Ultimate New Zealand Australia and New Zealand tours Auckland - New Zealand Christchurch - New Zealand New Zealand Adventure Tours, travel New Zealand by Overland truck, bike, on foot the budget tours way

Getting the most for your money is what it’s all about. We advise you up front what is included and not included, so there are no hidden surprises along the way. As experienced guides there is nothing worse than asking passengers for more and more money for food, parks and entrances, so we have designed a fully inclusive Tour Price combined with a Local Payment System. **Local Tour Payment is non refundable.
This payment allows costs to be kept low, reduce expensive international bank transfers and pass the savings onto you. The Local Payment covers your accommodation (camping, hostel and motel) costs whilst on tour.

Bukima cater for everyone. The majority of passengers are aged 18 - 55, travelling with a partner, by themselves or in a group of friends. They originate from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, North America and Europe, and are in good health and of likeminded character and looking for an adventure of a life time. If you are looking for adventure you will go away with great memories and newly formed friendships that will last a lifetime.
This trip is an Overland Adventure Tour where you will be required to pitch in and help with duties such as shopping, cooking and cleaning. It is group travel, and everyone must be respectful of each other. There could be some people you may not get on with all the time, but this is when agreeable compromises are met – we hope nothing infringes on the ultimate enjoyment of your tour. Remember, you are in New Zealand, it is an amazing country and we hope you enjoy it as much as Bukima do! This trip will be what you make of it - it is not a luxury tour, so please do not expect it. There may be some long drive days, late night tent pitching and eating, and some rough roads. This is Overlanding. If you are not sure about how you will cope, or have special requests or health issues please talk to one of our staff who can advise you:
Your crew are there to help you, guide you, to inform you and to show you the best of New Zealand. Our crew work extremely hard on the road – they are available to our passengers 24 hours a day. They do all the ‘behind the scenes’ work so you don’t have to. Your driver is responsible for getting you from A to B safely. Please remember, that a long day’s drive day for you in the back of the truck also means a very long drive day for your Driver behind the wheel! Your Tour Leader is the person who makes all your hotel / camping reservations, all your excursion reservations, gives you the town/city information you are needing, tells you where the Internet Café etc is, helps you cook and shop to name but a few little jobs… Your crew are always conscious of every passenger’s views, but sometimes they will have to make an unpopular decision and your understanding will be appreciated in these circumstances. If you wish to tip your crew at the end of a Tour, please do so. It would be nice for them to see how much all their hard work has been appreciated over the length of the tour. **Please Note – trips with 10 and under passengers will have a Driver / Tour Leader only.

OUR EXPEDITION VEHICLES Bukima uses a wide range of vehicles custom built for the tour you choose and continent travelled. All our Expedition vehicles are purpose built by their team. New Zealand runs Scania 93M series trucks and is the only Adventure Overland Vehicle in the country. It is fully enclosed with tinted sliding windows, forward facing seats, heaters, fridge, safe and stereo as well as a fully stocked kitchen, cooking and camping equipment, two mountain bikes and plenty of room for your entire luggage. Overland trucks are designed for comfort, viewing and getting off the beaten track.

Camping Camping is always great fun and our vehicles are loaded with all the equipment needed. Campsites vary from established sites with all facilities to the occasional free camp. We use large two person tents. Don’t worry if you plan to travel alone, we’ll team you up with another group member.
We always stay at the best possible campsite in the area, 95% of all campsites we use have shower facilities, not necessarily all hot (but many are). Some of the more basic camps may be in places of spectacular beauty or in the National Parks. Here generally facilities may be limited but you will have a chance to get a real feel for the New Zealand wilderness.
Whilst on tour there will occasionally be the opportunity to upgrade to chalets, if you fancy a break from camping. These range from an additional $5 - $15 per night and usually come up once or twice a week. The local payment contributes your camping portion and you add the rest if you would like to upgrade from camping. The upgrades are usually simple chalets, some en-suite and some not. Some of our clients regularly upgrade and some camp 100% of the trip. Your tour leader will inform you of the upgrade options along the way.

Hostels We use hostels in a number of larger towns or cities, these have been chosen for their location and friendly atmosphere. We will try and accommodate your sleeping arrangements, but there might be occasions where a good old dorm room has to be had. There will be the option to upgrade (you will need to pay the extra money to upgrade) to double or private rooms if required.

Participation Participation is essential. A successful and smooth tour depends very much on everyone taking part in the duties that arise i.e. cooking, vehicle cleaning and food shopping. With this in mind your Tour Leader will organize groups on a rotating roster. The most successful tours are those where everyone becomes involved as much as possible. These are not luxury tours, so join in! In the end the more you put in the more you get out.

Cooking and Food When camping, cooking is usually done on a roster basis with 2 - 4 people cooking each day. This means each expedition member only takes part in cooking every 4th or 5th day. Gas burners and BBQ’s are used for cooking and are supplied along with pots, baking trays, frying pans, woks, lighting, campstools etc. Eating utensils are also provided. Don’t worry; the tour leader will help in the planning and preparing of meals to keep standards high.
Food on tour ranges from simple barbeques to, traditional meals, and buffets. There is no shortage of fresh fruits and vegetables all purified and ready to snack on during the day. Breakfasts are generally tea, coffee, toast, muesli/cereals and fresh fruit, while lunches are a range of filled rolls, salads and fruit. You will be amazed at what we can achieve on the barbeque! You will eat incredibly well, and we can cater for all special dietary needs.

Group Size Our group size is usually around the 7- 18 people but at the high times of the year we run trips with a maximum of 24. Even though this sounds like a lot we still find that we have enough room to move with heaps of leg space, we don’t want to turn your trip into a sardine tin experience. People that will accompany you are from all over the world and either single or come with others but in the end they have come to do the same as you making mixing easy.

Internet Keeping in touch has become more and more important. In general there is internet access at least every 2 days.

We can organise transfers to and from Auckland International Airports. Please contact adventure@bukima.com for details.

Auckland:
Nomads Fat Camel Hostel PH: +64 (0) 9 300 7197
38 Fort Street, Auckland, New Zealand

Missed departure - Don’t panic! We will sort you out and get you on board the vehicle as soon as possible. First check for messages at reception of the departure hostel, your Tour Leader will have left a message on how to catch the tour and his/her cell phone details. Please also call the supplier direct on +64 (0)7 8713716 or (free phone 0800 4285462 within New Zealand) so we can coordinate your arrival.
If you are going to be late please email your flight details to adventure@bukima.com so they can make a plan to transfer you to the vehicle. You will need to cover the cost of this transfer and claim it back on your travel insurance.

Please contact us for a list of optional activities available for your information. Please remember that this is a GUIDELINE only. We are not responsible for price changes or unavailable excursions on your tour. All optional activities are completed at your own risk and are not necessary endorsed by Us or our suppliers, before participating in these activities you should check carefully if you are covered by your medical/travel insurance.

We recommend an average of NZ$50-60 spending money per day. This should cover all your snacks, drinks and refreshments, laundry, postage, fax & e-mail, museum entrances and some souvenirs. This does not include money for optional excursions and the more expensive souvenirs that you are likely to buy. A combination of cash, traveller’s cheques, credit and debit cards are the best way to carry your spending money.

We highly recommend that you complete a budget table such as the one below so you can make your choices, maximise your enjoyment of your holiday and have a realistic expectation of what cash you need to bring, or if on a tight budget know what you can afford. Remember the optional excursions are optional and you do not have to do them all, they are extras and not core to the enjoyment of your holiday. At times you may have to choose between activities.

Item	Cost		My Budget
Personal Spending money on Tour		NZ$50 - 60 per day
Personal Spending money Pre and Post Tour		NZ$50 – 60 per day
Local payment
Airport Transfers		$20 -30 each way
Pre Tour accommodation		Prices listed above
Post Tour accommodation		Prices listed above
Optional Activities		Prices listed in Optional activities guide

Visas are not included in the tour price or recommended daily spending money.
For current updates on visa information you can try the website www.visaproject.com

Travelling overseas can be a bit daunting especially if it is your first time. In general travel is safe and group travel even more so. Here are a few ideas to help you out.

• Take the same precautions you do when travelling around your own country
• Never flash wealth around, people WILL be watching. Take off your earrings, watches and jewellery.
• Listen to your crew’s advice when entering a new area.
• Be careful placing valuables when relaxing or in Internet café as this is where lots of tourist flock and so do the people who live off them.
• In the end don’t worry yourself sick, be prudent and keep your valuables in safe secure places.
• Use the safety box that is bolted into the truck to store your important documents while travelling.
• Note. The tour supplier takes no responsibility for loss or damage to personal effects.

Remember your bags are your responsibility; it is up to you to collect all your belongings and carry them to and from the tour vehicle. It is not the job of the crew to carry or to look after your belongings they have their own rolls to play and their own things to look after including the rest of the group. So if you cannot carry it yourself you shouldn’t bring it.

1 Duffel bag or backpack preferably with an internal or removable frame
Day bag
Sleeping bag, * 3 seasons & sleeping sheet
Good torch and spare batteries
Pocket knife (Swiss army)
Sun glasses
Writing material and diary
Toiletries + contraceptives
Washing line & soap
Water bottle (max 2 litres)
Drivers Licence/Diving Certificate/Passport/Photocopy of Passport
Travellers cheque advice form.
Spare Glasses or Contact lenses and solutions

Waterproof Jacket
Socks
Trousers or jeans and track pants
T-shirts/shirts
Underwear
Cap
Shorts/skirt/dress
1 pair sandshoes/trainers
1 pair thongs/flip flops/jandals
1 Towel/Sarong
Swimsuit
Smart casual attire for eating out
Warm jacket or jersey

We would always stress that most people tend to bring along too much clothing. Remember you will need a certain amount of spare space when leaving New Zealand for souvenirs purchased along the way. 20kg/23kg is the normal limit for hold luggage on most airlines. **Please be aware that even in summer, the weather in the South Island can tend to be very cold in the evening. Make sure you bring along a warm jacket.

Antiseptic cream, Betadine is good
Sunscreen & lip cream
Insect Repellent
Cotton wool & sterile swabs
Dressing pads like melonin or telfa and adhesive tape
Bandages and Band-Aids
Pain killers - paracetamol/Panadol
Ear & eye drops
Butterfly tape (sterile strips)
Tweezers and scissors
Antibiotics for infected cuts and tropical ulcers
Broad-spectrum antibiotics (amoxicillin or Augmentin)

All passengers should have a complete medical and dental check-up prior to joining any of our tours. A comprehensive medical kit is supplied but it is only to be used in emergencies. Each person is responsible for his or her own medical kit as listed above.

NO Illegal Drugs are allowed on or near our tours. In New Zealand the law is very harsh on drug related sentences, so with this in mind our crew have been given the authorization to remove passengers from tours without hesitation or refund for such offences. If you have a prescription drug you must carry that prescription with you.

A camera is an important part of your equipment whether it is an instamatic, SLR or these days a digital camera. A camera case or bag is necessary to prevent damage by vibration or dust. Zoom and wide-angle lenses are valuable accessories; combination lenses are a good idea for example 28mm - 70mm & 70mm - 200mm. Spare batteries for camera and flash are also advisable as well lens cleaning equipment. As a guideline, one roll of 36 exposures per week is average. Use different types of film depending on the conditions you are photographing in i.e. 400asa is good for photographing in low light or dense foliage and black and white film can make great portrait shots.

Your passport is the most important document you have when travelling. Always keep it in a secure location, either in a safe at the hostels we stay in or the trucks safe. Never leave your passport in your luggage. Your passport needs to be valid for at least six months after departure back to your country of origin and should have about one page for every country of entry. If you are one of those people with dual nationality you will find it almost impossible to change mid tour to the other passport to dodge visa costs, so the passport you start the tour on should be the passport you finish the tour on, but by all means bring your other passport in case of loss.

Please remember that if you lose your passport it could take over a week to get a replacement. Bukima accepts no liability for items mislaid or stolen while on tour or in safe deposit boxes in hostels. In the end it is your responsibility to look after your important papers and to make sure they are safe and sound. It is advisable to bring a few photocopies of your passport with you.