WHV First Big Adventure
Hi all,I am a 21 year old male traveling to NZ with my 20 year old girlfriend late September of this year. We are planning on staying for 6 - 8 months. I will have around 9000 NZD, and my girlfriend will have around 5000 NZD. We are planning to fly into Auckland and start our adventure there, as it seems to be the least expensive to fly into. I have been searching to find what kinds of jobs I can expect to get. I have plenty of customer service experience and some kitchen experience. I would rather do picking/packing though. My girlfriend has a bachelors degree so I'd like to know if that will be of any help for her in finding work. She doesn't mind outdoor work either. We want to stay in a hostel in Auckland for the first week or so to adjust and get ourselves ready. As soon as we can find a van to purchase we'll start traveling south. Will it be hard to keep moving and find work at each stop? For jobs like fruit picking or farming is there a long hiring process, or are we able to just make a verbal agreement and start working? We're also really interested in finding either locals or other travelers to hang out with, is it common for this to happen? Also, for those who don't usually, was it difficult to drive on the left side of the road? What are some tips and things to be mindful of to stay safe? We plan on being there from the end of September to somewhere around March or April, what are some suggestions for packing? Including clothes and other essentials. Any other helpful tips or suggestions are much appreciated! Sorry for all of the questions, we just want to cover all of the bases.
2
Hi,Driving on the other side takes some time to getting used to. Try driving in the front of on the bus for a while so you can see the road ahead and think about which lane you would take when he takes a turn. If you are driving, just follow the car ahead of you and keep in mind that the steering wheel has to be towards the center of the road.
The road code in NZ is not taken very serious, and most people make them up as they go. In Europe the slower traffic sticks to the outer lanes and the faster cars to the inner lanes, in NZ you can take whichever lane you want. This also means that cars may overtake you left AND right! Same goes for roundabouts, from observing the traffic i still don't know if you should use the indicators when you enter or exit the roundabout. Quite often people don't use the indicators at all and just exit when you least expect it.
3
most roads in NZ are one lane going in each direction, so what the previous poster says doesn't apply except on the few motorways, and I think it is wrong anyway. For the occasional roundabout, the normal rules apply.read this for the facts.
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/whats-diff-driving-nz/whats-diff-driving-nz.html
don't drive tired, don't underestimate distances, remember when they indicate a sharp bend they mean it.
clothing; layers, good boots and the right gear for walking, a waterproof jacket, and summer clothes. Lots of suncream but it is cheaper to buy it there.
you'll meet plenty of other tourists in the hostels and when working, it is a well-trodden path.
and for the van, if you don't know about vehicles get it checked over, and buy the top up insurance. Break-ins to vehicles is a problem, don't leave valuables in it.
enjoy your trip, nice long stint!
4
@commachameleonRather than "observing the traffic" to see if you should use the indicators when you enter or exit the roundabout you could try reading the Road Code
6
Hey, I was searching through this website for the first time and I saw that you two are planning the exact same trip I am planning. I've done some extensive research into this and I've found that real gap experience offers the cheapest work abroad program I can find. I talked to one of the people there and they told me I could pick up odd jobs that pay 19-21 NZ dollars an hour and allows me to work all over the country. In my experience, however, when something is too good to be true it usually is. I researched the group pretty extensively and have found some pretty bad reviews on their other programs (volunteer abroad, real travel experience, animal aid etc...) but absolutely nothing on their work abroad. I was thinking about just winging it and hoping I could find jobs when I get there. Do you all know of anyone who has done something similar? How are you thinking about going about this?
