Tips for Travelling, House Pet Sitting New Zealand (Pt 1)

Thinking of going travelling in New Zealand, and using House and Pet Sitting for accommodation? 

Well here we have detailed a few tips and tricks to consider, (some of which we didn’t), before you pack those bags and book the tickets to the land of the long white cloud.

In this two part post we explore:

• Finding a House and Pet Sitting opportunity in NZ
  
• What time of year to visit
  
• Comparative Costs
  
• House & Pet Sitting and Getting Around
  
• Things to Do and See
  
• What and What NOT to Expect
  

Finding House and Pet Sitting Opportunities in NZ
There are a few world wide House Sitting Sites that cover New Zealand such as:

• housecarers.com
  
• trustedhousesitters.com
  
• and other newer and smaller ones, however we did not find many NZ sits on them
  

The majority of New Zealand assignments are listed on kiwihousesitters.co.nz (which is a dedicated New Zealand site. )  It’s worth noting that this site has gone through some significant upgrades since we have been in New Zealand, however one source of frustration is the lack of pictures and detailed sitting descriptions by homeowners.

Other places you can visit or advertise your services are:- 

• New Zealand’s version of Gumtree
  
• Trademe.co.nz
• Other local classified sites etc

We never had any success with these, as it appears they are not popular in New Zealand for house and pet sitting.

Nelson House and Pet Sitting

What you doing?

Furry Friends

What time of year to visit?
Well this really depends on what you want to do, where you want go and most of all what you want to pay! 

Our basic criteria was to travel and see as much of New Zealand as possible, while keeping it as cost effective as possible with the hope of avoiding as much of the tourist crowds as possible. 

Yep big ask I agree, yet we managed to achieve it for the most part and here is how we did it.

South Island
We traveled in the shoulder season (mid spring) and so glad we did. For starters the campervan rental prices are about a third of what they are in summer and they have all just been serviced over the winter period. Next there is virtually nobody on the roads, or at the attractions and there is plenty of room in the camping grounds so no forward booking is required. So what is the down side you may ask? Well really we could not find one, the weather was great, there was still snow on the mountains with minimal road closures.

As for house and pet sitting at this time of year there was limited opportunities. However we were lucky to do one week in Nelson, travel for a month, then spend another month in Nelson sitting. We found the majority of available sits on the South Island to be around either Christchurch or Nelson.

North Island
Lets start this with a don’t! 
Don’t try travelling around the North Island over the Christmas New Year period. In fact don’t do it between mid December and mid January. Not only is this prime tourist season the locals are also on holiday and everyone heads North. Our suggestion is, this is the time of year to house and pet sit, get off the roads and just do day trips.

In fact we found summer to be a great time to visit the North Island. There is an increase in the availability of house and pet sits because the locals are taking their holidays, and as we talk about later we found travelling this island is totally different to the south. 

Comparative Costs
In travel, house and pet sitting we have found there are four main costs so let’s deal with them separately:-

Food – In New Zealand food is about 20% more than OZ and the common European countries, and on a par with London, yea yikes right! That was a shock for us as well! The locals put it down to having a 15% GST on all food stuffs, me I feel it has a lot to do with no serious competition in many areas. We would suggest buying from the locals with roadside stalls in many of the towns that have them.

Transport – Public transport is on a par with OZ and the common European countries as is hiring a car or camper. Fuel costs on the other hand are between 50% and 85% more. We were prepared for this after doing research, as we hired a campervan to travel the South Island. So we suggest making use of the various fuel discount cards that are available, such as the “AA” card.

Accommodation Between Sits – Depending on the time of year and place’s, the cost is on a par with OZ and the common European countries. If you go to the popular places at  popular times then yes it will get expensive fast.

Activities – The cost of activities in New Zealand are on a par with OZ and the common European countries and there is plenty to do. The thing about New Zealand that we found was it could be enjoyed and appreciated without spending a lot on the paid activities. However in saying that some (in our opinion) are must do’s. (See “Things to do and see” in part 2)

Note:- We saved a significant amount on activities in NZ by booking through bookme.co.nz. 

In part 2 we explore:
• House & Pet Sitting and Getting Around
• Things to do and see
• What and What NOT to expect


Read part two here ...

Travel Well

Gavin