We love sharing our knowledge with you!
Planning a holiday to the other side of the world is a big step into the unknown. The complex travel preparation and high cost of a New Zealand holiday is raising additional questions for every traveler. After all, you want to be 100% sure that you are making the right decisions. And rightly so!
In this section we have shared some frequently asked questions that are worth knowing. They are all listed per theme.
For more in-depth information, please consult our NZ Huis Travel Guide which is part of our extensive customer service package. It is filled with hundreds of valuable tips and tricks and is the foundation for a completely worry-free holiday in New Zealand!
Our Travel House
The unique way we create you a personal New Zealand holiday. Your personal travel preferences together with our local knowledge will create a unique itinerary and decide on the places where you travel, where you stay and what activities you like to be engaged in.
Our European background guarantees you the best of two worlds. We are a small inbound travel operator that puts you first. We will take as much time as needed to create you a personal dream holiday in New Zealand. This all worked out to the highest European standard in quality and service.
Our destinations are often off the beaten track, our accommodations handpicked with top quality, originality and intimacy in mind.
The real added value of our Nieuw-Zeeland Huis lies in our super detailed information package that is created for each client individually. Your roadbook (in Dutch or English) includes every little detail of your journey and will lead you to the best kept secrets of New Zealand.
Our unique service package lets you enjoy every minute of your precious holiday. No stress, no surprises and no uncertainties! This way you won’t miss any highlight of this country, nor will you waste time or money on worthless experiences. Every dollar of your holiday will be spent wisely to create that real Dream Holiday Nieuw-Zeeland Huis ensures for each client!
We are based in Pohara, Golden Bay at the top of the South Island. It’s also the place where we will welcome you in person at the start or the end of your Dream Holiday in New Zealand.
Yes, you can. Every year, during the European Summer, we travel back to Belgium for several months. We can visit you at home, or you can visit us in the Flemish Ardennes.
Of course, you can. That’s why we are based in New Zealand. 7/7, 24/24 you can reach out to us by phone or email. This includes any unpredictable circumstance crossing your travel path for which you are looking for advice or urgent assistance.
We are travel designers first and foremost. This means we spent a lot of time in prospecting New Zealand and our main job is to design you a personalised itinerary that exceeds your wildest expectations. No challenge is too small for us!
This way your itinerary complies for 100% with locations, activities and accommodations you really love. We never work with predesigned routes, just because we are convinced that each traveller is different with other interests and budgets.
Please be convinced that there is so much more possible than the traditional Auckland to Christchurch itinerary covering only the highlights of both islands. On top of that we will add many beautiful secret places where you can admire the real beauty of this country. Places almost never visited by any overseas visitor!
We have no obligations with any operator in New Zealand allowing us full freedom in our designs. This all makes our itineraries unbeaten in personality and originality.
Once you agree on your dream itinerary, we will start working as a traditional travel agent taking care of all your reservations and start sharing our long list of New Zealand travel secrets with you.
Booking Process
First, send us your basic contact details so we can easily get in touch with each other. We will return your request with our NZ Huis questionnaire. On this form you will be able to indicate all your personal preferences and interests.
Soon after we will plan a first online conversation in which we will outline our working method and show you how your dream holiday may look like. You also receive a trustful indication of the total cost of your New Zealand holiday. Until here we work without any obligations or costs.
If you like our approach and love our proposal, we will send you an order form. From here on we will work with you in close contact to create that New Zealand Dream Holiday.
We recommend you contact us 10-12 months in advance. This may look long but please realize that New Zealand is a very popular destination. Lovely and unique accommodations are limited in number and often booked out months in advance.
There is also a limited availability in rental cars, especially during high season.
The whole design process of your journey quickly takes one to two months with proposals, corrections, and several online meetings. By the end we are just on time to book your intercontinental flights with still the best possible early deal prices.
We consider booking 6 months in advance to be a minimum to allow us to allocate a majority of our top accommodations & experiences to your itinerary.
No. There are no administration or reservation fees if you book your holiday with us.
This is of course different for each traveller depending on the duration of your holiday and the comfort class you prefer for your overnight stays.
As a minimum budget for a 4-week holiday in New Zealand you need to think in the range of 5.900 Euro per person. This includes direct international return flights between Europe and New Zealand in Economy Class, all domestic flights, car rental and insurance, all accommodation and a top selection of excursions.
We ask for a deposit of 20%. Your final invoice is sent out to you eight weeks before arrival in New Zealand. All invoices are administrated from our head office in New Zealand.
Travel Insurance
Yes, you can. We work with several insurance companies in New Zealand specialised in travel insurances for overseas visitors. We can make you a free quotation based on age, travel time and existing pre-medical conditions.
Most insurance policies in New Zealand offer a higher protection especially according to natural disasters (unfortunately not that exceptional in New Zealand).
The premium is in general slightly cheaper than a European travel insurance but often covers more. On top of that our travel insurance significantly reduces the cost of your omnium rental car insurance.
Having only one interlocutor makes things so much easier. We will ensure that all your travel parts are covered in your policy, including your international flights, pre-existing medical conditions and the excess fees for your car rental.
Cancellation cover is always part of our leisure travel insurance and can’t be booked on its own. Your NZ Huis travel insurance covers cancellation, travel disruption, luggage, medical incidents, rental vehicle excess and personal liability.
ACC stands for “Accident Compensation Corporation,” which is the government organisation that manages the accident compensation scheme and makes decisions about claims. ACC only covers injuries or accidents that happen in New Zealand and treatment you receive there as a tourist.
ACC cannot reimburse you for expenses such as delayed travel or loss of income in your home country. It is important to know that ACC also won’t cover you for illness, repatriation and after-treatments in your home country. Because of that it is not a replacement at all for your travel insurance.
Of course, you can! Whenever you need us during your trip, you can reach us easily by phone or e-mail in our office in Golden Bay. You can also get in touch on our mobile phone number and this 7/7 for any advice you urgently need. We will always be there to assist you!
Flights
Yes, you can. We offer free quotations for all international flights. We only work with reputed airlines like Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand.
Note however that it is no obligation to book your international flights with us. If you prefer you can book your flights online or with an overseas travel agent and only book your land package (itinerary design, local transport, accommodation & excursions) with us.
For a guaranteed price and flight schedule we can only book your international flights a maximum of ten months in advance counted from your return date in Europe.
This is very hard to say as the prices fluctuate all year long. The times that promotions popped up at certain times of the year are long gone since Covid hit our planet…
In general, you can say, the earlier you book, the cheaper your flight will be. Flight prices between for example Brussels and Auckland fluctuate these days between 1.900 and 2.500 Euro per person (Economy Class). This all depends how long you book in advance, the time of the year you travel (January & February are the most expensive) and the booking class that is still available on the flights.
If you prefer to travel in Premium Economy, then you must multiply the above prices times two, for Business Class roughly times three.
Jet lag occurs because you cross different time zones. The main symptoms are fatigue, irritation, sleep disorders and concentration problems (especially in the late afternoon and evening).
One third of travellers are not bothered by it, two thirds are, and this lasts from a few days to maximum a week. ‘Luckily’ the jetlag phenomenon is often causing more trouble on your return flight to Europe than upon arrival in New Zealand where all the excitement of your upcoming holiday is quickly waving away most symptoms…
It is especially important that you can start your intercontinental flight in a relaxed way. Where possible, we will always integrate a first comfortable night in an accommodation close to Auckland Airport. This ensures that you can hit the road well rested the next day.
At the start of your itinerary, we will also plan shorter journeys and a multi-day stay to give you time to get used to the new time zone. This way you will much quicker get rid of all jetlag symptoms and enjoy each part of your journey, also the first days.
For the reservation of your intercontinental flights, we work together with a local flight specialist in New Zealand. This guarantees us that your flights are in the best possible hands!
They will work out an ideal flight schedule with the best price-quality ratio in mind. Later on, they will follow up your reservation and keep you and us informed of any possible changes.
What is of an even greater value is the fact that we can count on the exceptional expertise and service of our flight specialist when flight changes or disruptions thwart your initial plans and any other airline helpline or chat box is at that moment unreachable…
So, in terms of service, you should not doubt that our flight specialist will provide important added value to your intercontinental flight booking!
Local Transport
No, it is not. However, we recommend the use of a SUV vehicle. This car type offers a better view of the road and surroundings and even more important extra clearance on unsealed roads and steep driveways that are still common in rural New Zealand.
We always opt for a maximum insurance cover. This gives you peace of mind no matter what happens. It is also important to keep the excess to a minimum and even nil where possible.
Note that no rental car insurance in New Zealand will cover you for any damage caused on unsealed roads! It is therefore super important to drive extremely carefully on this type of roads.
The interisland ferries are probably the least reliable means of transport in New Zealand… The last couple of years the old Interislander and Bluebridge fleet has caused many travel disruptions between the two islands. Tourists were often stuck for days on both sides of the Strait… A situation you surely don’t want to be involved in…
On top of that it is good to know that Cook Strait is one of the most unpredictable Strait crossings in the world with common windy Wellington weather and regular storms causing extra delays and… a lot of tourist frustration!
That’s why we don’t use these ferry services but have replaced them in your itinerary by much more reliable domestic flights. This way of transport is also quicker and cheaper than the ferry service between Wellington and Picton.
Most State Highways in New Zealand are in pretty good condition. They form a reliable and quick connection between the main cities. This in contrast with the scenic roads we often prefer as visitor and nature lover. These roads are most of the time narrow and curvy because they follow the natural borders of rivers, lakes, coastlines and mountain ranges. They will surely slow down your travel plans and reduce your average speed to roughly 50-60 kilometres an hour.
Recent heavy rain events and cyclones have had a huge impact on parts of our road infrastructure. This means that traffic management may be in place leading to delays in your travel plans. For some roads the damage caused by slips can be so huge that there is a need to close the road for days or even months. Unfortunately, in New Zealand alternative routes are rarely an option.
Over the years we have learned what the weaknesses of our road network are and have changed our itineraries to avoid any major travel disruption for our clients.
If needed we will keep you informed of any unforeseen road disruption or closure from our office in Golden Bay and help you finding the most suitable alternative so your travel delay is kept to an absolute minimum.
We never recommend trips any longer than 300 kilometres. In our itineraries this kind of travel distance will even be the exception and, where possible, will be replaced by a domestic flight.
We always try to reduce your daily travel distance to 100-150 kilometres. This allows for fantastic photo stops and walks along the route. If a longer car trip is however really needed, we will compensate this the day after with a multi-day stay in that location. This way your travel stays a relaxed one with enough time to admire and relax.
Accommodation
If you want to be sure of having a decent bed each day, booking in advance is an absolute must do during the tourist season. In popular destinations all available accommodations can easily be booked out months in advance due to local summer events or the mass influx of foreign tourists during the tourist season. What is then left, is often a rundown motel unit or an old-fashioned holiday home that is miles away from your minimum comfort standard…
That’s why we really recommend you booking with us long in advance. This allows us to allocate our most beautiful accommodations to your itinerary. A method that will lift your New Zealand travel experience to the level of a real ‘Dream Holiday’. Something everybody deserves for a long, expensive, and often once in a lifetime trip to the other end of the world.
We use four different comfort levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamant. All our four comfort classes are in accordance with what a European visitor expects as a comfortable European standard. This means a welcoming place with lovely hosts, a clean and hygienic room, modern ensuite bathroom and a comfortable bed for a good night sleep.
The main difference between our classes lies in the originality and the price tag of the accommodation. If things like an idyllic location, exceptional view, original interior, welcome drink, delicious breakfast, or outdoor spa are on your wish list, then we surely recommend our Gold Comfort Class. If you want something super special, you will surely find it in our Diamant Class where you will be treated as a Queen and King.
Most clients prefer a combination of our four different classes. This offers the best variation in accommodations and keeps your price within budget.
We have spent many, many hours in finding original places where our guests can stay and relax after a well-filled travel day. Our sources are not only online research but most of all recommendations from lodge guests, Kiwi friends and of course our own prospection trips in the country.
We find this super important as these are the places where you will get in touch with the real New Zealand atmosphere and the friendliness of our super welcoming Kiwi hosts.
Before we send any client to a new accommodation, we will prospect the place ourselves to make sure it meets your and our expectations regarding location, comfort, and hospitality.
Being able to stay each day in an almost iconic place, gives your holiday an enormous extra value. It’s here where we lift your New Zealand holiday to an unforgettable experience! A quality level that only Nieuw-Zeeland Huis can offer you thanks to our twenty years of local travel experience.
If privacy is very important to you, we will take this into account in our selection of accommodations. We will then avoid paper thin walls in historic houses and instead look for idyllic and romantic stays where privacy and intimacy are 100% guaranteed.
In most accommodations in New Zealand both services will be available. However, in our more remote locations mobile phone coverage may be patchy and internet connection even non existing!
In these exceptional cases it is a unique opportunity for you to be once disconnected from everything and anyone with no social media or world news to check! Believe us, it will be a real relief and eye opener of course knowing that one of the following days all these wonderful modern services will be back available…
Documents
To drive a rental car in New Zealand you will need your original local driving licence of your country of residence together with your international driving licence. This also applies to every additional driver. No copies are allowed, only original documents.
Yes, there are. The full list of items is summarized in our New Zealand Travel Guide that is part of our extensive information package.
If harmful pests and diseases get into New Zealand, they can cause damage. MPI staff inspect close to 50,000 import consignments a year and about 20% of them fail our biosecurity requirements. Border clearance is vital to protecting New Zealand’s environment and primary industries from unwanted pests and diseases.
Any food, cooked, uncooked, fresh, preserved, packaged or dried is prohibited. This also includes animal products, meat, dairy products, fish, honey, bee products, eggs, feathers, shells, raw wool, skins, bones and insects. Staff will also check the cleanliness of your walking material including walking shoes, walking sticks and other camping material.
When entering New Zealand, you will need to fill in a biosecurity declaration. For any advice regarding completing this form, please refer to our Nieuw-Zeeland Huis Travel Guide that is part of each booking.
It is an exceptional reference work that has taken us years to complete and refine down to the smallest detail. Now it includes hundreds of descriptions for walks, cycling trips, restaurant visits, photo stops, picnics and so much more.
For each highlight, small or big, we have made full descriptions. They give you a clear picture of each highlight and allow you to make your own well-considered selection of attractions and places you like to visit. Where necessary we create detailed road and walking maps with extra background information so you never will get lost… Thanks to this detailed info, you won’t miss any wonderful secret of New Zealand and save many dollars in valuable tips.
Each day you will start travelling well informed with the ability to make your own decisions based on our extensive information package. This way your personal road books showcases the best of two worlds; they give you optimal freedom in decision making but also the luxury of a personal tour guide!
New Zealand
Best travel time in Spring is from mid-November to mid-December. If you prefer warmer summer temperatures and a bigger chance on dryer weather, we can recommend end of February until end of March.
Surely try to avoid the Kiwi summer holiday season that stretches from Christmas to Waitangi Day (6 February). It’s a time of the year that all Kiwis are on holiday with packed beaches and restaurants in all major tourist destinations. A scenery that is so far away from the idyllic images New Zealand is known for!
To be honest, no. To visit both islands in a profound and at the same time relaxed way, you need at least five weeks.
If on top of the highlights you also like to include all the secrets places we have in mind for you, we suggest you plan for a six to eight week holiday if you like to include both islands.
This might look long but know that your biggest expense is your intercontinental flight. Once here, the days will fly by and at the end of your journey you will only regret not staying a little longer…
We therefore consider three weeks as an absolute minimum for a New Zealand holiday coming from Europe.
New Zealand has three main islands, each with a specific character. The two bigger islands (North & South Island) both have a length of approximately 900km and a coastline of no less than 15,134km!
The North Island is the most densely populated. Main attractions are the Bay of Islands (Sailing & cruising), Coromandel (Pacific beaches), Rotorua (Māori culture), Taupo (Geothermal Parks), Tongariro NP (Active volcanos), Hawkes Bay & Wairarapa (Wine regions) and Wellington (Capital of New Zealand).
The South Island is the nature pearl par excellence. Sparsely populated and with a wealth of National Parks, this is a true paradise for nature lovers and those seeking peace and quiet. Anyone who has a limited number of vacation days (-21) would do well to limit their first visit to New Zealand to this island. This allows you to maintain a pleasant travel pace with the opportunity to integrate the country’s most beautiful National Parks into your trip.
Stewart Island is the smallest and southernmost of the three islands and is known for its rugged climate and nature. Less than 400 inhabitants live on the island. It is accessible by boat or plane. Allow two to three days for a proper island exploration. Due to its isolated location, transport and accommodation are more expensive than in the rest of New Zealand. In other words, if budget is important, it is better to choose a South Island holiday or a combination with the North Island.
Compared with countries like The Netherlands or Belgium, New Zealand is surely more expensive for the purchase of food products. The lack of competition between the supermarket chains keeps all food prices pretty high. Not helping is also the high transportation cost to deliver these goods to many remote places in New Zealand.
Happy enough, most café and restaurant visits will be slightly cheaper, at least food wise. This is in contrast with alcoholic drinks who will feel much more expensive than in your home country. Fortunately, the purchase of any kind of drinks in a café is never an obligation and tap water will always be available for free!
When it comes to good, comfortable accommodations we must admit that the prices are surely much more expensive than in Europe. The same goes for excursions, especially those with a more adventurous character (heli flights, 4×4 tours, jetboating, bungee jumping, fiord cruises).
Fuel prices are still reasonable and tend to be roughly 20% cheaper than in countries like Belgium.