Working Holiday to New Zealand -- should I buy (then sell) a car?

Question

and i'm planning my first trip there doing volunteer farm work like wwoof or helpx.net... this is where you go to different hosts homes and help them out in exchange for accomodation/meals

it looks like i'll be in new zealand in late november staying till febuary, and i'll be going it alone, so i'm gonna have to do a lot of research. for now, i was wondering if you can give me some tips on getting around over there. i'm planning on visiting at least a hand full of different hosts, but it would be kinda hard if i couldn't get my way out of the auckland airport!

so i've been considering buying a cheap car while i'm there... and then selling it before i leave. could this be feasable? are there any resources you might know of? i guess i have to do something like that, as i wouldn't want to burden any of my hosts by having them pick me up from bus stations and such.

any websites, articles, or resources of any kind would be greatly appreciated .

Answer 1

it depends how much u wanna spend. it is a good idea www.trademe.co.nz is a site a lot of pple use check it out. but then its just as esy to get buses here because gas is very expansive and i dont think it will be going down soon if you book buses early ull get then extremley cheap.

Answer 2

I did this last winter (well, summer in NZ), and I definitely recommend buying and reselling a cheap car- especially if you are going to be wwoofing.

Public transportation from city to city by bus or boat or train is affordable and feasible, but it can be very difficult to get from the city center to anywhere else in the town, suburbs or general region. Many wwoofing hosts prefer that you have your own transportation, and this will make your experience much more flexible.

There are two major backpacker car markets in Auckland, and at least one in Wellington, so if you are starting in either of these cities, ask around for them. The salespeople are actually very honest, and you can get an independant check of a car by a mechanic for $10 before you buy it. All the insurance and title transfer can be taken care of easily and cheaply at the same location, and they will help you sell your car when you leave too.  It worked out really well for me and my companions.

A lot of people buy backpacker buses so they can sleep cheaply at campgrounds instead of in hostels, but if you are staying mostly in homes anyhow, I would go for a small car- any money you might have to pay in rent or hostel fees will be more than made up by the difference in gas money.  

The other great thing about buying a car is that you can take on other backpackers as passengers- you won't have to pay for gas, and you will always find yourself in friendly (if excentric) company.

Have a great time! Good luck! Wwoof in the Marlbourough Sounds if you can!

Answer 3

That's a good idea. Public transport in the countryside here is virtually non-existent.  In addition to helping your hosts, you'll be giving yourself the opportunity to look around.  Lots of overseas visitors here do just that.  Using a car here is much cheaper than in Europe.  An alternative is to hitch hike.

Answer 4

you could buy a car, check out Trade Me (www.trademe.co.nz), it's our most popular buy/sell website. You can get a fairly decent car for about NZ$1000 (one that would last about 6 months anyway)

We have reasonably good public transport but that won't really help you if you're going to be on a farm, so I think getting a car would be the best bet. We are thinking of selling our car (1990 Honda Civic) soon and getting an upgrade! But we are in Wellington, which probably won't help you either!

Another option could be hiring a car, checkout www.budget.co.nz or www.hertz.co.nz if you just needed one for days when you would be travelling.

I hope you enjoy your time here!

If you have anymore questions feel free to email me from my profile!