New Zealand is beautiful, but expensive to visit. Auckland is my home, and I love it here. Visitors flock in daily and are greeted with seemingly unlimited luxurious options at a premium price. There is no doubt that many of these will create lifelong memories. However, for the animal lovers, there is an alternative: House Sitting New Zealand style.
House sitting involves staying in another person’s home and caring for pets, plants, or just the house. It all depends upon what you agree. Pet owners love it as it allows them to leave their furry friend in the care of a verified sitter who will love and care for them, rather than a kennel. As no money changes hands, the homeowner saves in pet care costs, and the traveller has a free place to stay. That’s only the tip of the iceberg.
→ Click here to learn about TrustedHousesitters
Imagine having this little cutie to curl up with in the evenings while you travel.
Advantages of becoming a pet sitter, plant sitter, or house sitter:
- Free accommodation in return for pet or plant care.
- Lower food costs as you can prepare your own food.
- Cat or dog sitters have a furry companion while they are away from home.
- Live in a neighbourhood rather than a hotel, allowing travellers to absorb the culture.
- Enjoy the benefits of a cosy home environment.
- You don’t need to be a professional house sitter, but if you use TrustedHousesitters, you will need to be verified (this protects everyone).
Beach houses to luxury house sitting jobs, you can look at the options before you apply.
House Sitting New Zealand and International House Sitting
And it’s not just house sitting in New Zealand; there are thousands of opportunities for house sitting abroad (regardless of where you live now). In fact, TrustedHousesitters is the world’s #1 house and pet sitting website with registered homeowners in over 150 countries needing care for a variety of animals. Timing ranges from a weekend to long-term house sitting opportunities.
→ Click here for pricing and to register as a house/pet sitter or as a home or pet owner See Options
It’s not just dog and cat sitting that is available. Some people look for house sitters to care for horses, reptiles, fish, chickens and other farm animals, birds, or other small pets like bunnies and rats.
Finding House Sitting Vacancies
Are you wondering how to become a house sitter? It’s as easy as filling out an application. You will be verified and approved. Then you search for the destination you want to visit, filtering on the types of animals you want to look after. Contact the homeowner and begin conversations. The terms of the deal are worked out by the individuals involved. While we haven’t done a house sit, we have done multiple home exchanges. By the time we were ready to travel, we felt that we knew our partners well and were comfortable living in their home and having them live in ours.
→ Click here to register as a house or pet sitter See Options
Dog or cat sitting, which do you prefer?
Ten reasons why a date with a pet is better than a date with a human:
Cuddling a puppy is a special opportunity.
- A pet won’t stand you up
- Pets don’t order the lobster
- A pet is not embarrassed by a public display of affection
- A pet won’t grumble about the film you choose on Netflix
- Pets won’t veto your romantic songs playlist
- A pet won’t text its ex on your special evening
- A pet won’t moan you scrimped on champagne
- You can bet you’ll get more likes for your pet-date selfie than the human equivalent
- With a pet, it’s always clear who’s paying
- A pet will suspend all judgement because they just want to be with you
(Edited from Valentine’s Day list provided by TrustedHousesitters. Used with permission.)
Cats like human sitters also.
This Jack Russell loves to curl up in people’s lap.
Alternative Accommodation
If you love the idea of staying in a private home but don’t want to be a pet sitter, you might want to look into these two options:
1. Home Exchange
→ Click here for more information or to join HomeExchange.com See Options
2. Short-term home and apartment rentals
TripAdvisor now offers private home rentals and short stay apartments. While we haven’t had a chance to try it personally, the reviews left me believing it to be a great Airbnb alternative.
→ Click here to check pricing and availability at TripAdvisor Rentals or See Options
Is house sitting for you or do you prefer hotels?
If after all this you still would prefer a hotel, here are our recommendations for mid-range accommodations in New Zealand’s major cities:
| City | Hotel | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | Hotel Grand Windsor MGallery by Sofitel | Boutique style affordable (for Auckland) luxury Great location on Queen Street, in the heart of the city | View |
| Wellington | Gilmer Apartment Hotel | Affordable apartment-style rooms offer a classy stay Located near the Parliament Unit have a kitchenette | View |
| Christchurch | Crowne Plaza Christchurch | Centrally located Comfortable, modern and spacious rooms Outstanding food | View |
| Queenstown | Heartland Hotel Queenstown | A short walk to downtown Great lake and town views | View |
| Dunedin | The Victoria Hotel | Traditional style hotel rooms in a great location | View |
Sorry, no monkeys currently on the HouseSitter list. We saw this one in Mandala Suci Wenara Wana Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.
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I love them so much that if an opportunity comes, I would totally do it without a fee! If I get a house to stay, that’s an icing on the cake 🙂
I think I need to find a few such opportunities in India as well…it’c certainly an important unmet need here!
What a great idea! And it’s especially ideal for someone like me who loves animals but doesn’t have a pet. Saving on accommodation costs and getting to look after an animal at the same time!