Cash for New Zealand

[schnitzel15]

Hi new cruiser here. Going round New Zealand from Sydney for 13nights. Just wondering how much New Zealand cash I should have. There will be two adults and a sixteen (who is classified as an adult). Cruise leaves on 16th January getting very excited and scared that I'll forget something. Slightly stressed.

 

 

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[Aus Traveller]

No-one can answer this question for you. If you plan to do ship's tours and not buy souvenirs ashore, then you won't need any NZ$. However, if you plan to do local excursions that you book yourself, maybe travel on local transport and buy a few bits and pieces, then you will local currency. Sorry if this sounds unhelpful - but you will have to work out what you plan to do in each port. Also of course, you can use a credit card in some cases.

[MrYellowDuck]

Virtually everywhere takes credit cards. There are also ubundant ATM machines should you actually need some cash. You'll probably need close to zero cash.

[shireboi]

Hi new cruiser here. Going round New Zealand from Sydney for 13nights. Just wondering how much New Zealand cash I should have. There will be two adults and a sixteen (who is classified as an adult). Cruise leaves on 16th January getting very excited and scared that I'll forget something. Slightly stressed.

 

 

no need to be 'slightly stressed' - you should (check which bank / cards you have) and just use an ATM when you get into a port. You might incur a small fee - but just grab some cash once or twice

 

- but it's a bit late to score some of the 'recommended' Oz cards for usage overseas (see Citibank Visa Debit card for your next OS travel)

 

how much ??

 

Let see...

 

We are going 6 ports from next week (I have $NZ85 left over from a recent trip) :

 

- buses and transport for two in each stop if you want to do that - I'd say about $10-15 per person - city dependent.

 

- lunch / drink if were hungry / thirsty for two - about $5-10 per person (or just find a supermarket (Countdown - Woolworths). We can be quite thrifty :)

 

Just think of NZ as a trip from Circ Quay to Manly..... :)

 

 

EDIT : here are some transport 'notes' I add to my Royal Caribbean Roll Call for our cruise - if your cruise does their places....

 

Just a few 'hints / suggestions' to those doing the NZ cruise and wish to travel around on their own.....

 

 

 

Auckland.

 

- Sadly there is no reasonably priced 'day pass' for public transport.

- AT TOP is a card system - however it costs $10 without any $ loaded.

- There is a AT TOP Day Pass for $18 - however you will need to buy a card - costing all up $28. Excessively expensive IMO - Auckland just doesn't like tourists.

 

https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/a...-hop-day-pass/

 

There is a Inner Link bus service which runs up to Ponsonby Rd - over to Newmarket (shops / Westfield) and then back to the city (Customs St) - it runs both ways - it's a GREEN BUS. Fares - used to $2.50 a trip.. now with changes it's about $3. Again... Auckland doesn't like tourists - and cash fares are more expensive.

 

https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/b...k-bus-service/

 

 

Tauranga.

 

- There will be 2 ships in that day - Ovation and MS Noordam

 

- Buses - 1 2 30 (1 and 2 get you into the city CBD) - all buses take you to the Bayfair shopping centre

 

http://www.baybus.co.nz/tauranga-wes...auranga-urban/

 

- Day Saver all day (valid day of issue) Bayhopper Tauranga bus tickets are available for $7.40, great for travelling around the city

 

 

Dunedin.

 

http://www.orc.govt.nz/Documents/Con...0Timetable.pdf

 

Buses 13 13A to get into CBD

 

Bus 14 to get back to Port

 

(pages 62-64 of PDF)

- Fares $6 each way - no smart card available at Port.

 

 

Picton and Wellington - just both walkable from the cruise port.

 

Wellington Bus/Train PDF if you wish to venture out

https://www.metlink.org.nz/assets/Ne...ember-2013.pdf

 

- buses within the city zone are $2.00 per ride - you could walk as far as you want - and then catch the bus back to Wellington Station - and walk back to the ship if you wish :)

 

https://www.metlink.org.nz/tickets-a...es/fare-zones/

Edited January 3, 2017 by shireboi

[trishh]

Hi new cruiser here. Going round New Zealand from Sydney for 13nights. Just wondering how much New Zealand cash I should have. There will be two adults and a sixteen (who is classified as an adult). Cruise leaves on 16th January getting very excited and scared that I'll forget something. Slightly stressed.

 

 

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I can only give you a guide. We've done this cruise many times and having never taken any excursions, but done some sight-seeing in NZ, I've found that $500 or thereabouts seems to work for us. We're a family of 2 adults and 2 young adults, so we'd do the HOHO bus, and buy lunch and snacks etc. That $500 has also included the cost of the transfers from the ship to Dunedin and tips for staff on board ship. Hope that is helpful.

Trish

[GUT2407]

Hi new cruiser here. Going round New Zealand from Sydney for 13nights. Just wondering how much New Zealand cash I should have. There will be two adults and a sixteen (who is classified as an adult). Cruise leaves on 16th January getting very excited and scared that I'll forget something. Slightly stressed.

 

 

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We just took a card.

 

One ATM withdrawal at the first port everything else on HER Card.

[chesterbear]

I would just get a small amount out at an ATM as nearly everywhere accepts credit cards. You'll only need it in the occasional store where they don't take them.

 

I pay by credit card for about 90% of my purchases and most of the rest by debit card. I rarely pay by cash.

 

Have a great time on your cruise. [emoji3]

 

 

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[schnitzel15]

Thanks everyone that gives me somewhere to work from. All steam ahead, can't wait

[Lanwood]

We also take around $500NZ cash.

Didn't end up spending much of it on this cruise though some how, so we put all the remainder of the unused NZ$ off our onboard ship account when we boarded after the last NZ port. (Rates aren't the greatest but was easier).

[Suzi66]

We also take around $500NZ cash.

Didn't end up spending much of it on this cruise though some how, so we put all the remainder of the unused NZ$ off our onboard ship account when we boarded after the last NZ port. (Rates aren't the greatest but was easier).

 

We just keep it for the next cruise ;) Same with $USD. We have realised it won't be the only time we need the money or cruise and continually changing money is a pain. We still have Fijian dollars squirrelled away somewhere too which will come in handy as our son plans to get married there. :D

[Lanwood]

We just keep it for the next cruise ;)

 

Or that too...:D

[OzKiwiJJ]

We just keep it for the next cruise ;) Same with $USD. We have realised it won't be the only time we need the money or cruise and continually changing money is a pain. We still have Fijian dollars squirrelled away somewhere too which will come in handy as our son plans to get married there. :D

 

I've got a small file box with currencies from all over the world. Most of them get refreshed occasionally although our Fijian currency from quite a few years ago was obsolete and couldn't be used.

 

With currencies like USD, Euros, NZD, SGD, HKD ie those of places we do travel to occasionally, we actually try to ensure we have a decent amount left over - enough to get a taxi from an airport to city accommodation for example.

Edited January 5, 2017 by OzKiwiJJ

[linanles]

We went on a cruise from Auckland in March 2016. As our plane got in after midnight and the ship left that day we decided that we didn't need NZ cash as anything we needed we would just put on credit card. That morning we grabbed breakfast at Subway down near the pier and put it on credit card then went outside to get a real coffee at a stand in the street. The lady didn't ask for payment until she had made the coffee and then said they couldn't accept international credit or debit cards, it would have to be cash which we didn't have. Luckily a lovely local lady in the queue behind us overheard what was happening and said don't worry I'll shout you.

What an asset to NZ tourism she was.

[Aus Traveller]

We just keep it for the next cruise ;) Same with $USD. We have realised it won't be the only time we need the money or cruise and continually changing money is a pain. We still have Fijian dollars squirrelled away somewhere too which will come in handy as our son plans to get married there. :D

We also keep the leftover currencies. A few years ago when we were in Samoa we pulled out the local notes, only to be told they had new currency. We could go to the bank to get it changed. As we had nothing planned, we did that. If we weren't able to get it changed it wouldn't have mattered, because it wasn't a lot of money.

Edited January 5, 2017 by Aus Traveller

[Miamia65]

I did not take any NZ cash, I drew money out of an ATM at the first port. The current exchange rate is $1.05 in our favour so any bank charges will be covered by the 5 cents difference. Just advise your bank that you will be in NZ.

I can't remember if there were ATM fees like we have here!!!

 

 

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