Coming To New Zealand

[MPBVr4]

No not me........ unfortunately!

My younger son (Reg member "jdgb86") plus three mates are setting off travelling the world for 6 months at the end of October. Starting in Thailand then to "OZ" for a few weeks, taking in Sydney at "New Year" then over to
Auckland for starters, at the end of Jan 2008.

Any advise from members would be a great help. They reckon on spending about 2 months there, travelling down south and back at some time.

a) Places to stay. hostels etc in or around Auckland ?
b) Must See / Must Do in New Zealand?
c) Any casual work - advise would help. (is there any ?)
d) They are looking to buy a cheap motor for travelling. (I know Brad's sold
his spare VR4 /pan ) and selling again when they leave. What are the implications with insurance, road tax etc.

Cheers
Malc

[Subaru ETA]

we pay outr road tax with our fuel - except for deisels where you have to pay it seperate. you have to pay warrent inspection and rego. insurance aint compulsary but id never drive without it

if they coming in summer they would have to hit the auckland beaches - piha etc. go up north to mangawhai - great whit beaches.

luge in rotorua

heading down south stop off at coromandal for more beaches.

im not too sure what to do down south island in summer apart from bungie jumping in queenstown.

i dont know about casual work. i know in winter there is heaps of bar work down south but yea

[Gly]

the car must have a wof/rego to be road legal, (around $40 for a wof, and $100 for a rego (nz$) for 6 months)

insurance is not compulsary here.
but you will be held liable if you have an accedent and its proven to be your fault.

look a for cheapy car on www.trademe.co.nz
or the trade and exchange. www.tradeandexchange.co.nz

toyota corollas very realiable car... almost bullet proof.
get something cheap and run it into the ground... it can be hard to re-sell a car depending on when they leave,
ie. cheap cars are harder to come by during the holiday season, and plentyfull when its over.

[KHK]

yea corolla is very reliable,

take a mud bath in Rotorua if u don't mind the sulphur smell

there is a youth hostel down there Mount Cook, worth stay there for a while

[BraindG]

one thing about NZ is that there are loads of wee campervans for sale from people who have done just that - like the books you see at hostels, once they are done with they are left for other people, in this case sold to other people for their trips around NZ.

Im trying to recall where exactly i seen them advertised, got a feeling at the airport but also at the tourist information places.

might be a good idea.

[KHK]

campervan is quite expensive,
and u can't drive fast, lol;
a 8 years old corolla with almost 200k on clock can easily upto 130km/hr

i'd rather prefer to pay for a better car and a better motel
some motel with about 110NZD / night can offer u quite a deluxe environment
if you have time to make a choice, u can go to take a look of the room before booking or payment
otherwise u need to confirm on phone with your visa before arrival

[Joanne]

one thing about NZ is that there are loads of wee campervans for sale from people who have done just that ...
Im trying to recall where exactly i seen them advertised, got a feeling at the airport but also at the tourist information places.


There's always ones listed at backpackers - especially in the South Island. I think most people come to Auckland then head South and try to get rid of them... so it might be an idea to do it in reverse?

[william]

I would go to the Ellerslie Car Fair - they are at the Ellerslie race course every Sunday. I have seen heaps of cheap campervans for sale at around $3000, mostly Hi-Ace based. If you do not travel by campervan, I would suggest staying in backpackers lodges - they are cheap and you meet fellow young travelers and casual work in the area is normally advertised on their notice boards. You get lots of travel guides on NZ - Lonely Planet is a good one. NZ is very tourist orientated and offers something for all tastes, best is to read up beforehand and decide what you want. I might suggest things that I like and they might find it boring!

[jdgb86]

Thanks for all the info about cars and what have you still not sure whether to go down the car or campervan route but all information is helpful.

Was wondering whether you have many mini VR4 meets near Aukland might be interested in popping along.

Thanks again:2thumbsup

[Ryan]

As for work there's normally an abundance of it, depending on what you're willing to do. Would they be coming over on a working holiday visa?

If you're not legal then the only jobs you *might* get would be confined to construction, fruit picking and the like.

Some backpackers do let you work in the building in order to pay board but this is the exception rather than the rule. Backpackers are a good source of information for things to do, places to see etc.

I'd recommend staying at Base backpackers, they're a little dearer than the rest but not excessive and the facilities are generally quite good and clean. I've stayed in several when I was touring NZ and have had good times at all of them (Christchurch, Wellington & Auckland).

check out www.basebackpackers.com

[djb160]

Yeah there's always a job starting late feb in the nelson area for fruit pickers. Not too bad for money and you're in the sunniest place in NZ. LOTS of talent at kaiteri beach over summer holidays. Really need to find out if they've got working VISAs though

[jdgb86]

Yeah have got working VISA's sorted already, would be willing to do pretty much anything thats going.

I heard that Aukland backpakers was a really good place to start just to settle down. thanks for the advice

[MPBVr4]

Thanks everyone for the advise. My lad, Jos (jdgb86), really appreciated it and is looking forward to his stay in NZ.

The response to this thread was amazing and just goes to show CVR4 is
soooooooo..... much more than "just another car club" :2thumbsup

[djb160]

If they get some sort of plan in action I should be able to ask around about fruit picking if they're going to be in Nelson/Motueka about Febuary. This may be of help, may not.

[Ryan]

Yeah have got working VISA's sorted already, would be willing to do pretty much anything thats going.

I heard that Aukland backpakers was a really good place to start just to settle down. thanks for the advice

Yeh there are a couple decent places in the city which I used when I arrived in NZ. There's that Base backpackers which I mentioned, also might want to try The Fat Camel or Auckland Central Backpackers (ACB).

Heh, ACB is quite a large one and has Globe bar on the ground floor... the place is always packed with tourists and locals, so wouldn't recommend staying at this one if you're a light sleeper :P

Auckland is quite easy to get around on foot and you have the Sky Tower to take your bearings with which is quite useful. Public transport is reasonably good if you use the bus and I found the timetables easy to read and the staff were generally quite helpful.

Oh, something you definitely want to consider is how you intend getting from the airport into town.

Regular taxi services run but they are very expensive. I would *definitely* recommend using the Air Bus which is a blue coloured bus with Air Bus written all over it (you can't miss it and the stops are well marked outside International Arrivals).

They run at 20 minute intervals and cost $15. They have large luggage racks onboard for stowing baggage etc.

I'd be happy to show you guys around if u want when u get here.

Ryan

[CANDEE]

A trip to the capital is a must as well :scholar: