Helpful Guide for Solo Travelling in New Zealand

New Zealand, the land of surprises is prolific with breathtaking natural wonders. Be it delightful adventure expeditions, wonderful sightseeing or the serene sunbathing – it knows how to enchant travellers who book cheap flights to New Zealand.

New Zealand is a backpacker’s paradise full of action, adventure and adrenaline raising activities. Utterly photogenic natural splendour, bubbling volcanoes, heavenly glaciers, luscious bush, breathtaking mountains, golden never-ending stretches of beaches, and abundant wildlife – NZ is an immaculate landscape for the spine-tingling solo travelling experience.

Increasing numbers of solo travellers now head out to NZ which is probably the reason why cheap airfares on flights to New Zealand are sold out like greased lightening. With so much to offer, getting a clear notion of all the essential aspects for unspoiled solo holidays to New Zealand may get difficult. Here is a useful guide highlighting important aspects of Solo Travelling – a must read before booking tickets on flights to New Zealand.

Climate in New Zealand

Climate of New Zealand is subtropical in the north and temperate in the south. All the seasons – spring, summer and autumn are pleasant throughout New Zealand and one may encounter all four seasons in a single day. Consider some tips for

• Include a light jacket or a shawl even in summers. Higher altitudes may get relatively colder even in summers.
• Rain is unpredictable, so pack in a rain coat.
• Warm winter clothing is a must from May to September.
• Pack enough casuals that are a norm at most public places, night spots and restaurants.
• If keen on outdoor activities and water sports then pack in hiking shoes, trekking suit, sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen to prevent sun burns.

Accommodation in New Zealand

New Zealand has remained a great solo travelling destination owing to economical and comfortable accommodation options. Apart from savings from booking cheap flights to New Zealand, solo travellers can save considerably on accommodation too.

• Solo Travellers taking cheap flights to NZ have multiple accommodation options spanning hostels, guest houses, bed and breakfast hotels and private hotels and camp sites.
• Most solo travellers prefer hostels for being cheap and fairly convenient.
• Back packers’ hostels ranging from private rooms with en suite bathrooms or single, double, twin and family room options etc abound most popular destinations.
• Budget Backpacker Hostels and The Youth Hostel Association are some of the finest hostels to choose from.

Getting Around in New Zealand

• Although tedious, time consuming and not cheap, bus travel in NZ is well organized and connects far reaches both islands well.
• Intercity’s Newmans Coach Lines operates extra comfort sight-seeing buses and transport travellers to almost every part in both the islands.
• Bus services can be hard to find on weekends, especially on Sunday.
• Link and City Circuit buses make traversing the inner reaches of Auckland easy, while Chirstchurch has a shuttle bus service and the old tramway.
• Wellington, the capital, is the only city with an effective train service on its five suburban routes.
• Solo travellers can hire cars or motorcycles or hire campervans in a group. Relatively cheaper, these allow a relaxed and flexible itinerary for sight seeing and a great experience.
• Many solo travellers go for buying the vehicle with a buy back deal with the dealer to sell it at the end of the holiday.

Adventure Activity in New Zealand

New Zealand is the land of adventure – it offers abundant array of exciting adventure activities to suit the daring hearts.

• Be it paragliding, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, climbing, skydiving, kayaking, skiing, bridge swinging, trekking, hiking, and swimming with dolphins – New Zealand holidays spell a fun time for adrenalin junkies. But it is the bungee jumping that appears to be the fad of the decade with almost everyone who visits New Zealand ending up upside down!
• Hauraki Gulf is NZ’s enormous adventure playground with self drive jet ski & boating, Island Safaris and beach parties, kayaking trips and fishing as its key highlight.
• The Orana Wildlife Park, Christchurch is a must visit attraction for all wildlife and adventure enthusiasts.

Safety in New Zealand

One of the safest destinations in the world, there are few tips for solo travellers taking flights to New Zealand.

• Thefts from unattended vehicles like hired cars and camper vans in major tourist spots have gone up. Street crimes have been recorded in major urban areas.
• Incidents of thefts from hotel rooms in some tourist areas have risen.
• Travellers must not leave possessions or valuable in unattended vehicles or in hotel rooms. Use of safes is recommended in hotels. It is a good idea to keep travel documents and credit cards and travellers’ cheques, separate.
• Before participating in extreme sports do confirm that the organiser company is reliable and well established in the industry. An insurance cover is highly recommended.
• Before setting out to remote areas, contact local tourist authority for advice. Register your details with a Visitor Information Centre.
• Weather conditions can change without notice and can become treacherous in some regions. Keep updated with information on regional weather forecasts.
• Solo hitch hikers, especially women must remain on guard as there have been unsavoury incidents in the recent past. Prefer travelling in pairs.