North & South – Splashing The Cash
‘If saving money is wrong, I don’t want to be right!’ – William Shatner.
I have now lived in New Zealand for over ten months. I’ve been lucky
enough to spend quite a bit of time exploring the country whilst I’ve been
here, as well as working and saving money for more adventures overseas in the
not too distant future.
Now that I’ve spent a bit more time on the North Island, I feel I can
finally write a post outlining my top three expensive things to do on both the North
Island and the South Island. You know, the sort of things you splash out on as a once in a lifetime (perhaps) opportunity to see or do something fantastic. I know this goes against the grain of a backpacker budget, but you need a splurge once in a while… At least, I think you do!!
finally write a post outlining my top three expensive things to do on both the North
Island and the South Island. You know, the sort of things you splash out on as a once in a lifetime (perhaps) opportunity to see or do something fantastic. I know this goes against the grain of a backpacker budget, but you need a splurge once in a while… At least, I think you do!!
The three things I’ve chosen on each island are unique to New Zealand. Sure, you can do a scenic flight
anywhere in the world, but where else will you be presented with the stunning
Mt Aspiring National Park as you climb steadily higher into the sky? I have to
say, I’ve blogged about most of these things before as well so will keep my
descriptions as brief synopses of my experiences.
anywhere in the world, but where else will you be presented with the stunning
Mt Aspiring National Park as you climb steadily higher into the sky? I have to
say, I’ve blogged about most of these things before as well so will keep my
descriptions as brief synopses of my experiences.
North
Island
White
Island
A longer blog post detailing our fantastic day trip to White Island
can be found here, but let me just say for now that this is definitely an awesome trip to do if you’re at all interested in geology or volcanoes, or just want to do
something a bit different and further off the beaten track. We went with White Island Tours, and for $200, you get a boat out to the island (approximately 49km
offshore) and once on the island, an hour and a half guided tour around the
volcano, going right up to the crater, steam vents, mud pools and other
exciting geothermal things. It’s a fascinating trip with lots to see,
photograph and learn. When you’re back on board the boat, you are given lunch
and taken around the island to see it from all angles before returning to the
mainland. The whole trip took about six hours and has definitely been one of my
travel highlights in New Zealand. As I’ve previously written a longer post about our
trip, I’ll leave it at that, save to say that if you’re in
the Rotorua / Coromandel region, you’d be silly to miss this adventure off your
travel itinerary!
can be found here, but let me just say for now that this is definitely an awesome trip to do if you’re at all interested in geology or volcanoes, or just want to do
something a bit different and further off the beaten track. We went with White Island Tours, and for $200, you get a boat out to the island (approximately 49km
offshore) and once on the island, an hour and a half guided tour around the
volcano, going right up to the crater, steam vents, mud pools and other
exciting geothermal things. It’s a fascinating trip with lots to see,
photograph and learn. When you’re back on board the boat, you are given lunch
and taken around the island to see it from all angles before returning to the
mainland. The whole trip took about six hours and has definitely been one of my
travel highlights in New Zealand. As I’ve previously written a longer post about our
trip, I’ll leave it at that, save to say that if you’re in
the Rotorua / Coromandel region, you’d be silly to miss this adventure off your
travel itinerary!
Tongariro
Alpine Crossing
I have written about my weekend away tackling the Tongariro Alpine Crossing before. It was Waitangi weekend and we had the best
weather possible for our 19.4km walk – bright blue skies, lots of sunshine and
not a cloud in sight (sunburn ahoy!). We could see for miles at the highest
point of the crossing, as far west as Mt Taranaki in fact! The Tongariro Alpine
Crossing has been named New Zealand’s best one day walk, and it’s easy to see
why. Again, if you’re a volcano geek like me, you’ll love the moonscape scenery
and the Emerald Lakes are just beautiful – the perfect place to stop for lunch
halfway! Everyone who travels the North Island should do the crossing if they
have time and the weather is on their side. It’s one hundred percent worth the
effort!! Your limbs might ache at the end of the day, but the satisfaction and
achievement will more than make up for it. 
weather possible for our 19.4km walk – bright blue skies, lots of sunshine and
not a cloud in sight (sunburn ahoy!). We could see for miles at the highest
point of the crossing, as far west as Mt Taranaki in fact! The Tongariro Alpine
Crossing has been named New Zealand’s best one day walk, and it’s easy to see
why. Again, if you’re a volcano geek like me, you’ll love the moonscape scenery
and the Emerald Lakes are just beautiful – the perfect place to stop for lunch
halfway! Everyone who travels the North Island should do the crossing if they
have time and the weather is on their side. It’s one hundred percent worth the
effort!! Your limbs might ache at the end of the day, but the satisfaction and
achievement will more than make up for it.
Hobbiton
Visiting Hobbiton was high on my list of priorities when
I decided to come to New Zealand. It was a definite must-do for me and at last, back
in May, I managed to get there! It was every bit as amazing as I’d expected it
to be – once again, we had a really beautiful day for the trip which just made everything
that little bit more special! Hobbiton is a necessary stop for anyone who is
even remotely interested in Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. The set is simply
beautiful – the attention to detail is incredible and you half expect hobbits
to just amble past you at any moment. The tour is guided and you get a
fascinating insight into the filming of both LOTR and The Hobbit trilogies, as
well as photo opportunities and a chance to get really up close to the set. At
the end of the tour you get half an hour or so at the Green Dragon where a drink
is included in the price of your ticket. My only gripe with the tour is that it
felt a bit rushed – it’s not surprising considering the popularity, but for the
money I paid (approx. $130) I felt I should have been allowed a bit more time
to enjoy the place.
I decided to come to New Zealand. It was a definite must-do for me and at last, back
in May, I managed to get there! It was every bit as amazing as I’d expected it
to be – once again, we had a really beautiful day for the trip which just made everything
that little bit more special! Hobbiton is a necessary stop for anyone who is
even remotely interested in Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. The set is simply
beautiful – the attention to detail is incredible and you half expect hobbits
to just amble past you at any moment. The tour is guided and you get a
fascinating insight into the filming of both LOTR and The Hobbit trilogies, as
well as photo opportunities and a chance to get really up close to the set. At
the end of the tour you get half an hour or so at the Green Dragon where a drink
is included in the price of your ticket. My only gripe with the tour is that it
felt a bit rushed – it’s not surprising considering the popularity, but for the
money I paid (approx. $130) I felt I should have been allowed a bit more time
to enjoy the place.
South
Island
Wanaka
Scenic Flight
Island
Wanaka
Scenic Flight
Like I said, you can do scenic flights in most parts of the world.
There’s something amazingly special about taking off in a small plane or a helicopter
and rising high about the earth for a bird’s eye view of the landscape below.
However, you really can’t beat a scenic flight over the Southern Alps,
particularly above my favourite national park in New Zealand – Mt Aspiring. As
the earth dropped away below my plane and we flew over Lake Wanaka towards the
mountains, I felt exhilarated. Mt Aspiring National Park is simply stunning –
when I flew there were snow-capped peaks rising high above the dark green
valleys and the icy blue lakes. As you’ll know from reading about my experience flying with U-Fly Wanaka, the flight was unbelievably
awesome and it’s something I’d highly recommend to anyone travelling on the South
Island. At $430 for an hour’s flight, it’s not cheap, but it’s definitely money
well spent.
There’s something amazingly special about taking off in a small plane or a helicopter
and rising high about the earth for a bird’s eye view of the landscape below.
However, you really can’t beat a scenic flight over the Southern Alps,
particularly above my favourite national park in New Zealand – Mt Aspiring. As
the earth dropped away below my plane and we flew over Lake Wanaka towards the
mountains, I felt exhilarated. Mt Aspiring National Park is simply stunning –
when I flew there were snow-capped peaks rising high above the dark green
valleys and the icy blue lakes. As you’ll know from reading about my experience flying with U-Fly Wanaka, the flight was unbelievably
awesome and it’s something I’d highly recommend to anyone travelling on the South
Island. At $430 for an hour’s flight, it’s not cheap, but it’s definitely money
well spent.
TranzAlpine
Railway
Railway
This was on my must-do list from the moment I heard about it and I was
so excited to finally hop on board at the beginning of May to
spend a day travelling through the heart of the Southern Alps. The train was
even better than I had imagined it would be, with a great audio commentary that
I hadn’t been expecting. The views from the window were fantastic as the train
slowly wended its way west, passing through Arthur’s Pass on its way to
Greymouth. High mountains, some with a dusting of snow like icing sugar at the
top, great glacial rivers, many threads of silver and blue water all braided
together to form one giant whole, waterfalls tumbling down the slopes, open
farmland with hardy sheep and cattle grazing, dark green, rain lashed forest as
we emerged on the western side of the mountain divide… The whole trip was
amazing and was capped off with a beautiful sunset. Go in winter and see the
landscape covered in a thick layer of snow – even more magical, and cheaper
too!
so excited to finally hop on board at the beginning of May to
spend a day travelling through the heart of the Southern Alps. The train was
even better than I had imagined it would be, with a great audio commentary that
I hadn’t been expecting. The views from the window were fantastic as the train
slowly wended its way west, passing through Arthur’s Pass on its way to
Greymouth. High mountains, some with a dusting of snow like icing sugar at the
top, great glacial rivers, many threads of silver and blue water all braided
together to form one giant whole, waterfalls tumbling down the slopes, open
farmland with hardy sheep and cattle grazing, dark green, rain lashed forest as
we emerged on the western side of the mountain divide… The whole trip was
amazing and was capped off with a beautiful sunset. Go in winter and see the
landscape covered in a thick layer of snow – even more magical, and cheaper
too!
Milford
Sound
Sound
Milford Sound was on my original top 10 things to do in New Zealand
list. I’d heard amazing things about this magical place in New
Zealand and the photos on Google only served to make me want to go more. I went
to Milford Sound with my Stray tour group back in November and had
the best weather for the trip possible – blue skies and bright sunshine
(seriously, I’ve always been so lucky with weather on my trips – every single
thing I seem to do is accompanied by beautiful weather!). The road into Milford
Sound is incredible. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again –
words really don’t do Milford Sound justice. Neither do pictures. There aren’t
enough hyperbole’s to describe how insanely beautiful it is. I lost count of the
number of waterfalls there were tumbling off the side of the cliffs and just
stared, staggered, at the sheer size of the mountains that surrounded us as we
drove deeper in towards the sound. You can self-drive from Te Anau into Milford
Sound too – I’d love to do this one day as I would have liked to have stopped
more for photos. You won’t be able to get enough!
list. I’d heard amazing things about this magical place in New
Zealand and the photos on Google only served to make me want to go more. I went
to Milford Sound with my Stray tour group back in November and had
the best weather for the trip possible – blue skies and bright sunshine
(seriously, I’ve always been so lucky with weather on my trips – every single
thing I seem to do is accompanied by beautiful weather!). The road into Milford
Sound is incredible. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again –
words really don’t do Milford Sound justice. Neither do pictures. There aren’t
enough hyperbole’s to describe how insanely beautiful it is. I lost count of the
number of waterfalls there were tumbling off the side of the cliffs and just
stared, staggered, at the sheer size of the mountains that surrounded us as we
drove deeper in towards the sound. You can self-drive from Te Anau into Milford
Sound too – I’d love to do this one day as I would have liked to have stopped
more for photos. You won’t be able to get enough!
NB: I’m aware that the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, costing approximately $40 for the shuttle bus in the summer is not exactly extravagant. However, if you want to go all out and really challenge yourself, you could try this hike in winter. To do this and be safe, you should really go on a guided hike, geared up with crampons and ice axes – this instantly makes this trip much more expensive (I believe my Stray friends paid around $150 to do the hike in early June). And Tongariro really is one of the best things to do on the North Island, in my opinion… Well worth splashing out for that extra equipment if you’re there in winter!!
It should also be noted that things like the TranzAlpine train are cheaper if you book in advance (I paid more because I booked so last minute) and prices to go to Milford Sound vary considerably depending on your transportation, tour and where you stay. You can even pay for cheaper scenic flights – U-Fly Wanaka offered shorter flights for lower prices (my flight was an hour) but obviously you won’t go as far.
On the flip side, things can get more expensive too, like a White Island tour by helicopter as opposed to boat ($500+!). That would be a truly incredible experience, but is way beyond the budget of most backpackers, including this one!!
When I’m travelling, I like to pick a couple of more expensive activities to do and supplement them with cheaper or free activities elsewhere to balance out my budget. I’ve been lucky enough to do all of these activities because I’ve
spread them out over a longer period of time and I have a job here and have
saved to do them. They are all really worth splashing out on – they’re some of the
really special and unique things you can do in NZ.
Finally, this list is not exhaustive. It’s a well-known fact that travelling in New Zealand is expensive, and a lot of budgets get blown on activities, like bungee jumping, sky diving, heli-hikes onto glaciers (Franz Josef for example costs $300+)… What other expensive activities have you enjoyed in New Zealand? Were they worth splashing the cash on? What would your top six expensive NZ activities be…?
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