Travelingbug.org

Renting a car in New Zealand

By Cameryn Korn

If you are debating whether to rent a car versus pay for a tour bus or train in New Zealand, my suggestion would definitely be to do some research before planning your travels (consider the length of your stay, the price of gas, etc.). I recently traveled most of the country by car with a friend. Our stay in New Zealand was only 2 weeks, but we were able to cover most of the North and South Islands. Renting a car is often more cost effective than arranging a tour bus, even with the price of gas. If you don’t mind an older car with miles on it instead of a brand new one from a top car rental company, Ace Rental Car is the way to go. Ace offers great deals with many insurance options. Even though they advertise car rentals for $19 NZD per day, I would anticipate always paying more than that. Rates will also change in the summer months versus the winter months as most people are vacationing and traveling the country in the summer. Also, be sure you indicate whether you will need a manual or automatic car when you make your reservation as your rates may be subject to change.  

Ace offers great flexibility in rental options as well. We began our journey in Auckland and drove all the way down to Wellington where we dropped off our first rental. We then boarded the ferry from the North Island to the South Island, and picked up our second car rental in Picton. Please note that it is very expensive to pay for your rental car to travel on the ferry (upwards of $250 NZD). I would highly suggest arranging two car rentals for North and South Island. Ace will pick you up from the ferry terminal and take you to their onsite location at the Picton terminal. 

Another word of caution is to be sure to pay the extra money for insurance coverage. Although I am always one to ignore any offers for additional car insurance in the United States because I am skeptical and believe it is a huge scam, it is a whole different ball game when you are in a different country. The cars that Ace rents are older and not in the best condition as ones from top rental companies (like Hertz and Alamo). Towards the end of our trip, we drove the entire west coast of the South Island. When we arrived in Queenstown, we noticed we had a flat tire. Even though we had maximum insurance, Ace does not cover roadside assistance for a flat tire. However, because we did purchase insurance, we simply had to put on the spare ourselves (with the help of two nice Kiwis) and drive the car to the Queenstown airport. A new tire was put on free of charge. The great thing about New Zealand is the people. They are always willing to lend a helping hand, which makes your travel experience so much more enjoyable.  

Lesson of the story: check rates with Ace and other tour bus companies if you are debating between the two. While a car gives you more flexibility in what you would like to see and do, a tour bus is less stressful and could be more cost effective (don’t forget the cost of gas). All in all, we were so happy we rented a car because we were able to see so much in a relatively short period of time! Good luck in your future travels!

For information on traveling around New Zealand check out: How to travel New Zealand on travelingbug.org 

Backpacker de la Barra Hostel - New Years

Hayden, Jared, and I are featured in this New Year's video featured on Backpacker's web site (video by Charles Jackoton)

Last year for New Year's I traveled to Punta Del Este, Uruguay with my friends Hayden and Jared.    Before we left the States for South America we decided to book a place to stay, because we heard that in Punta Del Este it is hard to find a place if you just  show up this time of year.  We searched web sites for apartments to rent, hotels, hostels, and we finally came upon the web site for Backpacker de la Barra. 

Their web site mentioned that there is a minimum nights stay for the New Years week.  It is 7 days with the option of either sharing a 12 person room or a private room of 4 people.   The prices for the week of New Years basically sky rocketed, and we were quoted in US Dollars instead of pesos.  Generally speaking,  South America is cheaper than the States and Hayden, Jared, and I didn't know if we should book this hostel or keep looking for another place to stay because of the price.  We decided to book this hostel, because of its location.  I would recommend to anybody looking for a place to stay in Punta Del Este to stay in La Barra! 

We arrived in Punta Del Este after a two hour bus ride from Montevideo.  The bus stopped at the main terminal, and it was still quite a distance to our hostel.  For those of you that don't know, Punta Del Este is very spread out.  If you don't have a car it is too far to walk so you either need to take the "micro" (bus) or get a taxi.  The first option was  to take the "micro" that goes into La Barra, and get off at Parada (stop) 40 and walk the rest of the way.  Or option two was to take a taxi. 

We decided it was worth the extra money to get directly to the hostel!  After arriving in La Barra, we exited off the main road and the road changed from a paved road to dirt road.  We traveled about 4 blocks on this dirt road and then took two turns and arrived at our hostel.  Hayden, Jared, and I all had the same idea in our head: where are we?!  I have never stayed at any place on vacation that is located off a dirt road. 

When we checked in at the front desk we wanted to hear some reassurance that this place was going to be legit during the New Year's week.  The staff assured us that we are in the right place.  After walking through the hostel, and putting our stuff away in our private room (3 of us stayed in this 4 bedroom the whole week...worked out perfect) we saw that there were 6 other people in the whole hostel.  I remember actually having a conversation about changing hostels or even looking to get a hotel room so that way we'd be in the middle of more action.  We were afraid that nobody else was going to stay at this hostel, because it was located a couple of blocks off the main strip. We decided to give this hostel a try for 24 hours...

I can't tell you what Backpacker de La Barra is like 51 weeks out of the year.  What I can tell you is that during the next week we so much fun staying there!  I would highly recommend anybody to stay here during New Years!  The next day Backpacker was completely full, and about 35 people checked in from all of the world.  There were Argentine's, Brazilian's, Australians's, Columbian's, English, and Swedish just to name a few.  This hostel made it really easy to meet people, and it seemed like everybody that stayed there was fun and really friendly!  During the week we stayed there everybody would meet up out back around 7 pm and hang out until about 1 am.  Then at 1 am we'd head out in a big group to go to a club or to a bar until the sun came up!  We did this 6 days in a row! 

I think the best part of the week was New Year's Eve.  Everybody that stayed at the hostel for the week met up around 8pm that night.  The Brazilians were cooking a huge feast, the Argentines brought the music, and everybody else brought the drinks!  Everybody shared what they had brought to the party, and we had a blast until way after midnight when we all headed to Crobar! (check out the YouTube video above)

There are a couple of negatives to this hostel.  Even though this is located in the best part of Punta Del Este, La Barra, it is hard to find it you have never been there.  If we did not hire a taxi I can guarantee that we would have been walking around lost for a long time.  It also does take some time to walk from the hostel into the main part of La Barra to eat/go to the beach/or party (20 minutes).  Lastly, even though they do have free internet they only have two computers.  With over 30 people a day staying here during peak season it is hard to get any time to use the computer.  I still would recommend people to stay here!

Backpacker includes:

1. Free Internet
2. free breakfast
3. a kitchen (which we never used, but other travelers did)
4. pool
5. close to one of the best clubs in Punta - Crobar!
6. bike and car rental
7. 4 bed private room or 12 bed room
8. a really chill environment

Here is a map and contact information to Backpacker:

Calle 9  2306 - La Barra De Maldonado   Punta Del Este, Uruguay

(598-42) 77 22 72 [email protected]

President of Argentina and me in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Last year when I was traveling through Buenos Aires, Argentina I was able to get a picture with the President of Argentina, Christina Fernandez de Kirchner while she was in her car...ok, you got me.  Its not actually her but it kind of looks real with me posing by it.  In front of the Casa Rosada, they had all these pictures of the current President and past Presidents of Argentina on display. 

I have to admit that I have been really lazy about blogging over the last 6 months.  I am going to start cranking out blogs over the next 3 weeks as I am gearing up for another trip down to South America.  I will be traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Iguazu Falls, and Florianopolis, Brazil for 20 days!  I can't wait.  In the mean time I will start posting some new tips, and also other information that could be helpful for your next trip over seas!