What to Bring for New Zealand Working Holiday

Have your New Zealand Working Holiday sabbatical/ gap year thought up, paid for your visa, bought your tickets, but don’t quite know what to bring for your year-long experience?

Well, I’ve got you covered in this comprehensive post from someone lucky enough to spend two pandemic years in New Zealand! Heehee…

If this is your first time on my blog, know that I’ve written a ton of information about my wonderful experience:

• A comprehensive guide to get you started
• A post for your first car purchase
• A detailed overview of my expenses and earnings in New Zealand
• A page to keep all my New Zealand jobs, hikes, itineraries and special mentions

This post may be updated periodically. Post also contains affiliate links that cost nothing to you but support my blog. Cheers!

Intro to Me

I am a budget backpacker who has travelled to rugged places – like climbing Semeru, hiking in the Caucasus, and backpacking in Laos.

Erm, I’m also bonkers enough to walk one round around Singapore - 160 km over 5 days - upon returning from New Zealand. 😂

With me are my two trusty bags: a 48 L Gregory Optic backpack and a 35 L Marmot Long Hauler Duffel.

I bring what I can carry. As a result, my baggage totalled up to 17 kg at check-in.

Suitcases are impractical as they are bulky and difficult to move around. Imagine pulling that box across rough roads or up the stairs. The horrors!

With the bags sorted out, let’s explore the items to pack in those bags.

Listed here is a rough list of items in my bags and the new stuff I added into my possession over the two years to give you a gist of how it went for me.

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Clothes

Do you know that New Zealand has four seasons? 

Depending on your arrival and length of stay, you may have to prepare clothes for the whole year.

Before you go out to your local shops to stock up on warm clothes, especially for those like me from the tropics, know that you can buy affordable winter wear in New Zealand. Several shops have discounts before winter with good value thermals and jackets for sale.

Advice for people with small frames: it is risky to get all clothes from New Zealand. Bring them along if you already have them, especially for ladies when it comes to lingerie. I learned this from other petite friends.

I came to New Zealand in the summer of 2019 and intended to leave New Zealand just before winter. But covid changed that, and I ended up in New Zealand for two years.

My clothes were for summer and autumn – shirts, shorts, tights – and I had to buy thermals to add to my travelling wardrobe.

Learn to layer your clothes because the weather in New Zealand is temperamental. You could get a frosty 1 dC at dawn, a toasty 25 dC by noon and strong gales in the evening, all within a day.

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Clothes for Work

Most jobs for the working holidaymaker in New Zealand require physical labour in dusty or dirty conditions.

You can wear good clothes to work but know you will have to toss them out eventually at the end of your working holiday experience. That could be a way to Marie Kondo your wardrobe!

Sap from plants destroys fabrics. My stint as a hops trainer coloured my tights, while my work as a cherry picker mauled the sleeves of my Uniqlo jacket.

Outdoor work entails working under the elements – usually under a very punishing sun. So consider protecting yourself from sunburn and heat by wearing an old baggy long-sleeved shirt and pants.

Invest in good-quality UV-protection jackets, and do not forget a hat and your durable sunglasses!

Get a wide-brim hat for extra sun protection, and to those four-eyed friends of mine, a pair of transition lenses do wonders!

You could buy your hat from Decathlon in SG before leaving, or from online shops. If you’re reading this in New Zealand, Warehouse or Kmart has Made in China cheap hats.

Bonus: find an insect mesh hat to stop bugs from attacking your face. You could get them from fishing shops in SG or your usual online shops. Decathlon used to have cheap ones, but I couldn’t find them anymore. I survived without it by using insect repellants, but the mesh would have been so much better.

If you have no old clothes to spare, find them cheap in secondhand shops or free in hostels.

And if you’ve seen enough of my job posts, you’ll realise I usually have a red bandana over my head. Apart from adding that nice touch to my photos, the bandana stops strands of hair from attacking my eyes and keeps my hair clean when I work with animals.

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Clothes for Hiking

When I hike on alpine terrain – e.g. Ben Lomond, Taranaki, Milford Track – the weather changes unpredictably.

Wear layers and dress warmly for hiking during colder seasons.

For my multi-day treks (and snow activities) done during winter, I had my thermal as my base layer, my dry-fit shirt and tights as my mid-layer, a fleece or a down jacket over them, and a waterproof shell, and sometimes waterproof windproof pants, as the final layer.

Tip: Wear a beanie to sleep in a cold hut to prevent a headache the next morning. Also, remember to cover your neck with a scarf/ shawl if your jacket doesn’t reach the neck.

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Shoes

You must pack a pair of sturdy hiking shoes!!

Don’t tell me you will not hike in New Zealand because that is impossible.

Don’t pack a pair of sneakers and think they will work fine on mountains because they will never be.

Don’t regret not bringing it and try to find cheap ones in New Zealand because you will not be able to. 

Sorry, I meant you could find hiking boots in New Zealand, but I am biased over foreign brands with Goretex. Those in Singapore can shop for affordable boots at Queensway Shopping Centre or Camper’s Corner. And if you are already in New Zealand without hiking shoes but want foreign-branded ones, shop online on trekkinn. Brands I’ve worn include Merrell, Vasque and Colombia, and always in mid-cut – you need a mid-cut to wear crampons.

Also, if you think you will be hiking rugged tracks, don’t wear those nice brown instagrammable Timberland/ Palladium boots because they will split. Those are for the streets or parks and not the mountains. Not saying all Timberland/ Palladium are bad. Make sure the boots you are getting are lightweight, have a good grip, and are designed for hiking.

On days I work, I wear sneakers or gumboots. I put on sandals or slippers in hotels or huts or when days are warmer.

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Outdoorsy Stuff – Hiking and Camping

Attention to all you hikers and campers: remember to bring your hiking and camping gear.

You can buy them in New Zealand, but they will cost you a bomb. Think of a NZ$50 palm-sized stove when you could get a much smaller one from online shops for less than S$20 in Singapore. 

A rare discount happens now and then in Bivouac for high-end foreign hiking gear like Arcteryx, Marmot and Black Diamond, but prices are still higher than online shops overseas.

Local brands selling outdoor gear include Macpac, Kathmandu and Mountain Warehouse. Supporting local brands tends to be cheaper, but their gear may not be the best. If all else fails – ship with risk from aliexpress/ trekkinn.

Basics must-haves for multi-day hikes with camping: 

• Hiking Shoes 
• Hiking Poles
• Comfortable clothes
• Waterproof jacket
• Headlamp
• Tent
• Sleeping bag
• Sleeping mat
• Lightweight portable cooking kit
• Portable Gas (get it in NZ)

A good sleeping mat and bag are convenient for sleeping in the car, especially during cold winter nights.

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Other Uncategorizable Miscellany

• A laptop/ tablet. Useful for applying for jobs, editing videos or photos and researching for travel tips.
• Camera. If you are into photography and nightscapes. New Zealand is dark enough for beautiful shots of the Milky Way and sometimes the rare Aurora Australis.
• A personal utensil kit and food container. Handy for microwaveable meals in the packhouse or the orchard. Sistema is an omnipresent local brand selling plastic food containers, but I prefer my glass container. Collapsible silicon ones are handy and save space.
• A thermal flask. Beats drinking cold water in winter.
• A small first aid kit.
• Female Hygiene Products. Some ladies prefer to use brands familiar to them that are unavailable in NZ. Unlike the aisle catering for ladies in most Asian countries, which features an assortment of pads, tampons and liners, the aisle in NZ includes cups and reusable period briefs. I have been a cup user for a while and had no problem tackling the monthly issue, even during multi-day hikes. You can get period undies in NZ that are affordable, sustainable and comfortable to wear. I bought a few sets from AWWA.
• Swimwear. For soaking in the hot pools in Rotorua, or dipping in the river during hikes.

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What’s in My Bag

I tried to go minimalist for my clothes.

Two years in and I bought new essentials. Also chucked away a couple of old items and donated some after my departure.

Conclusion/ Rambles

And there you have it – what’s in my bag and some ideas for you to brainstorm for your upcoming adventure.

Pack light, be minimalist and have fun! ✨