Aotearoa Compass

Free interactive travel tools for visiting Aotearoa New Zealand

What this site is

Aotearoa Compass is a single-purpose website built around 35 small, focused calculators and decoders for travellers heading to New Zealand. Each tool solves one specific question: should I take the ferry or drive, how much will the GST refund be, when can I see whales, how do I cross a one-lane bridge. They are designed to be useful, not comprehensive guides.

There is no booking engine, no email collection, no popups. The site is in English and supports New Zealand Dollars (NZD) throughout. Prices and schedules reflect 2026 reference data; always verify with official sources before committing.

Transport & Routes

7 tools

  • • Cook Strait crossing cost comparator
  • • Real driving cost per km (fuel + RUC)
  • • Rural road trip pacing
  • • One-lane bridge priority decoder
  • • South Island grand loop optimizer
  • • Campervan freedom-camping compliance
  • • Remote-area petrol strategy
Hiking & Tramping

8 tools

  • • DOC track mud & difficulty visualiser
  • • Hut booking window optimiser
  • • Tramp weather window probability
  • • Daylight hours for hikers
  • • Altitude sickness risk (Ruapehu)
  • • River crossing risk scorer
  • • Cooking fuel estimator
  • • DOC hut pack list builder
Food, Wine & Beer

3 tools

  • • NZ wine region by style matcher
  • • NZ craft beer region selector
  • • Restaurant bill decoder (GST/BYO/surcharge)
Wildlife & Nature

6 tools

  • • Wildlife spotting calendar (kiwi, kea, dolphin, fur seal)
  • • Stargazing window optimiser (Aoraki Dark Sky)
  • • Beach swimming safety decoder
  • • Geothermal accessibility lookup
  • • Tide & tidepool explorer
  • • DOC predator-control window
Money & Practical

6 tools

  • • GST tourist refund calculator (TRS)
  • • Currency conversion matrix (EFTPOS/cash/card)
  • • Public holiday impact lookup
  • • Travel insurance adventure-gap checker
  • • ATM fee optimiser
  • • Self-containment cost calculator
Culture & Etiquette

5 tools

  • • Marae visit protocol builder
  • • Māori place name pronunciation coach
  • • Kiwi slang translator
  • • Cultural sensitivity self-check quiz
  • • Aotearoa regional identity decoder

What makes these different

Built around NZ-specific decisions

Most travel calculators are clones of US/UK tools with a new skin. Aotearoa Compass tackles questions that only matter here: RUC charges for diesel cars, DOC hut booking lead times, GST Tourist Refund Scheme rules, Matariki public holidays, freedom-camping self-containment certification, the Māori protocol on a marae.

Transparent limits

Every tool states what it cannot do. A weather window calculator is not a forecast. A ferry cost comparator assumes you have internet. We point you to the official source — MetService, DOC, NZTA, IRD, Stats NZ — so you can verify before spending.

No tracking or accounts

No email capture, no account creation, no login. The site does not sell anything and does not run its own ad network. If Google AdSense ads appear, they are the only third-party tracking and are clearly disclosed in the privacy policy.

Reference data labelled

Hardcoded prices, fares and timings reflect 2026 reference values (RUC per-1000-km, ferry fares, hut prices, GST 15%, Interislander/Bluebridge schedules). Every page has a Sources section telling you exactly which official document the numbers come from.

Where to start

First-time visitor, 14 days

Start with the South Island grand loop optimizer, then the Cook Strait crossing comparator, then the GST refund calculator for your shopping.

Tramping-focused trip

DOC track mud visualiser, hut booking window optimiser, weather window probability, daylight calculator. Plan a Great Walk 6 months out.

Wildlife & nature trip

Wildlife spotting calendar, stargazing window optimiser, tide & tidepool explorer, beach safety decoder.