Preparation

You can't do such an enormous undertaking without a whole lot of preparation. For me, this started about 1,5 years before my actual journey. I had wanted to return to NZ many times in the past 5 years but I just never found the time to go. Something had always kept me at home.

The first decision was if it would be better to come in the winter or summer holidays. Of course it would have been nicer to have the New Zealand summer, especially for the many hiking tours I planned, but my February holidays were far too short for my taste. I decided to use my long summer break at home and take off into the cold once again.

Planning the 2,5 months that I am in Aotearoa (NZ) would take weeks and months and I was glad that I had started so early. Here's a list of the key points you should consider, plan and book if you would like to do a similar trip:



1. Flights: Flights should be booked approx. 1 year in advance! Try out different dates and times and maybe even airports (eg. Düsseldorf or Frankfurt). I planned my whole trip around finding the cheapest flights. Airlines I would recommend are Air New Zealand, Emirates, Singapore Air, Quantas or Cathay Pacific.

2. Visa: Do you need a visa? For New Zealand I didn't need one for I stay here for less than 3 months and am not planning to work. However, for my 3-day stay in Sydney I had to apply for one online, not so in Hong Kong and Singapore. Check before your trip with enough time for them to work on your application.

3. Passport: It was luck that I checked my passport in advance and noticed that it wasn't valid anymore. Check at least 6 weeks in advance, you need it!

4. Insurance: An overseas health insurance is also very important. I got mine from the ADAC but there are many different options depending on the length of your stay.

5. Money: Deutsche Bank has a cooperation with Westpac which means that I did not have to open a new bank account and can get cash here free of charge. Most of the time a credit card is also accepted though. Still, I went to get some New Zealand Dollars from my bank beforehand for changing at the airport might be more expensive.

6. Accommodation: Most of the hostels I stayed in I booked the day before I would arrive and sometimes I got even better deals than when I had looked them up before. Of course it's winter and there were lots of free spaces! I only booked the very first hostel in Auckland (for to have a fixed place I could go to straight away) and in Queenstown (to still get a cheap room in the skiing season). Another good option is Airbnb or maybe even Couchsurfing.

7. Transport: For me the best option was to rent a car. Buying one would probably have been cheaper but as I have no knowledge about cars whatsoever I didn't know what to look for. Also I didn't want to have the stress to sell it again at the end of my stay. I would probably recommend this option for a longer stay. You can also book different bus tours, eg. Kiwi Experience or Naked Bus. However, if you want to have the freedom to even go to more remote places this is not an option. I ended up with renting one from Omega Rental Cars. They were one a only a few companies that rented them to Under 21s and although their cars are old, they were probably the cheapest. If you want to drive yourself, be sure to get an International Driver's Licence though!

8. Activities: Depending on what you want to do you might be well advised to book them in advance. If you're travelling alone you might want to inquire before if you can join another group booking.



If you think you've planned everything, think again: there are so many things! Honestly, it kept me occupied until the very last hour before my flight!