Hi,
I just got back from New Zealand a couple of days ago and we hired about 4 or 5 cars in total to get around both islands.
With the car insurance it was usually a three tier option. You can go for the basic insurance which is a small amount of dollars but if you have any kind of accident the 'excess' is quite large and the types of accidents you are covered for is minimal (pretty much only covered for someone shunting you)
The medium coverage was about 10-15 dollars a day which meant the excess was a lot less in case of an accident and you would be covered for things like chipped windscreens (far more common on some of those roads near the coast).
The maximum coverage was about 20-25 dollars per day and that meant the excess was a hundred or so dollars and youd be pretty much covered whatever happened. However, we found it was rather expensive for what we needed.

Now...car rental companies.
Some companies dont offer the option to be able to drop the car off in another city while others do but charge a relocation fee which is quite expensive. However, we went around several companies and there are usually some which will offer you a cheap rate and wont charge a relocation fee as they need a car driving to a specific city.
Budget was the most expensive we came across so avoid them.
if in Auckland there is a company called A2B which we used.
Another good company we used was New Zealand national which was fairly cheap and has bases in pretty much every city.

Its all a matter of shopping around really, most of the car rental places are close to each other in most cities. However, the cheating way to find a good deal is to go to the tourist information shops and ask them as they know all the cunning deals and will book it for you there and then.

hope this has been helpful

Myself and my partner are going to be travelling to New Zealand next Christmas to visit my mother who has lived there for over 8 years.

We will only need flights as we can stay with my mum and I wondered if anyone knew of anywhere for cheap flights. We want to start booking it soon and dont know where to start !!

It may be better to book it from their end !!

Any help will be appreciated.

Cauli

I've been to NZ twice but that was back in 1980 and again in 1982. The first time my husband and I booked it was through a "travel agent" we saw advertised in a national newspaper. It wasn't until just before we went that we found out that they were what is known as a bucket shop. I don't believe any of the flights were confirmed seats and we paid in armfuls of cash at their request - how little we knew then! It's a wonder we ever got there. We had a three day stopover in Hawaii on the way and when we went to check in, at 10.00pm on Christmas Eve, we were told that Continental Airlines had been on strike for three days and there was no chance of flying with them! Can you imagine anything worst than being stranded in Hawaii (ha ha). Anyway, they found us another flight later than evening which was lucky as it wasn't just us but hubby's elderly mother, her even more elderly friend and our two children who were 4 and 6 - what a combination. Luckily we didn't have any trouble with any of the other legs of the journey and had an enjoyable holiday.

The second time we went we did it through Trailfinders in London and there were no hitches at all. Our accountant used to fly all over the world, just about every month (he was an anorak plane spotter who deliberately chose hotels that were right by airports or were under the flight path) and he always swore by them. I don't know whether their fares are cheap but remember that cheap isn't always the best thing. Maybe you could get a quote from them and you could also try Travelbag as well. The flight would be much more enjoyable if you combine one or more stopovers. The first time we went to NZ we flew over the North Pole strange as that may seem and it was wonderful, stopping in Alaska to refuel and seeing the Northern Lights but that route didn't last long. The only stopover we had was in Hawaii (well Oahu actually) and that was fantastic as well. Even if you don't stay in any places, the plane may make several stops for refuelling which is a good chance to have a stretch. We have also landed in Fiji, Tahiti and Los Angeles, a welcome break even if it was for only a couple of hours. The International Date Line takes a bit of getting used to. We completely lost Boxing Day but on the way back took off at 9.00pm, flew for 8 hours and landed on the morning of the day we left.

Having said all this, all I can now say is that you've got plenty of time unless you mean Christmas 2005 and not 2006. Just Google cheap flights to New Zealand and see the many websites that come up. You will have to be careful as the cheap tickets may have so many restrictions that it may be worth paying a little more. I hope you manage to have a troublefree holiday to that fantastic place.

If you have the time consider a 'Round the World' ticket - they are often cheaper and offer you the chance to see more of the World. If you just want a ticket to NZ either consider less well known airlines such as Cathay Pacific (a colleague got a Business Class return to Sydney with these for £1,000) or Eva Air. Also consider a connection in Amsterdam.

Hi Cauli,

I'd be interested to hear any quotes you get - as I'm hoping to get to NZ next Christmas time also. We just need flights as can stay with relatives. But I'd like to fit in a stopover, perhaps in Sydney. I don't think the flights are released just yet - but I'll be checking Expedia, Ebookers, Opodo, and Air NZ.

Can anyone tell me what the weather will be like in the North Island of New Zealand at end of March/April? Also we are travelling via Royal Brunei and stopping in Brunei for around an hour and a half - do they have showers there and would that be enough time?

I was on holiday on the North Island around the 2nd/3rd week of March a couple of years ago and the weather was beautiful, went swimming in the sea a couple of times. It is the start of Autumn over there but it should be pretty mild. Can't help you with Brunei, if they do have showers you may not have enough time.

Whats the weather like in August compared to december?

Looking at wellington-

FB

have a look here for some climate info.Also weather underground has a great feature. Click on trip planner and put in your dates- very handy.

Hi

The weather in August in New Zealand will be wet and cold it is there winter on the high country there will be snow and it will be lots of clouds about so go in December and get good weather there is so much to see there . The best time to go is mid October to end of May

Hi my daughter is getting married in March 07 and would like to spend 3 weeks travelling through New Zealand. Her husband to be lived there for 4 years. Can anyone advise where i'll find the cheapest flights,and is it cheaper to book ahead or wait for a last minute bargain. She will have to pre book her holidays at work. They were hoping to hire a camper van out there. Has anyone done this sort of thing? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Hi Helen

I can not help with your flights but the campervan I can we hired one and found them to be very under powered for the hills over there other than that it was ok we are going back there in May this year and staying in motels this time we are only doing the north island this time as we had bad weather there last time I will be back on the 5 of June so I will give info then if you ask
New Zealand is very hilly and there is so much to see in both islands .

Hello Helen

I spent 4 weeks touring New Zealand a couple of years ago, it was part of a Round the World Trip . We hired a 4berth Camper Van and had a great time. We never had any problems going up hill, but you have to realise that these large vehicle are not made for speed. We had wanted to book a 2 berth but couldn't get the one we wanted at the time we were there.
I have seen adverts in the past for combined package of a camper and flight with Singapore Airlines. There are any number of airlines that fly to New Zealand most have special offers at different times of the year.
If your daughter leaves her flight booking until the last minute she may get a cheaper flight, but March is at the edge of high season and there may not be much availability of campers and she could have to pay more for a larger one than she needs. I would advise her to enquire at one of the larger travel agencies, they may have brochures on Camper holidays down under. I booked my van with Kea, but Maui and Britz seemed to be very popular firms, I saw lots of their vans around. You can find them on the internet and they all have pictures of the various models, with descriptions of what is included.

We've booked flights to visit this October and found that for us, Singapore Airlines was cheapest at £690 - booked online on their website in February. It was also the most convenient fom Manchester, as we only need to change at Singapore - for Air New Zealand we would have had to get to Heathrow, not much good for us as we are a 20 minutes taxi ride from Manchester airport.

Thanks for that info will have a look at their website

we have recently booked a campervan for 2 weeks in December to tour southisland thru pacific motor homes. they were not quite the cheapest but we can collect in picton (where the inter island ferry docks) and drop off in christchurch. they can also guarantee a newish van if you pay a bit extra. the new zealand tourism site is excellent for info re campsites.
re flights we got a great deal with emirates for business class flights and booked these with travelmood. its worth checking which airlines are doing special deals at the time your looking at on their website.

We are going to New Zealand in Jan 2007, a hotel at the start and finish of the holiday and a motorhome in between. I was hoping someone could tell me if it's possible to buy an adaptor for our electrical items, hairdryer, razor etc. similar to the continental adaptor in Europe, or are our British electrical goods incompatible with the electricity supply there.

Thanks

We have been to New Zealand twice (2004 and 2006) both times in February, and we are returning next February. On both occasions we hired a 4 berth camper van (for two of us). Yes, it is a bit more expensive than a two berth but great to have the extra space. There are lots of hire companies and Maui, Kea and Britz are very popular. They're also the most expensive. Go on to a search engine and simply insert 'motorhome hire in New Zealand' and you will see lots of entries. Most are bookable online but be careful when comparing prices that you are comparing like with like. For example, some charge diesel recovery tax (determined by the distance you travel) and others don't. Also, look at the age of the vehicle - some of the cheaper ones can be as much as ten years old so I suspect they are the ones that struggle. It's also useful to book your ferry from the North to the South in advance. We booked KIWI autohomes both previous times but have booked with Wendekriesen for next year. As for flights, don't ever be tempted to go via LA no matter how cheap it is. This year we went by Singapore Airlines which was excellent and next year we're travelling by Emirates - simply because it was cheaper when we booked back in April.

Can anyone tell me the best way to take money to New Zealand? Should we take a mixture of NZ dollars and travellers cheques or take Sterling and change it there? We are travelling through the South and North Island in a campervan. Will there be plenty of places to change money in the more remote areas?
Any advice would be much appreciated.