Budget-travel tips

1. Accommodation and Transport in one: Renting a campervan (especially a self-contained one) combines your transport and accommodation costs, often proving cheaper than renting a car and staying in hotels/motels each night. Look for budget-friendly campervan companies like JUCY.

2. Freedom Camping: New Zealand has designated "freedom camping" spots where you can park for free or for a small fee if your vehicle is certified self-contained. This is a huge money-saver. Always check local regulations and use Apps like CamperMate or NZRankers to find legal spots. DOC campsites are an alternative cheap option, often about 30 NZD for the night. These campsites have limited facilities however, often just toilets and water station.

3. Cook your own meals: Campervans usually have cooking facilities. This is your number one food budget saver! Supermarkets like Pak'nSave are generally the cheapest. But we personally preferred Woolsworth for better quiality. Buy groceries and prepare most of your meals in your campervan. Eating out in New Zealand can add up quickly.

4. Nature is Free: Many of the best experiences in New Zealand are absolutely free. Take advantage of the incredible hiking trails, scenic walks, beautiful beaches, and natural thermal springs (some are free!). National Parks are free to enter and parking is generally free in most parks and towns.

5. Book activities locally: While it might seem convenient to pre-book everything, you can sometimes find better deals on paid activities and tours by booking once you're in New Zealand. Lots of tour companies offer last-minute discounts if spots don't fill up. This happened to us with the Kaituna Rafting Tour for example. You'll find these discounts when opening the GetYourGuide App. Also, be selective with expensive tours and consider alternatives.

Okay, let's now break down our New Zealand trip expenses for a very straightforward overview and what you can expect:

Total Trip Duration: 2 months (approx. 60 days) Number of People: 2

Here's the summary of our expenses:

• Campervan rental: $10,000 USD

  Note: This was by far the biggest expense - we had a large van so you might bring this cost down significantly by getting a smaller one!

• Groceries: $960 USD (calculated as $120/week * 8 weeks)

  Note: We didn't budget on groceries as we were focused on our health with lots of veggies, fish, and organic items

• Tours & Activities: $4,000 USD ($2,000 per person)

  Note: More spent on the North Island due to paid attractions (e.g. Waitomo Caves, geothermal parks, boat tours). Helicopter flight was a significant indulgence on the South Island, but other than that the South Island has lots of nature so free walking trails balanced that.

• Eating Out, Coffees, Gas, Souvenirs, Misc: $1,500 USD

  Note: Most vans use diesel. The average price of diesel in New Zealand is around NZD $1.80 to NZD $1.95 per liter recently. We spent about US$ 100 per week on gas.

• Campsite Fees: $1,000 USD

  Note: a mix of 30% freedom camps, 20% DOC campsites which are cheaper, and 50% paid powered campsites

Total Estimated Trip Cost: $10,000 (Campervan) + $960 (Groceries) + $4,000 (Tours & Activities) + $1,500 (Misc.) + $1,000 (Campsites) = $17,460 USD