pictures-of-newzealand.com » New Zealand General Information

General Information

Getting started
Climate
Driving
Electricity
Internet
Language
Money
Phone
Time Differences
Travelling Time
Water

Getting started

Provided you stay for less than 3 months you don't need a visa, if your country has a visa waiver agreement with New Zealand. What you do need is:

a passport valid for at least 3 months beyond your intended departure date.
actual travel tickets (confirmed or open-dated) out of New Zealand or a written confirmation from an airline or travel agency that onward travel has been booked and paid for.
You must be able to proof that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay, at least NZ$1.000 per person per month.

If you fly across the USA the baggage allowance is 2 x 32 kg per person. Flying with Emirates from Germany via Dubai we were allowed to take 20 kg + 7 kg hand luggage per person. That was more than we needed, although we took some outdoor equipment with us. If your flight goes across Dubai no bag or other luggage unit may weigh more than 32 kilos. Read more packing tips and download packing list

Climate

New Zealand's far North has a subtropical climate during summer, while inland alpine areas can be as cold as -10°C in winter. But all in all New Zealand's climate is very mild, lacking season-related extremes. Instead New Zealanders are used to the so-called four seasons in one day, because weather can change very sudden and unexpectedly. Even if you start your excursion when sun is shining bright and sky is clear blue you may get soaked through – and vice versa. Good rain clothes are essential. Kiwi are wont to say:

If you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes.

As New Zealand is situated in the Southern Hemisphere, the North is with an average temperature of 15°C warmer than the South with 9°C. The warmest months are January and February, the coldest month is July. The average rainfall is pretty high with 640-1500 mm which are evenly spread throughout the year.
New Zealand's National Meteorological Service

Driving

In the beginning driving on the left is strange if you aren't used to. The driver sits on the right side and changes gears with his left hand. Be very careful after turning and when you have to change the lane because of road works (sometimes a flagman controls the traffic with a hand-held Stop/Go sign) – if you are used to driving on the right, you might tend to stay on the wrong lane. Always bringing to mind that the driver sits to the middle of the road and the co-driver at the edge was helpful for us. In addition to that our vehicle had stickers with arrows on the windscreen what's no bad idea.

The speed limit on highways is 100km/h, in town 50km/h if not signed otherwise. Most Kiwis accept and are thoughtful drivers. We liked driving in New Zealand (but maybe we see it from another point of view, because we are from Germany where we unfortunately have no speed limit on the highways).
The official New Zealand road code

Traffic sign: No engine brakes

Electricity

Throughout the country the voltage of electricity is at 230/240 volts (50 hertz). You need a converter if the voltage of your equipment is different from that and also if the plug doesn't look similar to that on the illustration. Most hotels and motels have 110 volt AC sockets (rated at 20 watts) for electric razors. To connect your laptop computer to the Internet a RJ45 type plug is necessary.

Electric plug in New Zealand

Internet

Internet Cafes are called Cybercafes. The rates are very variable and depend on where you are. In the cities you pay about NZ$3 per hour, on campgrounds and in smaller villages up to NZ$8. To connect your own laptop computer to the Internet a RJ45 type plug is necessary.

Language

English and Māori are the official languages of New Zealand. Because of the multi-cultural society of the country you will also hear other languages, but English is everyday language.

Money

New Zealand's unit of currency is the New Zealand Dollar (NZ$ or simply $). Payment per credit card is common, VISA- and Mastercards are accepted. Debit cards / EC cards with Maestro logo in combination with your pin should work at every ATM – I write should, because one of ours didn't work at all – so make sure you have another option. The best you ask at your local bank if your card is serviceable in New Zealand. The bank opening times in New Zealand are Mon - Fr from 9.30 am - 4.30 pm.
Currency converter / newzealand.com

Phone

Usually the phone boxes work with phonecards/ value cards which you can buy for NZ$ 5, 10, 15 and 20 at dairies, supermarkets, news agencies, post offices and petrol stations. At first call the toll free access number (which should be noted anywhere at the phone box), then enter the PIN of the phone card. Some public phones also work with credit cards. Coin-box telephones are hard to find.

local calls into conventional telephone network: 50 ¢/ min.
daytime call to Europe: 2-5 $/ min.
night time call Europe 10.00 pm - 8.00 am: about 50 ¢/ min.

GSM cell phones work well in New Zealand. If you need to stay available under your own phone number, make sure your provider has a roaming partner in NZ. Otherwise you can go on a prepaid service using a local SIM card (what also makes more sense for local calls). Don't forget to note the numbers you need because your old phone list won't be available with the new card. You can buy Vodafone prepaid cards for NZ$ 20, 35, 80. They will also set you up.

Time Differences

The time difference from Europe to New Zealand is between 10 and 12 hours depending on the summer time switch.

Travelling Time

It goes without saying that Kiwi travelling time is during their summer holidays from mid December to the beginning of February. If this is also your journey time, it might be wise to pre-book campgrounds, overnight stays in the huts on the walking tracks, the ferry across Cook Strait and certain activities (the really essential things like the ferry or the huts on the great walks perhaps even before you start your trip to NZ). I guess it's more relaxing travelling and you can act more spontaneously when the Kiwi holidays have passed: in spring from September - November and in the late summer/ early fall.

We were travelling in spring and we experienced every weather situation from bloody cold to red hot ;-) Unfortunately the water was still too cold for swimming, more for the hardy guys. Next time I want to go to New Zealand in late summer, I hope the water to be a little bit warmer then :-)

Water

The tap water in New Zealand is safe drinking water, if not signed otherwise. Water from lakes and rivers should always be boiled. If you plan a longer hike go to the nearest visitor centre and ask for the water quality, it might be advisable to take your own drinking water for the trip.