Auckland, New Zealand, is a dream destination for most travelers because of its unique wildlife, mountain vistas, and pristine beaches. However, touring this popular place is never a walk in the park if you are operating on a limited budget.
Most travelers forget that you are bound to face high prices on accommodation, excursions, and food on arriving at most tourist destinations. You can plan your trip to Auckland with Cathay Pacific and enjoy your trip.
If you plan to visit Auckland this holiday, you can rely on this article for some proven hacks. Here we show you how to visit some of the iconic places in New Zealand on a fixed budget and enjoy your trip.
How to Use Your Money Wisely On Your First-Time Auckland Trip
1. Plan your Trip
Auckland is not your usual tourist destination. Here the summertime is the reverse of what you see in the Northern Hemisphere. Summer begins in December all the way to February. During the summer, tour prizes tend to rise to peak as most travelers storm popular sights and hotels in the metropolitan city.
Therefore, if you want to travel to New Zealand on a budget, you should plan a winter or spring trip. These are low seasons for tourists in the country, and you are likely to enjoy the best at affordable prices.
Additionally, you should focus your trip on a region. New Zealand looks small, but you may not have the time and money to explore the entire country when on tour. The best you can do is focus on either North Island or South Island and locate the best sights in these places to visit on a limited budget.
You can save a lot of money on gas, internal transportation, and car trips if you focus your trip on specific areas. You should also research the most affordable fare sales on local airlines and watch the exchange rates, which can affect the cost of your fare.
2. Manage your money
When you are on a limited budget tour to Auckland, you should learn some tips on money management. First, you don’t have to carry hard cash when touring this country. You can put all your cash on credit cards since most of the hotels, tour operators, and restaurants accept credit cards. You should have a credit card from a bank that doesn’t charge on foreign transactions if you want to manage your money wisely.
It would be best if you also avoided exchange counters and use an ATM card for withdrawals. Counters may charge a high exchange rate than ATMs that may only charge you on withdrawals. Again, if you want to minimize extra withdrawal fees, you should take out some reasonable money per withdrawal.
When you visit the local restaurants, you should avoid tipping; this is not common in Auckland. If you must give a waiter some tips for excellent services, you should ensure it’s something below 10 percent.
3. Choose your activities and attractions wisely
If you have a long list of places to visit on your first trip to Auckland, you should remove some items from the list to save money. Research the best attractions and activities that are worth your money. Some pricy activities like helicopter flight-seeing and bungy jumping are not worth your money on a first visit.
Go through several reviews online to find the best places, activities, and attractions to spend your money on. There are plenty of free attractions and activities you can enjoy in New Zealand. You don’t have to spend all your money on expensive activities when there is a lot of freebie like hiking a national park and taking a walk in the botanical gardens.
You can also save a lot of money when you consider a city pass. If you plan for sightseeing, you should opt for a city pass that takes you through multiple attractions to save money.
4. Look for economical local transport
New Zealand is not the right place to go for car rentals if you’re touring the country on a limited budget. You can avoid car hire’s high costs by using the local bus that offers the most reasonable ride to most destinations in the country. If you must book a car rental, you should opt for the smaller companies that charge the lowest rates.
Again if you plan to stay in the country for some months, you can buy used vehicles that come with a buy-back guarantee. This way you can save a lot of money on local transport. If you are lucky to secure a campervan, you’ll be saving on rental and accommodation, which is likely to eat your budget a lot.
5. Meals and accommodation
The best way to save money on meals is to shop for your food from the local groceries and cook your own meals. For a quick lunch, you can go for some bread, yogurt, and fruit. It would help if you also learned some local dishes you can prepare in your campervan or hostel at night. If you take alcohol, you can take advantage of the happy hours in most local bars to grab your favorite drink at a low price.
You should avoid wasting your money on bottled water served in most restaurants. There is plenty of potable tap water in Auckland. If you are used to drinking tap water, all you need is a sizeable bottle to carry drinking water with you.
When looking for accommodation in the city, you should opt for hostels that offer travelers a kitchen. This way you can prepare your own meals and avoid wasting money on fast food at local food joints. Camping and caravanning are common in New Zealand, and you can enjoy it on legal campsites in the country for free accommodation.
Final Thoughts
The best you can do when you plan to visit Auckland, New Zealand, is research well. Find the most affordable offers on flight, accommodation, meals, and tour guide. Employ the tips we’ve shared here if you look forward to touring Auckland on a limited budget.