You can drink the water in NZ

If you are traveling around NZ then you do not have to buy drinking water at all because tap water here is potable. That should save you a lot of money already. Many travelers do not think about this when they travel. Do your research about the quality of the tap water in your destination. If water is unsafe, by all means buy your drinking water. What use is saving on water when you end up in a hospital with diarrhea? But if water is potable, spend the money elsewhere.

Spend on your lunch, not dinner

When you are in New Zealand, never deprive yourself of good food. There are plenty of restaurants in the country that would make your trip worthwhile, no matter how short it is. Instead of having a fancy dinner, choose to have a sumptuous lunch instead on a popular local restaurant. Lunch are often more affordable than a fancy dinner. Never be content with bread and jam when you are in a country known for good food. It just does not make sense.

Pursue smaller towns than big cities

Big cities offer more entertainment, shopping, and dining options but it can also mean it is more expensive if you consider the money you have to shell out every day just to stick around the big cities in New Zealand. As you plan where you want to go in NZ, think about this. There are many scenic places in the country located outside its urban centers, besides NZ is known for its wonderful countryside sights and sounds. Go for hiking, surfing on the beach, or camping outside the city limits. If you have to experience big cities in NZ, stay on hotels not necessarily at the center of the city. You would not believe how much you will end up saving for a few kilometers of commute.

Book when in the country

You do not have to book everything online even before you reach New Zealand. Sometimes it is best to just book on the go. This gives you spontaneity in your sightseeing or accommodation options when you are already around NZ. You are not only allowing yourself to be flexible in your trip, you will also save money because online booking often costs more unless of course you are booking in advance for hotel promos.

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New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. With miles and miles of scenic coasts, a handful of national parks, lakes, and other natural attractions, coming over to this place is surely a once in a lifetime experience. But because of its distance and the many things you can do here, vacationing to New Zealand can carry a hefty price tag. However by following some simple tips you can shave off a lot from the expense of enjoying this country.

Tips before you make your trip to New Zealand

It is easy to book a flight to New Zealand and you can do all the activities available to tourists or go to all the places the country has to offer to its guests. But the truth is doing that can easily eat on your vacation budget. The secret is to vacation with intention. Here are some key pointers:

• Do not come on peak season – you are not the only one looking forward to visiting New Zealand. Even locals are up and about during the summer season (December to February) which makes hotel reservations and airline tickets at record high prices. It also makes tourist spots crowded so that can also affect the quality of your visit. Come over in spring time up to halfway of fall. Book your flight and accommodation in advance that way you can save on promos and use that money on other vacation expenses that can add on to the quality of your local experiences.

• Plan your trip to the last detail – the problem with having no plans at all is that you will probably incur more costs as you pick activities in random and choose to visit places spontaneously. The more specific and focused your itinerary, the better. For example you can choose to explore the North Island for now thereby cutting the length of your stay and cutting local transportation costs. This also allows you to know New Zealand better as you take your time exploring one island at a time. Maybe on your next trip you can visit the South Island.

Tips while you are in New Zealand

As you land in New Zealand you can make simple choices that can save you tons of money. Here are some examples of those money saving decisions.

• Decide on your mode of transportation – because you have planned for your itinerary beforehand you can decide better how to go around the country. You can rent a car if you like but this can be costly if you plan to drive around for extended periods of time. A better option would be to buy a car (some companies offer a buy back guarantee so that you can recoup your investment of the car after your vacation) or rent an older car from local car rental companies. You can also choose to rent a campervan and save on accommodation costs. This is ideal especially when you want to exploit New Zealand’s scenic camping sites. You can also ride buses which offers destination that can easily cover your planned itinerary.

• Exploit local offers – you just have to be a discount hunter to do this. Use the same tour company on your trip so that they can offer discounts on your passes. Visit a local I-Site office which has staff that would be willing to give you money-saving heads up on local deals. You can also secure city passes that allows you to visit local sites at discount rates.

 Your New Zealand excursion does not need to be expensive. All you have to do is to have some advance planning, prioritization of places you want to go to and things you want to do, and make some off peak reservations on plane tickets, hotel rooms, and local sights and sounds passes.

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Olive Restaurant. Olive serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Olive serves Mediterranean types of food. Also, you can find delicious mix of cakes to dine in or take away. If you love eating tapas, Olive also serves them, too. People like Olive’s simple way of cooking and make them feel at home. Olive also has a beautiful, sunny garden. For sure, you’ll enjoy eating your brunch there.

Laundry. This little yet funky establishment lets you grab delicious burgers for brunch. They also have a sunny courtyard wherein you can enjoy eating toasty and creamy pies, as well as crunchy tacos. Laundry is one of the favorite hangouts of people in Cuba Street.

Plum Café. Plum Café serves great tasting contemporary Kiwi food. Are you up for a classic fish and chips with a twist for your brunch? In fact, Plum Café is voted in the top 10 summer destinations of the Dominion Post. Plum Café also serve delicious burgers, soups, steaks, bacons, eggs and many more! Why don’t you eat outside the café and have a fantastic view of the Bucket Fountain? If you also love people-watching, then having your brunch outside can fulfill your hobby.

Midnight Espresso. Though they only have a few window seats wherein you could stare at the streets of Cuba, Midnight Espresso is the best place in town that offers affordable foods at any time of the day. It is an all day and late night café that offers a wide range of mostly vegetarian menus. Here, you can enjoy a standard all-day breakfast. You can have fresh slices of fruits and vegetables, as well as aromatic coffee or fruit juice.

Sweet Mother’s Kitchen. If you love eating brunch dishes which are inspired by Mexico and New Orleans, then you should head towards this place. You’ll get to experience their frost juices, bacon sandwiches, and their ever famous curly fries which are served no matter what time of the day. So if you only want to grab something not-so heavy, Sweet Mother’s Kitchen can accommodate your cravings.

Floriditas Café and Restaurant. Floriditas is one of Wellington’s greatest café and restaurants that is known for its delicious wines. If you also want a little wine served in your brunch, Floriditas is the good place to go. They have a wide range of wines in which you can choose from. Floriditas is also known for its delicious cupcakes and cakes. If you have a sweet tooth, grab a bite in Floriditas.

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Wine

If you and your family love to taste different kinds of wine, then you should buy some for them. Among the top brands of wine in New Zealand are Cape Campbell, Amor-Bendell, New Zealand Fruit Wine, Quartz Reef and Foxes Island. For delicious domestic wines, you should visit Hawkes Bay, Gisborne, Waipara, Waiheke Island, Wairarapa, Omihi Hills and a lot more! Drinking wine is best with a munch of sliced fruits and cheese. Wouldn’t it be great to drink wine in your veranda when you go back home? Tell a lot of stories to your family and friends while drinking the renowned wine of New Zealand.

Spa items

New Zealand is also popular for its thermal and volcanic activities which is why there are also several spa houses and inns that cater to the relaxation needs of foreign and local tourists. Hence, you can buy some spa items that your family and friends might love like thermal mud baths, bath salts and aromatherapy products. These products will surely make your skin smoother and softer.

Greenstone

Greenstone can also be a good souvenir item. You can find lots of it in South Island. There are several products made from greenstone like pendants, earrings, Maori figures and brooches. Its lovely green color will surely make your clothing stand out even more. If you have fashionable family members and friends, then you should buy them each. They will be happy to add a new item in their jewelry boxes.

Woolen goods

Believe it or not, some tourists book for an accommodation in New Zealand just to see sheep and buy quality woolen products. Yes, New Zealand is also popular with its amazing sheep population. Woolen goods are also great souvenir ideas which can be available in the forms of sweaters, gloves, hats, scarves, blankets, cushions and rugs. Woolen goods keep you cozy and warm especially if you live in wintery cold areas of the world.

Maori crafts

The people of New Zealand make good crafts. The Maori people are the original inhabitants of New Zealand consisting of different tribes. They make a living through creating several types of Maori gifts such as wood carvings, bone carvings, jade jewelry, Maori dolls, silver jewelry and many more. It’s great to buy something native and place it inside your humble home.

Visit New Zealand and have the best accommodation you can afford. See places and do a lot of fun activities. And don’t forget to buy souvenirs or else your family and friends will nag you about not bringing any!

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For the new junkie traveler in New Zealand, you might wonder on how to cut your food expenses. Don’t worry though. This article will help you taste New Zealand’s best eats but on a lower budget. Read on to find out.

Cook your own food

One of the best ways to have budget eats in New Zealand while traveling is to cook your own food. Most hotels or any type of accommodation in New Zealand have their own kitchen and utensils.

In order to find cheap food to cook on your own, you could visit some of New Zealand’s highly affordable supermarkets like Pak’n Save, SuperValue, FreshChoice and Countdown. In these supermarkets, you have a variety of choices ranging from vegetables and meat.

Dine-in in New Zealand owned restos

You could cut your food expenses if you dine-in in New Zealand owned restaurants. Unlike foreign-owned food chains and restaurants, New Zealand owned are a lot cheaper.

If you want to taste New Zealand’s very own burgers, you could grab a bite in Burger Fuel. Beef burgers are their specialties. If you don’t like meat, they also have fish and veggie burgers. The prices of these burgers range from $7-$10.

On the other hand, if you are craving for pizza, you could have one or more in Hell Pizza. You could practically choose any kind of toppings you want like cheese, pepperoni, tomatoes, shrimps, corn and etc. The prices of these pizzas range from $7-$14.

Avoid foreign-owned food chains

Even New Zealand has McDonalds and Burger King. You might think that these food chains are the great sources of cheap meals, but in New Zealand, they’re not. A small meal in these food chains could already cost you about $8-$12 of food. However, you could still select other food options in these chains that suit your budget well.

Eat at a local fish and chips shop

New Zealand is famous for its fish and chips budget eats. Your travel will never be complete if you don’t have a taste of NZ’s fish and chips. In a local fish and chips shop, you could also enjoy a variety of fried foods like squid rings, fried clams, chicken nuggets and more.

You would definitely love the huge portions served by a local fish and chips shop. And what’s more, you could get them even with a low budget.

Other options

For another budget eat, you could head towards New Zealand’s food courts or simply grab a pie. The food courts in New Zealand are different from America. NZ food courts are composed of international foods like Chinese meals, Japanese bento, Turkish kebabs and even Indian curries. You could get these high quality meals for as low as $10-$20.

On the other hand, some budget travelers opt to eat a pie instead. Pies in New Zealand are filled with delicious ingredients aside from the usual meat. For as low as $2, you could have yourself a pie. For healthier pies, you could visit Jester’s Jaffle Pies.

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Wellington is also known to be New Zealand’s political centre because the house of Parliament, as well as the head offices of government ministries and departments is erected there. Wellington is named after the great victor at the Battle of Waterloo – Arthur Wellesley. He was also the first Duke of Wellington.

Ways to save your money

So as to enjoy your stay in Wellington without worrying too much about how much money you would spend, when you are booking your accommodation, it is best to try booking it online. One of the advantages of booking your accommodation online is that you will be able to receive immediate confirmations, as well as live updates. So, how can it help you save money? Mostly, online bookings offer last minute accommodation specials. Take advantage of it.

Another way to save a few bucks is through determining your hotel accommodation needs. Do you really need to stay in a very grand hotel? Or is it already okay for you if you stay in a nice and cheaper hotel? Are you alone? Or are you with someone. Choose an appropriate size of hotel room. In that way, you won’t have to spend unnecessarily.

After determining what hotel you should pick, you can now fully enjoy your stay in Wellington. So what’s in store for you if you are in Wellington?

What to do in Wellington?

All you need to do in Wellington is to explore!  Do you know that the city is also known as Windy Wellington? This is because Wellington has a very nice oceanic climate and a windy weather. Having a windy weather makes it appropriate to explore the city of Wellington.

Wellington has its fair share of stunning scenery and botanical gardens. If you’re up for a walk, you are more than welcome to walk along the native bushes of the place. Enjoy the scent of the air and the brushing of the trees’ leaves. Or if you prefer to walk along the seashore, Wellington also has its beaches. If you want a more romantic plot, you can go kayaking with someone special to you at the harbour.

In the afternoon, you can also track down the mountain trails if you want a more adventurous one. Hiking in the forest and mountain is good for your body and heart. After a tiring exploration, you can go back at the city and indulge yourself with the delicious food. Wellington is also proud with its restaurants. Taste something that you have never tasted before.

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