Motels New Zealand

New Zealand’s rugged terrain and unique biodiversity against dramatic landscapes is best savored at a leisurely pace.

Given New Zealand’s distance in relation to other major cities in the world, cheap travel and flights to New Zealand are not always easy to come by. Thankfully, cheap hotel options within New Zealand are plenty, as many travelers to New Zealand tend to be accommodation budget-conscious, as holiday stays in New Zealand tend to be long.

In addition, many travelers prefer to self-drive around New Zealand, or at least try self-driving some parts of their journey. Distances between places of interest within New Zealand are far – New Zealand is about the size of Italy – the length of New Zealand extends to about 16,000 km (1,000 miles), so travelers tend to break self-drive trips with multiple stays along the way. What this means is that there is a good range of cheap hotel accommodation scattered throughout New Zealand, catering to budget-conscious travelers on self-driving trips.

The motel association of New Zealand (MANZ) has a useful website at www.nzmotels.co.nz. The website not only offers a good listing of the motels available (with contact numbers and star ratings, where applicable), but also other useful information such as driving around New Zealand.

There are almost 600 motels listed with the New Zealand Tourist Office. In terms of variety and range of motels, the best range of motels can be found in larger Kiwi cities such as Christchurch and (to a lesser extent) Dunedin in South Island, and Auckland and Wellington (to a lesser extent) in North Island.

Accommodation in New Zealand is ranked accordingly to a Qualmark star grading for the range of accommodation available. The stars range from 1 to 5, with 5 rated as exceptional quality, among the best available in New Zealand. Motels are generally categorized under “self-contained and serviced”, meaning motels usually come with kitchen and laundry facilities that are popular with families and travelers on long stays in New Zealand. The other categories that offer cheap hotel accommodation are shared accommodation (usually backpacker establishments and includes hostels and lodges), guest and hosted accommodation (B&B, farm stays, boutique lodges), holiday homes (serviced holiday cottages for long stays), holiday parks (camping groups and motor inns), and student accommodation. While the ranking is useful in understanding motel room rates, note that a number of motels in New Zealand remain unranked and unlisted.

The range of motels available, and the facilities offered varies from place to place. If you would like to stay connected, look out for motels that offer “fast internet connection” (and not just “internet connection”). If you are into television, look out for the “Sky” tag to be tuned into their cable television network. If you are traveling with pets and/or children, look out for signs “Pets / Children are welcome”. Not all motels have dining options since most motels are equipped with some form of kitchen facilities, so check before booking. Also clarify what is meant by kitchen facilities available – in some motels, the presence of a microwave equates a kitchen. In addition, not all motels are installed with air-conditioning.

If you are hoping to find self-catering motels for less than NZ$50, be prepared to stay in shared dormitories. Most decent motels cost between NZ$50-$100 per night for two persons, and most will charge a nominal fee ($10-$30) for an extra bed in the same room. Many motels offer discounts and packages for longer stays (3 nights or more). If you are traveling in a large group (say two families or more), it is not a good idea to leave your accommodation bookings to the last minute. Many motels are fairly small, with 10 or less rooms for families, so it is a good idea to call ahead and ask if there are sufficient rooms available.