Most tourists are spending their money on food and beer – not in our shops
The world is here to play, party and spend money, but are we expecting too much?
Last year, one British journalist labelled New Zealand “one giant rip off”.
Now the fans are here for the Rugby World Cup and many seem to agree with him.
They feel it is too expensive and new figures out this week show although foreign spending is up, most visitors are spending their money on food, drink and accommodation – not in our shops.
YOUR OPINION: Are we charging too much?
“It's very expensive compared to Ireland, the prices, and actually we were here last year on holidays and we found it expensive then, but it's much, much more expensive this year,” Maria Grace, an Irish fan, said.
Trevor Brennan has brought a number of Irish rugby fans here for the rugby world cup, and a large proportion of their holiday money is being spent on beer. Trouble is it's leaving a sour taste.
“Ranges between $8.50 to $12 for a half litre of beer, that would be double what we pay back home,” Irish fan Brendan Collins said.
“Where we're from, you generally can find a place, get a beer for $4 or find specials and stuff, but here I don't know if it's just because of the World Cup, but some of the beers are up around $11,” one Canadian fan said.
And it's not just the price that's not right. Why is a pint not a pint?
Helen Vaughan investigates