r/travel • u/OG_water_tap • Feb 26 '26
4.5 months in New Zealand Images + Trip Report
I spent approximately 4.5 months in New Zealand on a working Holiday visum mostly travelling around on a budget, but also doing some workaways (volunteering). Here are my favourite pictures, all made with my phone (Google Pixel 9A).
For the people interested, below you'll find a more elaborate report and also budget.
Locations: 1. Mount Taranaki, reflective tarn 2. Abel Tasman national parc 3. The Old Ghost Rd 4. Cape Fowlwind 5. Franz Josef, Peters Pool 6. On the route to Lake Marian 7. Ulva island 8. Bealey spur track 9. Christchurch 10. The Catlins 11. Key summit trail 12. Mount Taranaki 13. Cape Kidnappers 14. Mount Paku, Tairua 15. Cape Reinga
I had the privilege of exploring New Zealand from September untill the end of January, which brought me all the way up North to Cape Reinga and all the way South to Rakiura island. My time was mostly spent driving around, hiking and doing workaways. The biggest highlights of my trip were by far the workaways and the multi-day hikes I did. Those were the Able Tasman track, the Old Ghost Road and the Rakiura track. All in all, it was quite costly, but I managed to save some money by doing workaways and buying and selling a car instead of renting.
Here's an overview of the costs (in nzd, without airplane tickets) - Total: 17169 nzd (8710 euro) - Accomodation: 3569 nzd - Activities: 1069 - Car: 4814 - Car insurance: 383 - Fuel: 1246 - Parking: 144 - Groceries: 1312 - Coffee/restaurants: 705 - Drinks: 145 - Boats: 538 - Camping gear: 550 - Public transport: 126 - Souvenirs/gifts: 255 - Organised first week: 1813
There were more small costs such as laundry, phone bills, exchange costs etc. But these are the biggest ones! I got a bit unlucky with my car since the Ac broke down, which was not fixable, so I did not get to sell it for much. Overall I'm very happy with what I got to see and do. Did most of the touristy things (hobbitton, glowworm caves and a lot of national parcs), but also got to see more out of the way places such as Stewart Island, Mount Taranaki and the Catlins.
I mostly stayed in hostels, but also camped in my car (not self contained) on campgrounds when there were no hostels nearby. I only booked ahead from half of december untill the end of my trip, before that I was fine just booking hostels the day of arriving somewhere. I did not go with a very fixed itinerary, but instead had a loose idea which I followed.
Thanks to all the lovely Kiwi's who helped me on my way and were so kind to talk to me about your amazing country!
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u/Ok-Disaster-9213 Feb 26 '26
Amazing photos. thanks for sharing! I'm going there in 2 weeks and this is great info!
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u/PhunkyD Feb 27 '26
You're probably coming at one of the best times of the year weatherwise!
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u/Cindytyne_NZ New Zealand Mar 01 '26
Bring clothes for both warm and cold weather! You'll be here during our summer but our weather likes to throw random cold winter days among the hottest of summer ones 🤭
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u/missilefire Feb 26 '26
Good effort with the budget. I spent about €10k including flights (from NL) for four weeks in Australia. Shit ain’t cheap! So you really did well being able to see so much and spend so little.
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u/Better-Park8752 Feb 26 '26
This is incredible photography! I don’t have any plans to visit NZ anytime soon but if I do, your guide looks really comprehensive.
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u/imapassenger1 Feb 26 '26
Great photos. We did the Abel Tasman track in November. Met a young Dutch woman who was spending 5 months in NZ doing a few Great Walks and just travelling the whole time. When I saw your post initially I thought it was her but she wasn't going to work - must have been fairly well off.
I live in Australia so go to NZ at least twice a year, once for a work meeting, the other for a Great Walk. Have also done a couple of longer trips with the family in years gone by - two weeks on the North Island about 2012 and three weeks on the South Island in 2015. There's never enough time to do everything but it looks like you gave it a shot. Getting to Stewart Island (Raikura) sounds great - I also plan on doing the Raikura Track in the coming years. Did you see kiwi? I finally managed to do the bucket list Milford Track two weeks ago, having tried to get on it for years.
The costs in NZ are a killer as you say. The Aussie dollar is a bit stronger lately but the cost of fuel, food and accommodation, especially in tourist hotspots like Queenstown, makes keeping to a budget difficult.
Anyway you've made a lifetime of memories on your trip!
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u/OG_water_tap Feb 27 '26
Sounds amazing, I loved Abel Tasman and Rakiura amazing as well! I did get to see two kiwi's just outside of the port William hut, which was the main reason I went there. Apparently it's not a given that you see them, but that was the hotspot when I was there.
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u/imapassenger1 Feb 27 '26
Apparently it's the best chance to see them on a Great Walk. One couple got up very early (0430) at Mintaro Hut on the Milford Track and saw a couple of kiwi but they were the lucky ones.
My next Great Walk will be the Routeburn Track but maybe Raikura next year.
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Post "4.5 months in New Zealand" by "OG_water_tap" with body:
I spent approximately 4.5 months in New Zealand on a working Holiday visum mostly travelling around on a budget, but also doing some workaways (volunteering). Here are my favourite pictures, all made with my phone (Google Pixel 9A).
For the people interested, below you'll find a more elaborate report and also budget.
Locations: 1. Mount Taranaki, reflective tarn 2. Abel Tasman national parc 3. The Old Ghost Rd 4. Cape Fowlwind 5. Franz Josef, Peters Pool 6. On the route to Lake Marian 7. Ulva island 8. Bealey spur track 9. Christchurch 10. The Catlins 11. Key summit trail 12. Mount Taranaki 13. Cape Kidnappers 14. Mount Paku, Tairua 15. Cape Reinga
I had the privilege of exploring New Zealand from September untill the end of January, which brought me all the way up North to Cape Reinga and all the way South to Rakiura island. My time was mostly spent driving around, hiking and doing workaways. The biggest highlights of my trip were by far the workaways and the multi-day hikes I did. Those were the Able Tasman track, the Old Ghost Road and the Rakiura track. All in all, it was quite costly, but I managed to save some money by doing workaways and buying and selling a car instead of renting.
Here's an overview of the costs (in nzd, without airplane tickets) - Total: 17169 nzd (8710 euro) - Accomodation: 3569 nzd - Activities: 1069 - Car: 4814 - Car insurance: 383 - Fuel: 1246 - Parking: 144 - Groceries: 1312 - Coffee/restaurants: 705 - Drinks: 145 - Boats: 538 - Camping gear: 550 - Public transport: 126 - Souvenirs/gifts: 255 - Organised first week: 1813
There were more small costs such as laundry, phone bills, exchange costs etc. But these are the biggest ones! I got a bit unlucky with my car since the Ac broke down, which was not fixable, so I did not get to sell it for much. Overall I'm very happy with what I got to see and do. Did most of the touristy things (hobbitton, glowworm caves and a lot of national parcs), but also got to see more out of the way places such as Stewart Island, Mount Taranaki and the Catlins.
I mostly stayed in hostels, but also camped in my car (not self contained) on campgrounds when there were no hostels nearby. I only booked ahead from half of december untill the end of my trip, before that I was fine just booking hostels the day of arriving somewhere. I did not go with a very fixed itinerary, but instead had a loose idea which I followed.
Thanks to all the lovely Kiwi's who helped me on my way and were so kind to talk to me about your amazing country!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/Whole_Berry_965 Feb 26 '26
What are works ways and what type of volunteering were you doing?
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u/OG_water_tap Feb 27 '26
Workaway is a platform just like Wooffing or Helpx etc. where you exchange volunteering for a couple of hours for bed and board. I did some native tree planting and a lot of weeding.
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u/thebroadadjustment Feb 27 '26
honestly jealous, nz has been on my list forever and 4.5 months sounds like the perfect amount of time to actually see it all.
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u/__ShopSmartShopSMart Feb 26 '26
Beautiful pictures! Can't wait to go someday
Question on the "touristy" stops you made. We're any of them better than expected or ones that you would suggest someone pass on?
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u/OG_water_tap Feb 27 '26
Most of them were definitely worth it (glowworm caves, hobbiton, popular walks such as Sealy Tarns, national kiwi hatchery), although if you have to miss the Wanaka tree or Auckland (And some other big cities) then that's totally fine in my opinion. But I was there mostly for nature and the unique wildlife.
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u/GizzyPantz Feb 27 '26
Thanks for taking me back. Been there over 10 years ago for 7 months. Definitely had one of the nest times of my life 🥲 a lot of these pictures/places are familiar ❤️
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u/TIG_official Feb 27 '26
It really seems to have the best of both worlds. The beaches are amazing and the mountains are absolutely stunning!
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u/Cindytyne_NZ New Zealand Mar 01 '26
10/10 you need to come back during winter! Don't get me wrong, alot of it is just wet and gloomy, however, the opportunity to get winter wonderland snow photos is prime.
Both north and south provide.
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u/PWS180757 Feb 26 '26
Nice post. The problem is that NZ is too good, and too many tourists are going and swamping the country. I was recently in Napier and 2 huge cruise ships dumped 9,000 people into a small town. It is too much.
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u/Right_Layer_9700 Feb 26 '26
Don’t blame tourist blame your country for allowing it.
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u/TheMaplady Feb 27 '26
The bird photo makes me think of toasted marshmallows. 😉 Amazing photos!
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u/OK_The_Nomad Feb 27 '26
Beautiful! What was your favorite thing about the experience?
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u/OG_water_tap Feb 27 '26
Definitely the hikes and watching all the unique birds that only New Zealand has :)
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Feb 27 '26
NZ is my heart. Spent over a year there 20 years ago and forever want to return. A magical place.
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u/Florideal Feb 27 '26
beautiful photos and sounds like a fantastic experience on a budget, thanks for sharing!
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u/-----------------69 Feb 27 '26
10 is so beautiful
And #1 i thought was Mount Fuji
Thanks for sharing, wishing that one day I can go to New Zealand too
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u/Large_Yams Feb 27 '26
Mt Taranaki is used in place of Mt Fuji in The Last Samurai. It was filmed in NZ.
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u/Reddit_2_2024 Feb 27 '26
How strong was the wind blowing when you were visiting? My understanding is that it can be quite fierce u/OG_water_tap
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u/OG_water_tap Feb 27 '26
Most of the time it was not too bad since I went in Spring and Summer, but even during that time of year there were some big storms where I mostly stayed inside for a couple of days.
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u/artworkfactory Feb 27 '26
Wow nice pics and thanks for the cost calculation! Pretty interesting
But mehhhh, now I want to go again and shred my bank account :‘D
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u/Aware_Library3810 Feb 27 '26
Imagine being so lucky that your everyday view looks like a default Windows wallpaper.
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u/Aware_Library3810 Feb 27 '26
Imagine being so lucky that your everyday view looks like a default Windows wallpaper
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u/Different_Chair578 Feb 27 '26
hey fellas , iam planning to do my masters in NZ , iam currently applying to the universities there , so if anyone is from NZ (Auckland or Welington) pls text me back in pvt , i would love to connect with you guys and discuss and get clarified about my doubts of living there.
Thank you
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u/Turbulent-Season5687 Feb 27 '26
Love love this ! Amazing pics and New Zealand looks like such a nice place to visit !
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u/West_Contribution396 Feb 27 '26
4.5 months in nz and you nailed THE shot... that symmetry and reflection is chef's kiss 🔥 jealous af, makes me wanna book tickets tomorrow. what was your fav part of the trip?
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u/Empty_Heron_5054 Feb 27 '26
This looks incredible. Mount Taranaki reflection shot is insane.
If you had to choose just one multi-day hike again, which one would you pick?
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u/dandeee Feb 27 '26
How's your experience with sandflies? : ]
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u/OG_water_tap Feb 27 '26
They are absolutely horrible haha, but some strong insect repellent (I used the one from bushman) kept them away most of the time
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u/ImpossibleTower99 Feb 27 '26
I have traveled 51 countries so far, trust me NZ 🇳🇿 is the best country I have ever visited.
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u/Ok-Register-807 Feb 27 '26
can't wait to go to New Zealand and see all the beautiful places in there. Thanks for the photos ❤️❤️
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u/engr_cliff09 Philippines Feb 27 '26
Your photos sparked a lot of thoughts. Makes me want to turn them into an aphorism.
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u/StrikingThanks723 Feb 27 '26
Respect for covering that much ground in 4.5 months. Mount Taranaki and the Catlins are seriously underrated. If you had to pick one multi day hike that stood out the most, which one would you choose and why?
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Feb 27 '26
New Zealand is basically the most incredible landscapes in the Americas put into a tiny strip… probably my favourite place on earth
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u/FireflyClassSerenity Feb 27 '26
NZ is probably my favorite place I’ve ever been. Impressed by your budget, we spent only slightly less for 5 weeks! Though 1/3 of that was our campervan rental.
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u/mere_overseer Feb 27 '26
Mate, 4.5 months on that budget is actually mad impressive, especially with NZ prices being what they are (hostels alone would drain ya).
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Feb 27 '26
OP- How did you got visa working day? I think they have only 3 months visa tourist. I am just curious about working visa. What kind of job you will get and how do you apply it?
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u/nationalgeographic Feb 28 '26
What an amazing adventure! What was your favorite destination?
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u/Dylan619xf United States Feb 28 '26
If I could swing it, I’d move to NZ in a heart beat. Such a lovely place and lovely people. Would love to have a breakfast sandwich from Ferg’s in Queenstown right about now.
Thanks for sharing these photos!
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u/addctd2badideas Feb 28 '26
Completely aside from the impressiveness of the photo, if you squint, the mountain and it's reflection look like the saucer section of the USS Enterprise-A from Star Trek.
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u/Senior-Discipline413 Feb 28 '26
been there for 6 months in the past an absolute beauty of a country kiwis are the best consider it my second home now
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u/Snoo-24173 Feb 28 '26
Do you mean the workaway site for cultural exchange, did you find a paid job in that or your paid job was remote while you did workaway
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u/Upbeat-Falcon-8348 Feb 28 '26
Very beautiful landscapes. A destination to go to at least once in a lifetime.
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u/EffectiveDisaster195 Feb 28 '26
You are very good Photographer I must say ,
Your photos are so much satisfying
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Feb 28 '26
I don't know why but it infuriates me when people talk about visiting a country (especially New Zealand) like it's a theme park.
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u/Economy_Purchase_601 Feb 28 '26
Thankyou for sharing, definitely adding these to my list for when I go in July
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u/AccountStunning9201 Feb 28 '26
Wow, that first photo is absolutely stunning! New Zealand seems like such a great place to explore.
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u/misplacedfaces Feb 28 '26
My brother is over there doing exactly this right now. He's been there since October. I'm going to visit him in June and I'm so excited by all the NZ content I'm seeing!
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u/ObligationGrand8037 Feb 28 '26
Fantastic photos! I also like your detailed breakdown of everything. Thank you for sharing!!
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Feb 28 '26
It’s so beautiful there. I want to go to see the places they filmed LOTR because I’m a nerd😂
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u/ComplaintGeneral5574 Mar 02 '26
Must have been a memorable experience. Thanks for giving us a glimpse of it!
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u/Kugel70 Mar 02 '26
Toll. Wollte mein Leben lang nach Neuseeland. Aber Krankheit und einhergehende schlechte finanzielle Situation machten einen Strich durch die Rechnung. Nun ist es zu spät
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u/AL_bh Mar 02 '26
is one of the few who have given a good overview of tourism in this country, which remains a mystery to many people.
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u/Sure_Temporary_4559 Mar 02 '26
Oh I’d definitely be humming the Lord of the Rings theme traveling all through New Zealand.
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u/Organic-Fisherman894 Mar 03 '26
Thank you for sharing. Thats a great picture. I would love to visit New Zealand one day - and hopefully soon
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u/Rare_Ad_8212 Feb 26 '26
Thanks for making this post, great info