the road", staying mostly at campsites.

Alternative Accommodation Options

If you're planning on staying in the city, you always have options to consider. For luxurious comfort, there are top hotels in and around Auckland. One of these is the Movenpick Hotel Auckland where you can enjoy world-class service and amenities. Click here - http://mercure-hotel.northislandnz.net/en/ to find and book the Movenpick Hotel Auckland.

If a relaxed home-like staying experience is what you're looking for, consider Vacation Apartment Rentals in Auckland. They provide a unique blend of comfort and convenience that feels just like home!

Airbnb

• Cost of 2 Airbnb nights in Auckland-Mission Bay: 92 euros for 2 people.

The first two nights we stayed with a New Zealand family in Mission Bay, a suburb of Auckland. As we already knew Auckland from our first trip to New Zealand, we deliberately decided against a hotel in the excited city centre. We wanted to arrive in New Zealand a little more relaxed. Our host-mam even welcomed us directly at the airport!

Camping

• Total expenditure for camping: NZ$ 1036 for 2 persons

We slept in our rented Toyota Estima for almost the entire trip. In New Zealand, only cars or campervans that are designated as Self-Contained are allowed to "wild camp". Therefore, we spent most nights at campsites, which we also paid for. However, there were also some designated free campsites.

Hikes / Overnight stays in DOC Huts

• Accommodation expenses on multi-day hikes: NZ$ 312 for 2 people

During our New Zealand round trip we paddled the Whanganui River Track and hiked the Kepler Track and the Queen Charlotte Track separately. On these hikes you have to stay either at campsites or in cabins, which often have to be booked in advance. For those interested in different types of accommodations, you may want to find and book hotel on tophotels.com.

Other camping costs

If you're travelling in a camper van, you'll also have to pay for other costs, such as washing machines and dryers at the campsites. On some campsites you also have to pay for the showers. These costs are already included in our total camping costs.

8. Tickets for tours and activities

• Total cost for activities in New Zealand: NZ$ 1235 for 2 persons

When it comes to the craziest outdoor activities, New Zealand has you covered! From helicopter flights to luxury wellness weekends to hiking tours, you can experience it all. New Zealand is the world champion in mass tourism and the tour operators pay a lot for it. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense for your travel budget to think about what you want to do in advance. Whether it's a bungee jump in Queenstown or a kayak tour in the Abel Tasman, prices can be researched well in advance.

To save money, we did many tours and hikes on our own. However, I am a big fan of guided city walking tours, so these were a must in Christchurch and Dunedin!

Here is an excerpt of the activities we did:

• 5-day canoe trip with Taumarunui Canoe Hire: NZ$ 195.

• Boat trip in the Bay of Island: NZ$ 105

• Bodyboard hire at the sand dunes in Northland: NZ$ 15

• Street Art Walking Tour Dunedin: NZ $ 30

• Swimming pool Blenheim NZ$ 5

We met dolphins while island hopping in the Bay of Islands

9. Travel costs for food and drinks in New Zealand

• Total cost for food & drink in New Zealand: NZ$ 1580 for two people

Food prices in New Zealand are sometimes higher than in Germany. Especially going out to eat can make a huge hole in your travel budget! That's why we mostly cooked for ourselves and only treated ourselves to a delicious pizza now and then or a visit to a Thai restaurant for a special occasion.

Good, fresh food is very important to both of us. That's why we only saved a little on this and often tried to buy fruit and vegetables locally at farmer's markets or from farmers or traders directly on the street. Often you can also buy produce directly from a farm and put the money in a so-called Honesty Box. This is very common in New Zealand and you get fresh and local food at a reasonable price.

Excerpts from our food costs:

• 0.5l bottle of L&P (New Zealand soda): NZ$ 4

• Woodfired Pizza in Wananka (Happy Hour): NZ$ 20

• Take-away sandwich: NZ$ 4.50

• Take-Away-Pie: NZ$ 3,50

• 1 litre milk: NZ$ 2

10. Other travel expenses in New Zealand

• Other expenses totalled: NZ$ 854 for 2 persons

This cost item "adds up" quite a bit. The other expenses of course depend very much on your preferences and what you need during a trip. For me, the other expenses include, for example, buying a SIM card for my smartphone, but also souvenirs, batteries or buying cosmetics. We also went to the cinema a few times and had to buy new sunglasses when mine broke again.

Internet & mobile data volume for smartphones

For me as a travel blogger, it was important to have mobile internet available on my phone. That's why I bought a SIM card in New Zealand and topped up the credit twice later. The SIM card cost me NZ$ 49 once with Vodafone, including a starting credit and worldwide free minutes for making calls. After that, I topped up the credit twice more for NZ$ 20 each time.

If you need internet access, there are many places in New Zealand where you can use the internet completely free of charge. However, at most commercial holiday parks you have to pay for wifi. Therefore, this cost factor depends on how often you want to use the internet.

Equipment

Since we were outdoors a lot, we had to upgrade our equipment from time to time. One of the most important items was definitely our insect repellent to protect us against the biting sandflies. You can get this for about NZ$ 10 in the warehouse. We also bought a small, light cooking pot for our multi-day hikes and I couldn't resist a camping mug at the outdoor shop in Kathmandu.

Souvenirs

The biggest item in our other expenses was definitely the souvenirs. I just love to tell my friends and family about my travels through souvenirs. In New Zealand, we came across a lot of great things. For example, jade earrings in Hokitika or truffles from the chocolate factory in Blenheim.

My conclusion on travel costs in New Zealand

During our research before the trip, we read about similar prices and calculations and thought: "We won't spend that much!" But honestly, fiddlesticks! Better plan a little more budget so you don't stumble in the middle of your trip. A trip to New Zealand should be a highlight, and you don't want to spend it constantly counting your money or fretting that there isn't enough in the first place.

Susan and I had already travelled through New Zealand as backpackers for a year ten years before. So we knew roughly what we were in for. We both know about low budget travelling and decided for ourselves before this trip: We won't throw money down the drain, but we won't eat noodles with tomato sauce every day either.

My conclusion for you is: Don't underestimate New Zealand as an expensive destination. Think carefully beforehand about how much money you have in your travel budget, what you want to do and do a lot of research to be able to save a little here and there!

In the end, however, we can say that we didn't regret a single cent we spent on our trip!