Malaysians’ Guide And Tips For New Zealand Working Holiday

New Zealand is one of the top most expensive countries on Earth. One of the main factors contributing to the expensive cost of living in New Zealand is due to its geographical isolation from the outside world. Importing stuff into the country is expensive so you pay for goods and services at a premium cost.

Groceries

One of the practical ways to save money is to shop local, on-season produce. As a four-season country, you’ll find a variety of peak season fruit and vegetables in different months, when they are the cheapest.

You should also check out and make use of different supermarkets’ weekly promotions. I always check out Woolworths (previously known as Countdown) Weekly Mailer (same deals nationwide) and PAK’nSAVE Weekly Deals (deals differ between branches) for cheap deals every week. Supermarkets often have not-so-fresh meat which prices are reduced to clear.

New World Supermarkets usually cost higher and catered to the ‘atas’ community although they pretty much sell the same thing, though sometimes there are pretty good promotions too. My personal favorite is the Raeward Fresh’s weekly special, their products are fresher than supermarkets’ but the downsides are there are just a few branches and the non-promotional items usually cost more. In addition, you might find some goodies in North Island’s Reduced To Clear Grocery Clearance Stores (I love the branch in Whangarei, but the Hamilton branch was meh).

Renting Rooms/Houses

If you are staying in a place for some time, renting a room and sharing the house with the flatmates is a better option. Not only is it cheaper than paying for hotels/hostels, you also get your own space with better comfort. It is also a great opportunity to get to know people from different countries and backgrounds. During my stay, I met awesome flatmates: A resident pro snowboarder who trained me how to snowboard, a French champion snowboarder who further honed my snowboarding skills, a nature guide from Patagonia and more!

One thing to note is that New Zealand is facing a big housing shortage, and finding a room to rent can be tough, especially in major working cities like Queenstown. You can easily find many room listings in Facebook Marketplace but the competition is fierce! You should treat sending a message to the landlord like introducing yourself to your potential dream employer. Write an impressive ‘tenant CV’ to catch the attention of people renting the rooms, as they will be bombarded with endless messages from room seekers.

On the other hand, backpackers often rave about exchanging a bed (often in a small shared room) for a few hours of work in a hostel, but why waste the hours on that when you can work and actually earn money? In my opinion, it is better off for a working holiday maker to be employed and pay the rent, than to work for free in exchange for a place to sleep (maybe get paid a little but still).

In contrast, accommodation exchanges that involve a rich cultural and experience exchange are well worth it, and you should try it! I first stayed at a lovely elderly couples’ inheritance farmhouse where I helped with some lawn mowing, where I met two lovely horses and experienced authentic New Zealand farm life. Later on, I started being an au pair (helping the kids to get ready to school, doing fun activities during holidays & walking the dogs and even goats at some point) for an awesome family, living with them in a massive property, exchanging recipes and stories on freetime. Abroadly (formerly known as Adopt A Backpacker) and Backpackerboard are the free platforms where I found these great opportunities.

Moreover, you might find employers who provide accommodation (free or subsidized) to workers. Most of these offers are basic shared houses, cabins, or empty grounds for camping, while a few have pretty good accommodation.

Cook Your Own Meals

It’s a no-brainer but it makes more sense in New Zealand where eating out is pretty costly. Using the saving tips explained in the groceries section above, you’ll be sure to enjoy hearty yet low cost meals everyday. And you don’t really miss out by not eating out (as foodie nation-born people, I’m sure y’all won’t be too impressed with the cafe/restaurant food over there. No offense to the Kiwis, they have top-notch fruits and meat produce!).

Petrol/Gas Fuel Price

Unlike Malaysia’s fuel price, where currently all gas companies set the gas prices at the same maximum rate based on the government’s blanket fuel subsidies, every New Zealand petrol station has different fuel prices. Even the same gas company charges different gas prices between their petrol stations. Also, the fuel prices can change pretty much every day (price refreshes at 12pm I think, not sure if they also refresh at 12am).

Fortunately, there’s this mobile app called Gaspy, It shows you the crowd sourced data of the fuel prices in every gas station all over New Zealand. With this app, you can find the cheapest gas station near you. The interactive map also helps you to plan your long distance road trip, stopping at the cheapest gas station possible on your way to your destinations.

Ferry Booking With Top10 Membership Discount

If you are going to take the ferry to travel between North and South Island with a vehicle, I recommend signing up for Top 10 Membership to get discounts for your ferry booking. The membership grants you 15-17% discount on your Interislander Ferry fare (subject to change). While the two-year membership cost me $55 to sign up, I received a total of $70 discount from the two ferry bookings I made. In addition, there are various membership benefits with Top 10, such as discounts and free gifts from tours, activities and restaurants. You also get discounts when staying at the Top 10 Holiday Parks. However, if you are not planning to take the ferry more than once, or if you are taking the ferry without a car, you can skip this membership.

Buy A Bucket, and Laundry Powder Too

Assuming you got a car to store these items, get a bucket and laundry powder as soon as you can. Laundromats and laundry facilities are not cheap in New Zealand. The standard price of using the washing machine in hostels is $4, plus $2 for a little single-use pack of laundry powder, and another $4 for the dryer. These dollars add up real quick as you travel and wash your clothes.

By hand washing my clothes, not only that I save money, but it also enables me to bring less clothes as I wash my clothes almost every day in small batches (quicker and easier than washing a big load), which get dry and ready by the next day.