New Zealand’s petrol prices continue to climb, with regular 91 petrol now averaging $3.48 a litre nationally, after rising by almost 47 cents over the past four weeks.
According to a report by Stuff, prices at 14 service stations checked across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, Nelson and Whangārei ranged from $3.35 to $3.54 a litre. The latest surge comes as the national average recently reached a record $3.52 a litre, according to Gaspy data.
Despite the sharp increase in fuel costs, holiday parks around the country say summer bookings remain strong, with many travellers still planning to take their Christmas breaks.
David Pattinson, chief executive of Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park in Nelson, said people were reluctant to give up their annual holiday.
“People will sacrifice a lot of things before they’ll give up their Christmas break,” Pattinson said. “Everybody works hard and it’s a long old year”, as quoted by Stuff.
Bookings for the peak Christmas period through to around January 10 were similar to last year and possibly slightly higher, Pattinson said. He had not noticed an increase in cancellations or a clear trend towards shorter stays.
In Whangamatā, Motor Camp manager Rachel Scott said the New Year period had been fully booked since February, with all guests having paid their deposits, Stuff has reported.
“So at the moment it looks like it’s just going to be as per usual,” Scott said.
While overall booking patterns remained similar to last summer, Scott said some visitors were opting for shorter stays.
“But I would have thought doing a longer stay would be a little bit more economical because then, once you're here in Whangamatā, you don't have to drive anywhere,” she said, Stuff has quoted.
“You can walk to the beach. You can walk to town. Ride a bike to the supermarket. It's all very close”, as quoted by Stuff.
Scott said some guests had commented on petrol prices after arriving and chose to stay locally rather than drive around. Some motorhome travellers were also emptying water tanks before travelling and refilling them once they arrived to reduce the vehicle’s weight.
At Hot Water Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park, manager Vivianne Bongard said summer bookings were also strong and stays were similar in length to previous years.
“In terms of bookings placed, we have really strong bookings, so we don’t really see an impact,” Stuff has quoted.
According to Stuff, Bongard said Auckland and Hamilton remained the park’s main markets. She recalled a brief period when a petrol price increase led to “maybe a couple of cancellations”, but fuel costs had not continued to be cited as a reason for cancellations.
The rising prices are also affecting holiday businesses themselves. Scott said part of her camp’s shower and kitchen facilities ran on diesel.
“It’s a bit annoying that it’s so expensive,” she said. “But then also gas has gone up, so you’re sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place”, as quoted by Stuff.
AA fuel spokesperson Terry Collins attributed the price increases to high international oil prices, rising shipping and insurance costs, and limited refining capacity.
“We don’t have a supply problem. It’s just expensive,” as quoted by Stuff.
Collins said higher prices were already reducing fuel demand, with some motorists switching to public transport, cycling or carpooling.
However, the impact on Christmas travel remains uncertain, with Collins describing the outlook as “a bit of a wait and see”.