New Zealand

[rahimah521]

Hello! Kailangan po ba talaga ng ticket for the visa application?

[Kim]

Hi. Question -- Do I still need to apply for a transit visa to Australia?

I'll be on a PAL flight with a layover for refueling in Cairns before going to Auckland. Mga 2 to 3 hours na layover 'yun. I called up PAL, but the customer service rep wasn't any help. Hindi rin niya alam. Itawag ko raw sa Immigration. 

[kachich]

^According to the agent I talked to last time, hindi daw bababa ng plane so no need for a transit visa. When is your flight? If mauna ako I will update this thread. Will leave first/second week of September.

[wuvshoe]

sabi sa AUS visa site, up to 8 hours, no need for transit visa. kukuha rin dapat ako just to be sure in case may delays or what, but it needs personal appearance plus dami rin requirements. haggard masyado!

[mrs. sweet]

^^hindi pala pumasok comment ko last night. I was just there last June via PAL din. If Philippine passport, no need to secure transit visa. You will just stay in the transit lounge area, as in boarding gate area na din yun. You will just pass thru customs/scanning

[Kim]

Thanks for the replies, sisses mrs. sweet, wuvshoe, and kachich! At least hindi na ako ma-hassle sa pag-apply ng transit visa. 

[huit]

Hello! Kailangan po ba talaga ng ticket for the visa application?

No need. they do not encourage you to buy plane tickets talaga. mas okay daw wala pa.

[rahimah521]

Thanks huit! I already applied and was approved for a single entry visit visa with no ticket submitted. The processing was fast and I got my visa after 2 days.

[Kim]

Hi again.

I've read reviews saying that they were underwhelmed with Milford Sound, especially if you've already been to Coron or El Nido.

You think the cost and travel time required for a Milford Sound trip will be worth it?

[huit]

I also plan to go there but when I checked the photos and videos, parang hindi nga ganun ka ganda, Overrated lang siya. Mahal pa yung tour so skip na 'to sa itinerary ko.

[Kim]

Okay, we still pushed through with the Milford Sound tour. Yung actual place... well, totoo nga na maganda pa sa Coron and El Nido natin. But we immensely enjoyed the scenic route going there. Mahaba yung biyahe kasi galing kami sa Queenstown mismo. Pero magaganda yung mga stops namin. So kahit papano, sulit na rin. But if you're on a budget talaga, puwede niyo nang wag puntahan ang Milford Sound.

[huit]

how long did you stay in NZ and how much was your budget excluding the airfare?

[Kim]

^ There were 2 of us in this trip. We were in NZ for less than 2 weeks.

We didn't really set a budget, but our expenses amounted to roughly P350k. We travelled from North Island to South Island and back, so we rented cars, flew via Air NewZealand, took buses din.

Parang walang mura sa New Zealand, I swear. Kahit sa supermarket nila. 😄

[huit]

Whoah! Php350k good for 2?  Is that inclusive of your airfare? Also, usually how much is the usual price per one meal?

[Kim]

^ Inclusive of airfare na.

Of course, makakatipid ka naman if you'd stay in hostels or backpackers inn.  Sa age kasi namin ng husband ko very important na sa amin ang privacy, convenience and great service. So we opted to stay in hotels and serviced apartments.

Sa meals naman, I can't say for sure kung magkano per meal, kasi iba iba naman kinainan namin sa iba't ibang lugar. But we usually get appetizers, salads, soup, desserts bukod sa mains. Pero mahal talaga ang pagkain sa NZ. Halimbawa na lang yung pinaka-basic na burger sa Fergburger (Queenstown) nasa NZ$ 12 na, or PHP 450. Wala pang inumin yan.

Para makatipid, get a place na puwede ka magluto tapos mag-grocery ka na lang.

Bukod sa mga usual travel expenses, kasama na dun yung mga extreme sports activities ng husband ko sa Queenstown and Rotorua.

In my experience, mas mahal sa NZ kaysa Australia.

[huit]

Oh ok. Kasi kami mga 4 accommodations pag stayan namin kaya ang hirap palipat-lipat if airbnb kami. Parang laging on the go kami since mag rent ng car so baka masayang lang yung airbnb if yun kunin namin. Kaya backpacker's hostel kami. Pero hindi bunk bed so medyo mahal din ng konti. Nag rent din ba kayo ng car?

[Kim]

Yes, as mentioned previously, nag-rent kami ng car. Kasama na siya sa total expenses namin.

^ There were 2 of us in this trip. We were in NZ for less than 2 weeks.

We didn't really set a budget, but our expenses amounted to roughly P350k. We travelled from North Island to South Island and back, so we rented cars, flew via Air NewZealand, took buses din.

Parang walang mura sa New Zealand, I swear. Kahit sa supermarket nila. 😄

[kachich]

@Kim

Were you able to go to any of the following:
Mt John, Hooker Valley, K E A Point, Roy's Peak?

Im wondering if I need special shoes--kailangan ba hiking shoes or kaya na stan smith (leather and medyo weather proof)? Thanks!

[Kim]

kachich:

No, we didn't go to any of those. But we were scheduled sana to do the glacier walk, kaso na-cancel dahil sa weather. Ang sabi sa amin the tour company provides for the gears, boots included.

Throughout the trip, naka-black leather Stan Smith and Adidas Ultra Boost lang din ako. Okay naman sa hiking in the winter season. 

[kachich]

^Thanks! Aww sayang namiss niyo glacier hike. Hopefully you still enjoyed NZ.

Been using stan smith for almost all of my trips now (snow included, it got slippery for old snow turned ice, but if fresh snow it can withstand naman), havent tried them hiking/dirt paths, so medyo kabado ako especially since walang traction talaga sa base.