Auckland, New Zealand: Helpful Travel Tips For Your Trip
Planning a trip to New Zealand? Here are some Auckland travel tips! After a long flight from Los Angeles and a layover in Fiji on my round the world trip, I finally arrived in New Zealand. It was the first of 19 countries on my RTW trip.
Guidebooks are not my thing but I do a lot of internet research before I get to a new place. Seamless and stress-free travel is so important to me, so before I arrive I always research how to get into town from the airport. Airport websites and travel message boards are helpful for this type of information. Sadly I didn’t spend loads of time in Auckland but I do have some helpful travel tips for getting into the city.
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HELPFUL GENERAL TRAVEL TIPS
- Flights: Find a cheap flight using Skyscanner or Momondo. I like these two booking sites because they both search all websites and airlines around the globe including budget airlines.
- Accommodations: I use Booking.com or Tripadvisor to find the best rates on hotels. Hotels.com offers a free night after booking 10 nights.
- Get up to $40 off your first Air Bnb stay by using this code!
- Travel Insurance: Having gotten sick on my travels in the past, I never travel without being insured. You never know when something may happen. For my round the world trip and extended long-term travel, I use World Nomads. For other trips, I have used Roam Right and they cover activities like extreme sports.
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Booking.com
From Auckland airport, I took the Skybus into the city. It was $16 one way or $26 return (2011 pricing). I knew I was flying out of Auckland to Sydney on my round the world ticket eventually so I bought the return ticket to save money. It was the cheapest and easiest way to get into downtown Auckland from the airport especially after flying from Los Angeles. My accommodation was within one of the bus drop zones and I had wheelie luggage, so walking to my accommodation with my things was not a problem. You can buy a ticket from the Airbus Express kiosk at the airport, from the driver, or online.
Helpful tip: There are 30 minutes of free wifi at Auckland Airport.
Helpful tip: Coffee is fantastic in New Zealand so you’ll not find too many Starbucks. If you’re in search of free wifi, look for McDonald’s.
A Maori carving to welcome you to the Auckland Airport
Helpful tip: I withdraw a little bit of money from an ATM at the airport so that I have cash on hand for transportation to my destination whether it be the bus, taxi, or shuttle. It’s always handy to have the currency of the country you are entering rather than foreign currency so you can get to where you need to go. You may want to take out a larger sum of money in one go to avoid so many fees but I have a Charles Schwab account that does not charge me any ATM fees worldwide. It helps to have a debit card with that doesn’t charge fees or has less. My other bank account through Chase charges me $5 when travelling out of the country.
Read more: Helpful money exchange tips for travelling
Getting around: The Link bus is the easiest way to get around Auckland. Look for the red, green, or yellow buses. It’s the most budget-friendly way to get around. Uber now exists in Auckland so if you’d rather not take the bus or are in a rush, download the Uber App (for first time users, get a discount off your first ride by using my referral code: uberrtwgirl).
Helpful tip: Food can be pretty pricey in New Zealand, look for lunch specials or happy hours. If you have access to a kitchen, shop at a grocery store and make food. If you’re a meat eater, I do recommend having some lamb when you’re in New Zealand as well as loads of wine!
Ponsonby area of Auckland. A ‘hood with cool shops, cafes, and restaurants.
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Photo courtesy of Flickr
Have any helpful tips for Auckland? Share them in the comments!
