Living in New Zealand Part 2: Real Live Jobs

One of the major focuses of this blog has been, and continues to be, affordable travel. If you scroll through the archives, you'll find a 4-part series called Living Abroad (Without Bags of $), and an additional post on financing your time abroad. The goal of the current series on Living in New Zealand is to "get specific" with these general concepts. So, while much the contents are equally applicable in other places (especially Australia, which is very similar to NZ when it comes to visas and job opportunities), keep in mind that not everything will hold true outside of New Zealand.

Real Live Jobs...

Are abundant for Working Holiday visa holders, if you know where to look. The following non-exhaustive list will give a profile of a wide variety of job opportunities, some of which are paid and some of which are not. It's worth mentioning that volunteer positions are often a lot more attractive than they sound, financially speaking. Think of it this way: earning a small wage and spending most (if not all) of it on living expenses isn't much different than working an unpaid job in exchange for food and lodging, especially since lodging can be a real headache. If you find a paid job that also covers lodging, you've really hit the jackpot. Anyway, here goes:

1. Christian Camping

If you have experience working at a camp, or don't but wish you did, you're in luck. New Zealand boasts an extensive camping industry, and given the nature of the work, they're always in need of staff to fill a variety of positions. Unlike in the U.S., most of these camps are open year-round serving school and church groups, so you'll have work for as long as you want it, from a few weeks to a full year (or more if you can extend your visa). To get the gig, go to the Christian Camping New Zealand website, put together a list of camps you're interested in, and send out email inquiries asking about available paid and/or volunteer positions. It's that simple. Even if a camp's website says their staff needs are filled, there's no harm in asking.

Location: Just about anywhere. Find a map of camp locations here.
Duration: Flexible (i.e. you can move around from camp to camp with relative ease).
Job Type: Hosting (activities + cleaning), maintenance, office, kitchen, equestrian.
Compensation: Typically just food and lodging; paid positions exist but are rare.
How to Apply: Informal email inquiries, followed by CVs/references on request.
Tip: You do not have to be a Christian to work for the majority of Christian camps.

Lakes Ranch in Rotorua, one of dozens of Christian camps across New Zealand. 

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2. Fruit Harvesting

New Zealand is known for its agriculture, especially the fast-growing wine industry. As such there is huge demand for "pickers" to harvest and pack fruit and vegetables. Job conditions and accommodation vary widely from place to place, but you can count on finding work throughout the year in a variety of locales. Word on the street is the work can be pretty monotonous, but the pay is good, probably the best you'll find for a short-term job.There are a number of websites with detailed information on this sort of work, but PickNZ is generally accepted as the go-to place for wannabe pickers. 

Location: Farms/orchards/vineyards across the country (see detailed job map here).

Duration: Varies, but most locations have a multi-week minimum commitment. 

Job Type: Harvesting, packing, pruning, inspecting. 

Compensation: Anywhere from $13.75 to $20 NZD/hr (roughly $11-$16 USD/hr). 

How to Apply: Contact a regional representative for assistance.

Tip: Many hostels offer to find work for backpackers staying with them - just search Google!

3. DOC Hut Warden

If you love (and I mean love) the outdoors and don't mind pretty bare-bones accommodation, consider volunteering with the NZ Department of Conservation as a Hut Warden. It's kind of like being a Park Ranger! Sort of. Basically you live in and manage one of the many "huts" (essentially back-country hostels) located along multi-day hiking trails throughout the country. Duties include bookings, giving out weather reports, maintaining the hut and nearby trails, and search and rescue. You'll get to live somewhere gorgeous, meet all kinds of people, do all the hiking you can handle, and even participate in research. This might not be the poshest option on the list (though many of the huts are surprisingly civilized), but it sure is one of the coolest, and if you're considering a career in anything outdoors, it also counts as serious résumé-building. For more info, see individual listings here. 

Location: Regional and National Parks throughout the country (see link above). 

Duration: Varies, but openings increase during the NZ summer months (November-February).
Job Type: Some combination of hospitality, cleaning/maintenance, and outdoor research.
Compensation: Lodging and (usually) basic food.
How to Apply: See individual listings via above link.
Tip: A good command of the English language is generally a requirement.

4. Hobbiton

Yes, Hobbiton is a real place, and yes, you can work there. We took my family to visit, and our tour guide was a 20-something American who really liked Lord of the Rings. 'Nuff said. Obviously this is a more specific option than others on the list (there's only one Hobbiton, after all), so the number of available jobs are fewer. You have to apply at the right time - the U.S. summer is your best bet - and hope there's an opening. But it's a worthy goal for any Tolkien fan/aspirational tour guide.

Location: The Alexander Farm, outside of Matamata in the Waikato region.

Duration: Tours operate year-round, but increase dramatically over the NZ summer.

Job Type: Tour guide, food service (in The Green Dragon!), basic cleaning. 

Compensation: Unsure, probably at/around minimum wage (about $11.50 USD/hr). 

How to Apply: Keep tabs on Jobseeker and Hospotrade, where Hobbiton lists annually. 

Tip: The closer to a full year you're available to work, the more likely you are to get the job.

View of the Mill and The Green Dragon from Party Field in Hobbiton

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5. Ski Fields

The New Zealand winter coincides with summer in the States, so ski field work is particuarly well-suited for college students wanting to travel over summer break. Previous experience is great, but you can also complete an instructor program (or work in a hospitality role). Obviously the job only lasts the winter (June-September/October) so plan accordingly. 

Location: Queenstown, Wanaka, Methven, Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook. 

Duration: Ski season, typically June-September/October.

Job Type: Ski/snowboard instruction, lodge hospitality.

Compensation: Depends on past experience and location. 

How to Apply: For instructor positions, look here and here; for hospitality work, see here and here. 

Tip: If you can take an instructor course in the States before you go, you'll up your salary.

Living in New Zealand Part 1: Before You Go

The world is full of incredible places, and you don't have to come to New Zealand to have an awesome, life-changing, insert-cliché-of-choice overseas experience. But I've written plenty about travel in general over the last three months. Now that Alec and I have had time to get to know the place, I'm going to use the next three to take a deeper look at New Zealand travel specifically. Life in the closest thing Earth has to Middle Earth is pretty great, and if any of you reading this have been following the blog with mild (or extreme) jealousy, I encourage you to consider taking the necessary steps to go on a Kiwi adventure of your own. Over the next few posts, I'm going to attempt to give a comprehensive, roughly chronological overview of everything you need to know to plan and execute a trip to pretty much the coolest country ever.

Of course Hobbiton is a real place. 

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Before You Go...

You will, minimum, need to buy plane tickets and get a visa (and passport if you don't have one). It's also a good idea to form a rough idea of where in the country you want to spend your time, and how. Note that if you want to fly by the seat of your pants, you can just figure all that out once you get here. Either way, I'll take you through the preparation process so you don't have to do all the Google searching Alec and I did before we left.

1. Let's fly, let's fly away. A while back, a Kiwi heard I was from the States and asked me, "Did you fly here?" Winner. Fact is, unless you want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on freight passage, or you happen to have the skills necessary to sail across the Pacific, flying is your only option. You can get direct flights from LA or San Francisco to Auckland or Wellington for $600-$800 one way. Yes, that means the round trip will put you out about $1200-$1400, unless you hit on a deal somewhere (lucky you). To find the best prices, you've got to do the leg work. Some tips:

• Compare as many fares as possible. For flights from CA, look at Air New Zealand and United. 
• If you're departing from elsewhere in the States, try Orbitz and Kayak for combined tickets. 
• Be aware of baggage allowance, because more and more airlines are charging for checked bags. 
• It's typically cheaper to fly in the middle of the week (Monday-Wednesday). 
• Take note of trip duration, because it can vary widely, and trust me, it makes a big difference. 

2. Do you have papers? If you don't have a passport, you should, so get on that. Moving on. US tourists don't need visas to enter New Zealand, but if you want to work in any capacity, you will need what's called the Working Holiday Visa. Read about the details here. Basically, you can apply online for $140 USD, and if you're between 18 and 30 and a US citizen, you'll get the visa. Do this as soon as you have your tickets (not before, since you need to provide travel details on the app). Once you have it, you can stay in the country for up to a year and work anywhere you can get a job.

Ninety Mile Beach, the longest beach in New Zealand and the 4th longest in the world. 

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3. Pick your poison. Both the North and the South Islands of New Zealand are amazing. It's difficult to get from one to the other (you have to fly or take a long, expensive ferry ride), so you'll either need to pick one or switch at some point on your trip (Alec and I are about to head down South for the second half of our time here). The point is, don't expect to hop back and forth a bunch, because the Cook Straight ain't the Long Island Sound if you know what I mean. Here's a basic geographic breakdown to help you decide where to spend your time: 

• The climate is upside down; North = warmer (sub-tropic) and South = colder (temperate). 
• Both have both, but for beaches, think North Island; for mountains, think South Island. 
• The 2 largest cities (Auckland and Wellington) and 7 of the top 10 are on the North Island. 
• Out of over 30,000 square km of National Park land, over 26,000 are on the South Island. 
• Out of the 9 renowned Great Walks, 3 are on the North Island and 6 on the South Island. 

4. Sing for your supper. If you're looking to spend more than a short vacation in New Zealand, and you don't want to spend your life savings (or you don't have life savings), this is a biggie. Once you know where you want to go, you need to decide how you're going to live once you get here. Essentially your options are 1) find a paid job (likely minimum wage or close to it) and figure out living expenses, or 2) find a volunteer position in exchange for food and lodging. I've already written general articles on both (see here and here), but for those who are interesting in coming to New Zealand, my next post will be on a range of Kiwi-specific work opportunities. Check back soon!