Planes, Trains, Bicycles and everything in between.
Maraehako Bay Resort. Amazing place to stay with the waves lapping on the shore metres from the car. Photo by Steve Collier, 2014.
In our previous post, we covered why, in our opinion, it’s a better idea to buy a car to travel New Zealand in than to rent or use public transport.
We’ll now talk about how we researched the best car to buy, the process of buying it and all related aspects of the process we have so far encountered.
A random stop overlooking a windswept hilltop vista. Photo by Steve Collier, 2014.
One of the biggest decisions we made before travelling to New Zealand was whether to buy a car, rent a camper or try and travel using public/ backpacker transport. The main factor affecting this decision was that before travelling in August 2014, neither of us had passed our test! Yes, we left it pretty late compared to a lot of our peers to get on the road but we hadn’t really needed to before and the cost of running a car in the UK at that point presented a tricky financial prospect. Public transport in the UK is pretty decent if a tad expensive at times (we’re looking at you Chiltern Railways!) but it still worked out more cost effective than running a car. With the possibility of not being able to drive while travelling lingering in our minds, we decided to create a plan A and a plan B much like cartoon villains. Cue maniacal laugh…
A winter view from Ponsonby towards Auckland CBD. Photo by Steve Collier
Auckland is residence to the largest percentage of all Kiwis and is also the main port of entry for travellers so it’s no surprise there are a huge number of hotels, hostels and everything inbetween on offer. The main reason for the huge population is the sheer size of Auckland. Outside of the CBD, the city stretches in all directions, swallowing up multiple suburbs, each of them offering a different perspective on life within this melting pot of cultures and lifestyles.
'A Couple Of Beers' Travel 