How much do two weeks in New Zealand really cost?
New Zealand costs more than most visitors expect, and the reason is not the hotels. It is that the country's signature days are activities with helicopters and boats in them, and three of those in a fortnight is a line in a budget rather than an extra.
Everything below is in US dollars, per person, based on two people sharing a room, and it is land only. It excludes international flights. It includes accommodation, food, the hire car and its fuel, the Cook Strait ferry, entries, activities and any guiding we would normally include.
The four anchors we price against
These are the same numbers used in our complete New Zealand guide, because the guide and the magazine should not contradict each other.
| Style | What it looks like | Per person, per day |
|---|---|---|
| Careful | Motels and good bed and breakfasts, self-drive throughout, one or two paid activities | $200 |
| Comfortable | Strong four star and country hotels, a Milford cruise, two or three signature activities | $310 |
| Boutique | Small lodges, selected private days, a helicopter day, better rooms in Queenstown and Fiordland | $480 |
| Luxury | Top lodges, private guiding, scenic flights as transport rather than as treats | $800 |
Across the lengths we build most often:
| Style | 10 days | 14 days | 21 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Careful | $2,000 | $2,800 | $4,200 |
| Comfortable | $3,100 | $4,340 | $6,510 |
| Boutique | $4,800 | $6,720 | $10,080 |
| Luxury | $8,000 | $11,200 | $16,800 |
Where the money actually goes
Accommodation
Planning ranges per room per night for two sharing. New Zealand rates move sharply with the season, and in Queenstown and Wanaka the January premium is unlike anywhere else in the country.
| Type | What you get | Per room, per night |
|---|---|---|
| Motel unit, the New Zealand standard | Clean, roomy, a kitchenette, parking at the door | $110 to $170 |
| Good bed and breakfast or country cottage | Breakfast, hosts who know the area, a garden | $150 to $230 |
| Four star hotel, Queenstown or Auckland | Central, a view worth paying for in Queenstown | $220 to $400 |
| Queenstown in January, the same room | The same room | $350 to $650 |
| Country hotel or small lodge | Fire, food, a walk from the door | $260 to $450 |
| Boutique lodge, Wanaka, Marlborough, Fiordland | Small, particular, dinner worth staying in for | $400 to $750 |
| Luxury lodge, the internationally known ones | All inclusive, guiding, a helicopter pad | $1,200 to $3,000 |
| Great Walk hut, per person per night | A bunk, a mattress, gas rings, no shower | $60 to $110 |
| Holiday park cabin | Basic, cheerful, shared facilities | $80 to $130 |
The motel is the thing to understand. In New Zealand a motel is not what the word means elsewhere: it is usually a self-contained unit with a kitchenette, a lounge and parking outside the door, and it is the accommodation most New Zealanders use on their own holidays. A careful trip built on good motels is comfortable rather than compromised.
The other thing to understand is Queenstown. The premium there is larger than anywhere else in the country, and staying in Arrowtown, Glenorchy or across at Wanaka is frequently better as well as cheaper.
The car, the fuel and the ferry
| Line | Planning range |
|---|---|
| Compact car hire, per day, booked ahead | $45 to $75 |
| Mid-size or small SUV, per day | $70 to $110 |
| Campervan, two berth, per day, plus site fees | $110 to $220 |
| Fuel, per day of a driving itinerary | $20 to $35 |
| Cook Strait ferry, foot passenger, one way | $45 to $75 |
| Cook Strait ferry, with a car, one way | $190 to $320 |
| One-way drop fee, where it applies | $60 to $180 |
| Internal flight, Christchurch or Auckland to Queenstown | $70 to $190 |
The practical saving that almost nobody knows about: taking a hire car across the Cook Strait is expensive, and it is usually cheaper to drop the car in Wellington, cross as a foot passenger and pick up a new one in Picton. We arrange it that way by default. That single decision often saves more than a hotel upgrade costs.
Food
Reasonable, and the coffee is very good. Tipping is not expected and menu prices include tax.
- Flat white and something from a bakery: $8 to $12
- Cafe lunch: $16 to $26
- Bakery pie, the national convenience food: $5 to $8
- Pub or bistro dinner: $30 to $50
- Good restaurant dinner with wine: $80 to $140
- Fish and chips from a shop, for two: $22 to $32
- Supermarket self-catering, per person per day: $18 to $28
- Bottle of very good New Zealand wine in a shop: $14 to $28
A realistic daily food budget is $55 to $80. It drops noticeably on a motel-based trip because a kitchenette turns breakfast and some dinners into supermarket money, and New Zealand supermarkets are good.
The activities, which is where the budget actually moves
| Activity | Per person |
|---|---|
| Milford Sound day cruise, from Milford | $80 to $130 |
| Milford Sound coach and cruise day from Queenstown | $180 to $260 |
| Milford Sound overnight cruise | $350 to $560 |
| Doubtful Sound day trip from Manapouri | $220 to $310 |
| Scenic flight, Milford by light aircraft or helicopter | $350 to $600 |
| Franz Josef or Fox heli-hike on the glacier | $400 to $580 |
| Aoraki Mount Cook ski plane or helicopter landing | $350 to $550 |
| Queenstown jet boat | $110 to $160 |
| Bungy or skydive | $200 to $400 |
| Kaikoura whale watching by boat | $110 to $150 |
| Abel Tasman water taxi and a walked section | $50 to $90 |
| Tongariro Alpine Crossing shuttle | $30 to $50 |
| Guided day walk with a local guide | $180 to $320 |
| Rotorua geothermal park entry | $30 to $55 |
| Guided evening at a marae, with dinner | $90 to $150 |
| Wine tasting, a half day with a driver | $90 to $160 |
| Stewart Island kiwi spotting at night | $150 to $220 |
Three of these in a fortnight is normal. Six is a different budget. We cost them separately in every proposal so that you can choose rather than discover.
Three complete two-week budgets
Fourteen days, per person, two sharing, land only, South Island focused.
The careful trip, about $2,800
Motels and bed and breakfasts throughout, a compact car, self-catered breakfasts and some dinners, a Milford day cruise, a Kaikoura boat, and the walking that costs nothing, which in New Zealand is most of the best walking.
| Line | Total |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 13 nights | $1,120 |
| Food | $770 |
| Car hire and fuel | $500 |
| Activities and entries | $330 |
| Incidentals | $80 |
| Total | $2,800 |
Note how much of that is the car. In New Zealand the vehicle is a fixed cost you cannot design around, which is why the careful trip is not much cheaper than the comfortable one on transport.
The comfortable trip, about $4,340
Four star hotels and good country lodges, a mid-size car, a Milford overnight cruise, a glacier helicopter day with a weather alternative written down, a guided walking day and dinners booked rather than improvised.
| Line | Total |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 13 nights | $2,210 |
| Food | $980 |
| Car hire and fuel | $580 |
| Activities, cruise and one helicopter day | $500 |
| Incidentals | $70 |
| Total | $4,340 |
This is the most common shape we build, and it maps closely onto the South Island in 14 days.
The boutique trip, about $6,720
Small lodges throughout, an SUV, two helicopter days, a private guide for two of them, a Doubtful Sound overnight, and rooms in Glenorchy and Fiordland that are the reason you remember the trip.
| Line | Total |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 13 nights | $3,800 |
| Food, including three serious dinners | $1,240 |
| Car hire, fuel and two private transfers | $700 |
| Helicopters, cruises, private guiding | $900 |
| Incidentals | $80 |
| Total | $6,720 |
See boutique New Zealand in 12 days for what that looks like day by day.
What moves the number most
- The month. January against March, for the same room in Queenstown, is frequently a difference of 60 to 80 percent. December to February is peak and it books out close to a year ahead in Queenstown, Te Anau and around Milford.
- How many helicopter days. Each one is $350 to $600 per person. Two is a decision. Four is a different trip.
- Where you sleep in Queenstown and Wanaka. The premium is real. Arrowtown and Glenorchy are usually better anyway.
- The ferry and the car. Two cars either side of the strait beats one car across it, almost always.
- How many one-night stops. Not obviously a cost, but every extra base means another night at a peak-priced property rather than a third night at a negotiated rate, and it means more driving. The driving times are honest in New Zealand for the first time.
What costs nothing, and is the best of the country
The Hooker Valley Track at Aoraki, about 6 miles (10 km) return. The Blue Pools at Haast. The Catlins coastline. Almost every Department of Conservation day walk. The beaches. The night sky in the Mackenzie dark sky reserve, if you skip the paid observatory and simply stand outside.
A well-built New Zealand trip has a great deal of free walking in it and two or three paid days that could not be done any other way. A badly built one has six paid activities and no time to stop.
Plan this trip
Tell us your dates and the two or three days you would be most disappointed to miss, and your named specialist will build a first outline with real lodges, real driving times and the activities costed separately. Free, and with no obligation.
Keep reading
- New Zealand: the complete guide to planning your trip
- New Zealand for the first time: the drives take longer than the map says
- Milford Sound and Fiordland: how to actually visit
- How many days do you need in New Zealand?
- The South Island in 14 days
- All our New Zealand trips
Frequently asked questions
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