NZ daily budget for self supported tour?

[flanagaj]

Just want to clarify this as I have been given some wildy differing figures.  Planning on camping as much as possible (both campsite and wild) with a motel room once a week and a good meal in the evening (nothing fancy).   I have read figures ranging from $40 to $150/day.   Ideally, I want to do something for ~ $75 or less, but have no idea how primitive my trip will need to be for such a budget.

So as to set the scene.

porridge + coffee at camp
food for days riding purchased from supermarket.  Maybe a cafe stop for lunch
evening food (If like Aus I might BBQ at campsite or grab food at a pub)

Any pointers welcomed.

Thanks

[RonK]

The backpacker sites are your best guide. NZ has a well established backpacker network. There are accommodation options to suit any budget - backpacker lodges, youth hostels, motor camps with campsites or cabins, motels, pubs, DoC campgrounds etc. Most town have a "domain" where camping is permitted.

Also the are quite a few Warmshowers hosts in NZ.

You do need to take care camping, there is a serious backlash in NZ against freedom campers who camp, litter and defecate in public camping areas.

You can get a good guide to prices from the many sites like this:

What is the Cost of Backpacking in New Zealand?

How Much To Budget For A Month In…New Zealand

For camping food, you can get Back Country freeze-dried meals in shops almost everywhere in New Zealand, and there are plenty of supermarkets if you are more ambitious about your camp food.

I highly recommend you get the Wikicamps New Zealand app - it is a fantastic resource.

[flanagaj]

The backpacker sites are your best guide. NZ has a well established backpacker network. There are accommodation options to suit any budget - backpacker lodges, youth hostels, motor camps with campsites or cabins, motels, pubs, DoC campgrounds etc. Most town have a "domain" where camping is permitted.

Also the are quite a few Warmshowers hosts in NZ.

You do need to take care camping, there is a serious backlash in NZ against freedom campers who camp, litter and defecate in public camping areas.

You can get a good guide to prices from the many sites like this:

What is the Cost of Backpacking in New Zealand?

How Much To Budget For A Month In…New Zealand

For camping food, you can get Back Country freeze-dried meals in shops almost everywhere in New Zealand, and there are plenty of supermarkets if you are more ambitious about your camp food.

I highly recommend you get the Wikicamps New Zealand app - it is a fantastic resource.

Thanks RonK, that's most helpful.  I'll have a good look at the resources you have mentioned.

[Adam Alphabet]

Hi,

Just went over my tour notes from my 2014 North Island Trip. I basically rode a loose version yet to be GPS'd Tour Aotearoa route from Auckland to Wellington (including a few days on Waiheke Island) with single track days in Rotorua. On every trip I log how much I spend and how much I ride daily to help budget future trips.

Crude average ended up being $75NZD/day for a month long trip. Staying in hostels mostly and camping. I left out some extracurricular expenses (Rolling Stones Tickets! etc..)

If you want more detail feel free to PM.
Cheers.
Adam.

[flanagaj]

Hi,

Just went over my tour notes from my 2014 North Island Trip. I basically rode a loose version yet to be GPS'd Tour Aotearoa route from Auckland to Wellington (including a few days on Waiheke Island) with single track days in Rotorua. On every trip I log how much I spend and how much I ride daily to help budget future trips.

Crude average ended up being $75NZD/day for a month long trip. Staying in hostels mostly and camping. I left out some extracurricular expenses (Rolling Stones Tickets! etc..)

If you want more detail feel free to PM.
Cheers.
Adam.

Cheers Adam.  When you say camping where you wil camping or using paid camp sites?

[Adam Alphabet]

Cheers Adam.  When you say camping where you wil camping or using paid camp sites?

No worries... Wild camping anytime I camped.

[Sparkyga]

NZ is about the most expensive place in the world to do just about anything, heads up. Lived there in 2014/2015.

I would personally budget $15 to $25 NZD a day if I was free camping the whole time. It's actually a pretty friendly country to free camping overall. I personally camped out a bunch in the small town parks and often found free municipal campgrounds that were often very well equipped. Hostels are usually $20 to $35 NZD a night, but the quality is usually pretty high overall.

Food is killer expensive in NZ but if you shop the discount food piles and shop as much as possible at either the roadside food stalls or Pak'n Save you'll be alright. The major pizza chains also do $5 NZD pizzas as well. Show up to shops just before they close and they might give you all of their day old meat pies for free

Bike parts are pretty affordable in NZ overall. No complaints.

[Dylan]

I biked around the North and South Islands for two months in 2014.  I averaged $10-20 US Dollars a day and I camped for free all the time and slept under lots of bridges.  Food is expensive and Pak n Save and fruit growing on the side of the road are the way to go.

[Adam Alphabet]

I'll add... when I bike tour food is an important part of my experience and something I don't skimp on. When out for a few days without resupply high calorie bike packer type foods are the norm but in town I would eat well and not worry about how much it cost. $10 to 30 meals were not uncommon and I was quite alright with that.
Also YHA hostels had (not sure now) a low carbon traveller discount (cyclists and trampers). So if you joined the YHA you would get 33% off the price of a room per night. This ended up saving me a bunch. The YHA's were usually quite high quality as far as backpackers go.