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| Milford Sound Cruise |
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| Luge, Queenstown Sky Gondola |
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| Glenorchy Animal Experience |
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| Hobbiton |
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| Piha Beach |
Queenstown
is the adventure capital of New Zealand. There are so many things to do and to
and to see here but it’s quite expensive if you want to do everything. You can
do a lot of things here like hiking, sky diving, bungee jumping, biking, paragliding
and also skiing. If you’re not the adventurous type like me you can also do
wine tasting in Gibston Valley and animal feeding in Glenorchy. If you just want to relax you can also try the
Onsen Hot Pools.
Transportation
The
cheapest way to travel New Zealand is by renting a car. If you get it on sale,
you can get as low as 26NZD per day plus car insurance so that would be 48NZD
per day. Diesel can cost you up to 2NZD per liter. If you are travelling by
groups of 4 then you can split up the cost. The risky part of it is that if you
will drive on the opposite side of the road, and if you’re driving skills are
used to Manila driving, then I would not recommend it for you. Since the
traffic rules here are very strict and if you violate, you can get a ticket for
as big as 400NZD per violation. You can just get a group tour or rent a private
taxi for 60NZD per hour.
Most of
the car accidents that happen in New Zealand are from tourists because they are
not informed of the traffic rules and they usually drive on the opposite side
of the road that they are used to in their home country.
Queenstown
is a very small city so most of the nearby attractions are walking distance.
There are no public transporation which you can get if you want to travel to
other nearby cities. The best option is to rent a car. Unfortunately Uber is
not yet available in Queenstown, but is available in other parts of New Zealand
like Auckland and Christchurch.
Food
The food
in New Zealand was just okay or maybe I’m not used to eating bread and cheese
all day. I stayed there for almost 10 days and the Asian side of me was always
looking for savory dishes which have salty or spicy taste. I even ate Chinese
food for 3 consecutive nights because I’m not used to eating sandwiches and
burgers every day.
The
average price of food in New Zealand ranges from 10 to 30 NZD. It’s quite
cheaper compared to other first world countries that I’ve been to, since tips
are not required to be given and also the exchange rate is lower (1NZD=
38.50PHP). If you want to save more money you can buy groceries and cook at
your Airbnb. You can also order Domino’s pizza anywhere in New Zealand if you don’t
want to cook.
The ice cream
in New Zealand is so good. You must try the Hokey Pokey Flavor which is made in
New Zealand. If you’re in Auckland, you must try Giappo Icecream which serves
the best artisanal ice cream in New Zealand.
Weather
Anytime
is a good time to visit Queenstown. For me Autumn is the best since the weather
is perfect. Not that cold, neither that hot it is just right. Seeing also the
changing of color of leaves is just picture perfect. Winter is also a nice time to go here since
you get to do skiing and snowboarding.
Shopping
Apparel
here is expensive, even Roxy and Billabong is also expensive. You don’t have to
go shopping here since most of the stores here are also available in Manila. You
can just spend your money on better things such as travel experiences. If you
want to buy pasalubong, you can buy steak, butter and chocolates (Withaker) at
the grocery.
Internet
Renting a
pocket WiFi is pretty expensive in New Zealand. It’s better to just buy a local
sim card at Spark for only 29NZD good for one month with unlimited call and
texts and also unlimited internet. You can easily buy it at the airport
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| Promo Fare Via Philippine Airlines |
Tips
- Always bring a water bottle. Drinking fountains available in most of the tourist’s places in New Zealand. You can easily refill your jug instead of buying bottled water all the time.
- Check your weather app before you leave your hotel.
- Book your tickets in advance
- Look for travel deals online
- Buy travel insurance before you leave Manila.
- Most of the shops in New Zealand close at 5pm. If you need to buy things, you have to shop earlier.
Helpful Websites
The best website to get travel deals locally would
be
Bookme.co.nz (As recommended by my OFW friends in
Auckland)
If you want to get discounts on for Gondola you can
book via
For Hobbiton
Viator.com (You can get roundtrip transfers from
Auckland to Hobbiton including the entrance to Hobbiton for as low as 100USD)
For group tours via coach
Thriftytours.com (If you are ravelling with a big
group, then this will be one of the cheapest tour companies in New Zealand, you
can have the option of choosing motels, hotels to 5 star hotels and honestly
the motels in New Zealand are quite nice and decent compared to the one’s in
Manila.)
For Affordable Car Rentals
Snap Rentals
For Affordable Car Rentals
Snap Rentals
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| DIY Queenstown Itinerary with Cost |
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