New Zealand travel tips

New Zealand has been in the media now more than ever. The swift and efficient Covid response has meant New Zealand has been in the spotlight. With the country set to open its borders to fully vaccinated tourists in 2022, and many businesses relying on tourists to survive, travelling throughout this country for your next holiday destination is highly recommended. Your tourism will be a difference between putting a meal on the table and not for many New Zealand families. 

It’s no wonder New Zealand’s scenery is used in popular series and movies – Narnia, Lord of the Rings and many more. The scenery is truly breathtaking and people either return to their home countries raving about its beauty or they end up moving to New Zealand altogether. Here are the top tips for travelling to the beautiful country that is New Zealand. 

Organise a long trip

New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries in the world – its amount of natural beauty is incomparable to any other. For this reason, it’s recommended that you go for longer than the standard two weeks. Travelling throughout the country for at least a month, or even two months, will provide you with time to see everything. You’ve made the flight there so you may as well see everything that is to offer.

From tropical beaches in the North Island to snowy mountains in the South Island, you will be mesmerized by the scenery. 

Travel the country with a hired or bought vehicle

New Zealand is a small island nation with only 5 million people. For this reason, the only way to efficiently travel and see everything is by either hiring or buying a car, van, campervan or caravan. The two latter options will mean you can save a significant amount in accommodation, which is often expensive in New Zealand. 

There are many different hire companies to choose from. And while there aren’t many people in comparison to other countries, there are still mechanics and specialist mechanics such as diesel engine specialists along the way. 

Alternatively, you can take public transport such as buses throughout the country but you will need to book these in advance and they only go directly to the main towns so you will miss out on all of the special attractions along the way. Once you do get to the main towns, it will be expensive to book tours to get you these attractions. The tricky part of New Zealand is that a third of the population lives in Auckland, and therefore they simply don’t have easily accessible transportation unless you hire a vehicle. 

Experience the Māori culture

Māori are the indeginious people of New Zealand. You are visiting their land so it’s crucial you respect their culture. While you are there, the Māori are very inviting and open for you to visit their tourist attractions which gives insight into their traditions. You can watch the haka, experience traditional food – a hāngi – and learn how Māori lived before colonisation at the Māori village. This experience is one you will remember for life. 

Do you research and plan your route accordingly

One of New Zealand’s greatest assets is the fact there are beautiful natural scenic attractions at nearly every turn. Unlike some additional nations where you need to travel a couple hours across a road with the exact same scenery to get to a location, New Zealand has diverse scenery every step of the way. You do not want to miss anything. Therefore, research the top places to visit in the country as well as doing deeper dives into top places to visit in each area from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island. In this manner, your plan makes it way down the country ensuring you have planned every single part of the journey.  Take time estimations into account within the planning process and provide a buffer in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Be aware of the sun’s harshness

New Zealand may not be one of the hottest countries in the world, however, the ozone layer above New Zealand is thinner. This means that you are more likely to burn in New Zealand than any other country in the world, even when it’s cloudy. Ensure you use at least SPF 30+ and reapply every two hours during the summer months, including instantly when you come out of the water. If you neglect this, you will burn within twenty minutes.

 Try not to be in direct sunlight the entire day or you may end up with sunstroke. If you do find yourself having symptoms of sunstroke, such as a headache, sunburn, high temperature, dizziness and feeling sick, it will require a week of resting and avoiding the sun. 

With these tips in mind, we know you will fall in love with New Zealand just like everyone else. Enjoy your stay. 
Olivia Fairhurst is a business owner and content manager for various clients, including Franklin Engineering. Olivia studied a degree in communications, majoring in journalism and has past experience as a journalist and Senior PR executive.