Practical information for travel to New Zealand

When you want to travel to New Zealand there is quite some practical information that you need to know before you go, but also during your travel. Below is a extensive overview of all information that should help you to have an awesome travel to New Zealand. The information on this page will grow in the coming days and weeks, so if you are preparing for your travel, make sure to come back regularly. 

Flights

We spent quite some time in looking for good and affordable flights. In the end we selected top airline Emirates and flying from Brussels. It was the shortest duration and Emirate is top notch with good food, entertainment and service. Next to that we prefer to fly from Brussels. In earlier years, or when really needed, we would still go to Schiphold (Amsterdam, Netherlands) but that is quite a distance from Flanders. It easily takes 2h45 drive and when you get back home after a long travel, that is just too much. What is even better, is that we have a direct train from our home town straight to Brussels Airport. Public transportation in Belgium isn’t cheap, however, for such long periods it’s the cheapest solution. You do want to take the flight hours into account and only take the train option when you leave or arrive during the day. 

Flight details going there

  • Brussels – Dubai takes 6 hours 45 minutes
  • Dubai – Auckland takes 16 hours 10 minutes

As we returned via Christchurch we did have to take an extra stop over in Sidney

  • Christchurch – Sidney takes 3 hours 35 minutes
  • Sidney – Dubai takes 14 hours 30 minutes
  • Dubai – Brussels takes 7 hours 15 minutes

NZeTA

Make sure to either apply for a Visa or NZeTA way before departure! You can do this on this website. There is also an app for your phone which gets you going very quickly. You can push add traveller button, scan your international passport, confirm some details and you’re all set to pay. For the both of us this was 132 euro (About $255 NZD) in December 2024. Without the eTA you will most likely not be able to check-in onto your flight. It can take between 5 minutes and up to 72 hours to get approval. 

RV - Motorhome

For transportation we selected an RV or motorhome. We learned from previous trips that a longer roadtrip by car can be cumbersome. Check-in and out of hotels can take some time and either live from your luggage in the car of drag it each day to your room isn’t something we enjoy. In 2015 we did a roadtrip with an RV in Iceland which we was awesome. When you are only with 2 people they aren’t necessarily big so till easy to navigate around the country. As it would be a 4 week trip, we wanted a real RV and not a van like we had in the Westfjords or USA road trip. Those vans were great for a shorter period but now we wanted to have a little bit of luxury without having to convert every night and morning the van. I’m also quite tall and can’t stand straight in a van, which was also a reason to go for a real RV. Next to that New Zealand is an RV friendly country. 

After hours of searching we ended up renting our RV with Wilderness motorhome rentals. Their website, reviews, motorhome options, prices and communcation style attracted us. They were very helpfull during the entire process and even after booking they helped us out to arrange the ferry and advise for a camping option in Wellington. We were warmly welcomed and also during our trip they stayed very responsive and helped when we had questions. 

The 2 persons motorhome was just perfect as with only 6 meters we could almost always park between regular cars. The RV was very pleasant to drive and the engine had enough power. The inside was very practical and with a fixed table, small fully equiped kitchen and toilet and shower we can strongly recommend this type of RV. Another thing we liked is that our bed was fixed, so no converting in the evening, and that we didn’t have to use stairs.

All specifications: Wilderness motorhome Compact For 2

Camping life
Camping life
Inside motorhome (RV)
Inside motorhome (RV)

Ferry

Ferry

From the start we decided that we would go longer and cover both the North and South Island of New Zealand. The Interislander is a convenient way to navigate between the islands when you are by car or motorhome. The route from Wellignton to Picton takes your around 3 hours 30 minutes. The Ferry doesn’t come cheap and we paid $79 NZD per person and $258 NZD for our motorhome. (229 euro in total)

The ferry boarding is wel organised once you leave your car behind there are several decks to explore. There are restaurants, seating areas and an open deck during good weather. It was quite busy on the ferry and the seating areas quickly filled up. Looking for an upgraded lounge experience might be an option. We spend most of the time on the open deck looking around. 

Once you crossed Cook Strait you’ll enter Marlborough Sounds. In our opinion this fjord experience is quite similar with the boat in Milford Sound. When the weather is great, sitting on the open deck is really nice. For us this experience was quite similar with sailing on Milford Sound and in fact I think you can easily skip sailing on Milford Sound and take this as a comparable alternative. 

Camping grounds / Freedom camping

When you are into camping the best you can do is to download the Campermate app. This app contains so much information and with its convenient filters you will quickly find what you need. You can search for a camping spot based on your preference like paying, free, self containded only, … You can also find some convenient reviews which can help you choose when in doubt. Next to that you can find dumping stations, laundry saloon, shops, fuel stations, … 

For freedom camping there are several strict rules you must follow. First is that you really need to look where you can park. Often there are signs with arrows where the parking zone starts and ends. Other times there was a limit of 3 vehicles that could stay overnight. 

Driving in New Zealand

Remember that you’ll drive on the left side of the road. The roads are in good condition and the views are constantly magnificent! I can assure you won’t be bored by just driving around New Zealand.

GSM / Cell phone / Internet / Wifi

Cellphone coverage is mostly fine in New Zealand although we had quite some isolated locations where we didn’t have coverage or very limited. We typically use an eSIM with a data subscription to make sure we are connected to have navigatioin with Google Maps or variant, plan the next day, or book tickets for venues, campings, … 

Hotels

We would stay 23 nights in our motorhome during this road trip and hence we decided to book 2 nights in a nice hotel upon arrival and also stay 2 nights before heading back to Belgium. 

Avani Auckland Metropolis Residences

A 4 star hotel with gym, indoor swimming pool and jacuzzi to relax after a long travel. Great location, friendly staff and soft beds which were very welcome to have a one hour nap before exploring the city.

Chateau on the Park

We stayed during summer in New Zealand so an outdoor swimming pool was attractive. After living 23 days in a motorhome we wanted to have a bit more luxury stay before heading back and travel over 30 hours. The Chateau on the Park is a DoubleTree by Hilton and with our Hilton Honors Gold membership through American Express we could pay for 2 nights in style with our collected points during previous stays. It also comes with complementary breakfast and upgrade when available. Like this a more luxurious stay become affordable.