When you think about planning your trip to the South Island of New Zealand, you will undoubtedly be starting or ending your adventures in the city of Queenstown. It’s the perfect hub to make your base whether you’re here in the winter, summer, or in between because it’s close to all the top things to […]
New Zealand Travel Guide
Epic is pretty much the only word that can describe New Zealand's action-packed, and gorgeous scenery that will make your jaw drop at every turn.
It's the real Middle Earth in New Zealand that will blow you away with how dynamic the landscape actually is. From fjords to glacial mountains, rainforests to subtropic paradises, and cities to hobbit holes.
This New Zealand travel guide will help you plan your next vacation.
Facts about New Zealand
- Electricity - 230V, 50Hz,
- Currency – New Zealand Dollar ($ NZD)
- $1 NZD = approximately $0.68 USD
- ATMs can be found all over and credit cards are accepted everywhere
- Cellular - You can find pre-paid no contract SIMs at the airport (i.e. Spark)
- Tipping - Tipping not expected but welcomed if good service provided (10-15%)
- Unit of Measure - Metric (Celsius, Meters)
Money Saving Tips
Go Camping - The real way to travel New Zealand is by leveraging the insane number of camp grounds and holiday parks. In fact, this is a country where you'll be hard pressed to find a lot of those 5-star hotels around the islands so go see the country the way it was meant to be enjoyed.
Drive - In a similar vain as the above, the best way to truly see the country is by hitting the road. Save money on flights and just drive. Gas can get expensive so look for the most economical vehicle possible.
Cook yourself - The truth is, New Zealand isn't exactly known for it's culinary delights so save your money and opt for cheap self-cooked meals. Splurge on experiences.
Check out the latest blog posts below
Top 10 Things To Do In New Zealand’s South Island
It’s hard not to have your breath taken away in the South Island The darling of New Zealand and the not-so-secret better of the two islands is the South Island. It’s massive. It’s dramatic. It’s wild. It’s adventure capital. It’s epic. While I still say the top things to do in the North Island rival […]
Black Water Rafting in Waitomo New Zealand – A Review
New Zealand has an overwhelming amount of adrenaline activities but if there’s one that’s truly unique to the country, can’t be replicated anywhere else, and is wickedly fun, it’d have to be the Legendary Black Water Rafting. Save your glowworm visits for Waitomo, you won’t regret it! This tube rafting experience in the Ruakuri Cave […]
Tongariro Alpine Crossing Hiking Guide – Shuttle, What to Expect, What to Pack
The awesome power of mother earth is seen on full display along the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. There will be times on this trail that it’ll feel like you’re on a completely different planet as you hike up the saddle between Mount Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. From giant craters, snow capped peaks, remnants of lava flows, razor sharp […]
5 Tasty New Zealand Souvenirs You Have To Buy Before You Leave
After you’ve spent all those weeks in the beautiful country, you’re naturally going to start to think about what to bring back home. I for one am not a fan of the kitschy souvenirs you find in every tourist shop because what friend or family really wants another t-shirt from a place they’ve never been, […]
How to Visit the Hobbiton Movie Location in New Zealand
It’s all real. The Shire. Hobbiton. Bag End! My first trip to New Zealand was back in 2010 and for the life of me I didn’t understand why we never went to visit Hobbiton on our way down to Rotorua. Turns out, The Hobbit had just gone into production at that time and they were […]
Skydive New Zealand Above Abel Tasman – Achieve Your Skydiving Bucket List Goals
If there’s one place in the world to jump out of a plane, it’s New Zealand I’m not really a serious bucket list person in that I don’t travel for the sake of crossing items off of my list but when it came to our epic 3 week trip to New Zealand, I knew this […]
Top 10 Things To Do In New Zealand’s North Island
Often overlooked by the star power of the South Island, North Island’s got a few tricks up its sleeves New Zealand is truly one of the most incredible places in the world that draws a lot of “oohs” and “ahhs” everywhere you go. The country is broken into two parts. While the South Island gets […]
The Ultimate 3 Week New Zealand Itinerary
New Zealand is my favourite place in the world and with 3 weeks here, I’m guaranteeing it will be yours too. Bold claim I know, but in a country where it’s almost impossible not to have the Lord of the Rings soundtrack play as you’re going there and back again, you’ll instantly fall in love […]
The Comprehensive New Zealand Travel Guide – Read Before You Go
Are you planning a trip to the land of hobbit holes, misty white-capped mountains, creaking glaciers, thunderous falls, mysterious rocks, and black sand beaches? New Zealand is a wildly gorgeous country with a kind soul, and adventurous spirit but I think you already knew that. After completing my second trip to this land home to […]