Discover the unforgettable freedom and scenic highlights during a New Zealand self-drive holiday and make your journey all the more enjoyable.
A New Zealand self drive holiday is without a doubt the best and most popular method of touring New Zealand. Add in that New Zealand is perfectly suited for self drive with good road, little traffic, lots of public toilets and motels, and you understand why New Zealand is a winner for self drive travel.
You can browse online and choose from a selection of specially designed itineraries. Or you can go off the beaten track and design your tailor-made itinerary based entirely around what you love to see and do.
7 ways to plan your New Zealand self drive holiday
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Plan your itinerary in advance. There are a lot of handy guides at New Zealand travel websites that have ready made itineraries on offer. You can use these offers to get inspired and draw your own itinerary.
To get the best local information about things to do and must see places and sceneries, visit websites that only cover one specific town in New Zealand. We will give an example below why.
Plan your New Zealand travel during the off-peak and shoulder seasons. This way the roads are even more empty and you can get much better deals. Write to the bed and breakfast, motel or hotel of your liking directly, as you might be surprised what better better rates and packages you can still get.
If you book through the reputed travel sites like Expedia or Travelocity, you may get savings by packaging both car booking and accommodations together. Do be aggressive and ask for discounts and special offers from the hotel. "He who asks will receive..."
Travel in a group of four so that the rental for your car or camper-van as well as the price for petrol can be split four ways.
Stay in motels (about NZ$40 to NZ$80 - US$25 to US$50 per night) or bed and breakfasts instead of lodging in hotels where possible. New Zealand motel rooms come with a fully equipped kitchen. This means you can cook your own meals because eating out in restaurants every day can become quite expensive.
Do carry a small flask, which you fill up with tea or coffee from the motel room’s supply, before starting your journey. Or bring your favorite tea or coffee bags and just get hot water from your Bed and Breakfast or motel. All you need to do for your next meal is to buy a chicken pie or croissant and you’re all set for a nice picnic.
Why visit websites of New Zealand towns
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To see the most scenic attractions during your self drive, do your homework and visit websites that only cover 1 town in New Zealand to get the best tips about scenic roads to use and places to visit along your drive.
Take a site like Oamaru New Zealand: without it you would just drive along the East coast missing the travel through Totara to Kakanui: an area popular for its market gardens producing various vegetables like tomatoes, Brussels sprouts and potatoes. The road next takes you to the coast to view the famous Moeraki Boulders. Enroute you will be able to enjoy the stunning view along the coast to reach Oamaru via Graves Dam and Parkside Quarry (home of Oamaru Stone).
Now you felt the freedom that a New Zealand self drive holiday brings and you know how to find itineraries that offers you what you want off the beaten track, it's up to you to feel the kiwi hospitality: enjoy your travel to New Zealand!
