Week 8 started in Wellington and continued with me heading down the west coast of the south island.
| Week 8, 3/18 – 3/24 | South Island, West Coast | |
| Transportation | $262 | Busses, ferry |
| Dining | $128 | |
| Groceries | $30 | |
| Entertainment | $150 | Glacier hike |
| Lodging | $152 | |
| Shopping/Misc | $10 | Sweet kiwi knit cap |
| Airfare | $0 | |
| Week 1 Total | $671 | |
| Week 2 Total | $90 | |
| Week 3 Total | $855 | |
| Week 4 Total | $310 | |
| Week 5 Total | $0 | |
| Week 6 Total | $1901 | |
| Week 7 Total | $840 | |
| Week 8 Total | $732 | |
| Airfare | $1943 | SLC -> LAX -> SYD |
| Trip Total | $7342 |
Well we’re now quite a bit beyond what I budgeted for the trip but I did extend it by a month so I guess that’s to be expected.
Patterns are starting to form. A night’s hostel stay is typically around $28. Excursions, such as caving or bungee jumping range from $150 to $300. A good mountain bike rental is going to be about $80.
The best ways to save money, from my experience and observation:
- Prepare your own meals
- You’ll be hard-pressed to find dinner in NZ for less than $25. McDonald’s will run you about $12. Dominoes pizza is a great deal at $5.
- Hitchhike or ride-share
- Very common in the south island of NZ. I haven’t done it for any real distance so my busses are running about $60 for a six-hour trip.
- Camping
- Some hostels offer space to set up your own tent, which could save a bit of cash.
- Work exchange
- A great way to save money and meet locals through services such as HelpX, WWOOFing, and WorkAway. Some hostels offer free accomodation in exchange for a few hours per day of cleaning.
After spending time here, I think the best way to experience New Zealand would be in a rented or purchased camper van. The drives in the south island are beautiful, you can travel at your own pace, and you save on lodging. I don’t know how economical it is, but I think it’d be a nice way to travel.
kentuckyfriedscott 
I’m sure if you worked at it, you could pare the transportation costs. But you’d likely have to be extremely flexible regarding schedule and comfort. I love the travel trailer idea!
We just returned from Florida…couldn’t wait to catch up with your adventures! It sounds as if you are having “a most excellent adventure”. We think of you often.