Travelling

flag New Zealand New Zealand: Travelling

In this page: Entry Requirements | Organising Your Trip | Visiting | Living Conditions | Eating | Paying | Speaking | Useful Resources

 

Entry Requirements

Passport and Visa Service
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Visa HQ
New Zealand embassies and consulates abroad
For Further Information
 
Check IATA Travel Website for visa requirements and health advices.
 

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Organising Your Trip


Transportation From Airport to City Centre:


Airport

Distance

Taxi

Bus

Train

Car Rental
Auckland Intl (AKL) 22 km / 14 miles NZD 55-65 / 30-45 min NZD15 / 61 min Not available Available
Wellington (WLG) 8 km / 5 miles NZD 30-35 / 15-20 min NZD 5.50 / 20 min Not available Available

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Train reservation services
Rail New Zealand

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Major airlines

Name Type Domestic Flights International Flights
Air New Zealand Major yes Yes
Pacific Blue Low cost yes Yes
Qantas Major yes Yes

You Can Consult The EU Air Safety List. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

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Visiting

Different Forms of Tourism

Historical
New Zealand has a wide range of museums that offer an informative insight into the country's Maori and European heritage. Te Papa is the National Museum of New Zealand in the capital Wellington. Te Papa is known for its modern and interactive experience. Moreover, the Auckland Museum has an expansive collection of Maori and Polynesian artefacts.
Cultural
New Zealand offers many unique opportunities to learn about the Maori culture. Tourist groups are able to visit tribal meeting grounds, known as marae, in Northland, Auckland, Rotorua and Canterbury. These excursions will provide a unique opportunity to hear the Maori language and songs, meet local people and enjoy a traditional hangi feast.

There are a multitude of heritage attractions that have been preserved throughout the country's short colonial history. While in Wellington you can visit the old Government Building, which claims to be the largest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere.

The country is also famous for being the home of Middle Earth from the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. Attractions include tours of the Hobbiton movie set, or you can consult detailed road-trip intineraries that will explore the iconic scenary of the Hobbit movies.

If you are a food and wine lover, Hawke's Bay is a popular destination in the North Island for exploring some regional wine and cheese.

Nature
Nature is an important part of New Zealand's culture. As such, hiking, mountain biking, camping and canyoning are all very popular activities. There are numerous national parks.
Religious
There are many Maori sacred sites and tribal meeting places around the country. Visit the indigenous New Zealand website.
Thermal
Hot springs can be found all over the country. There are many natural spas, in particular in the North Island around Roturoa.
Beach
New Zealand has an extraordinarily extended coastline in comparison to its size, with an abundance of beautiful beaches, from sandy to rock-strewn. For more information click on this link
Winter Sports
With over 500 kilometers of mountain ranges, the Southern Alps of New Zealand offer a wide variety of snow parks for all levels of activity. There are over 15 national ski resorts with good snow and superb countryside, the most popular in Queenstown.
Outdoor Activities
New Zealand has a variety of wilderness experiences available. The country is renowned for its outdoor activities. Just some of these include white water rafting, bungy jumping, caving, off-road driving and zip-lining.
Shopping
Auckland and Wellington are the two capitals of shopping in New Zealand.
Top Highlights in the Main Cities
National Museum
Parliament
Home of the All Black rugby Union Team
Top Highlights of the Country
Bay Of Islands
National Glaciers
Queenstown

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Living Conditions

Health and Safety

Health Precautions
No specific vaccination is required. If undertaking adventure activities is important to always check weather conditions and ensure that safety standards are met. Please note, New Zealand is occasionally prone to natural hazards like volcanic activity and earthquakes. See more information about health and safety in New Zealand on the 100% Pure New Zealand website.
For Further Information on Sanitary Conditions
U.S. State Department travel information for New Zealand
 

Emergency Numbers

Fire and Ambulance 111
Police 111
Marine Emergency 0508 472 269 / 406 distress beacons
 

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Time Difference and Climate

Time and Time Difference
It is %T:%M %A In Wellington, Auckland (GMT+12 (Beginning of April to the end of September), GMT+13 (End of September to beginning of April))
Summer Time Period
Summer time from October to March.
 

Map of the Time Zone

Time zone

Type of Climate
The latitude of New Zealand corresponds closely to that of Italy in the Northern Hemisphere. However, its isolation from other land masses and exposure to cold southerly winds and ocean currents gives the climate a much milder character. The populated areas are mostly mild and temperate, mainly maritime in climate, with temperatures rarely falling below 0 °C or rising above 30 °C. However the weather can vary throughout the country depending on the North and South Islands and the particular time of the year. Conditions vary sharply across regions from extremely wet on the west coast of the South Island to semi-arid in the inland region of Canterbury. The North Island has a sub-tropical climate during Summer, and its hottest months are January and February. However, the further South you travel the colder the weather becomes. For example, in the Alpine region of the South Island can drop as low as -10 oC during Winter.

Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch all receive a yearly average in excess of 2000 hours of sunshine per annum. The southern and south-western parts of the South Island have a cooler and cloudier climate, with around 1400–1600 sunshine hours per annum; whilst the northern and north-eastern parts of the South Island are the sunniest areas of the country and receive approximately 2400–2500 sunshine hours per annum.

Hotel reservation websites
New Zealand meteorological service
 

Average Annual Temperatures and Rainfall

Climate

 

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Eating

Food Specialties

Much of contemporary New Zealand cuisine is derived from British roots. It also includes significant influences from Maori, American and Australian cultures, along with those of other European cultures and more recently Polynesian and Asian cultures. All this reflects a multicultural cuisine with no specific national dish, but plenty of interesting culinary discoveries.

Some Examples Include:

  • Seafood: Green Lipped Mussels, Oysters, Whitebait,
  • Maori Hangi: A traditional Maori method of cooking with chicken, seafood, and hangi-steamed pudding for dessert
  • Fish and Chips: Fish, potato scallops, calamari and potato chips
  • Desserts: Jaffas are an iconic orange-flavoured chocolate, Hokey-pokey is a popular ice-cream flavour (vanilla with pieces of honey-comb)
  • Cheese: Blue cheese or creamy brie are particularly popular. Kapiti, Whitestone and Puhoi Valley are three regional brands.
Drinks
Beer is the most popular drink. However New Zealand is very proud of its wine industry country, which produces amongst the best Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot in the world.
Dietary Restrictions
None.

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Paying

Domestic Currency
New Zealand Dollar
ISO Code
NZD
To Obtain Domestic Currency
It may be useful to arrive in the country with some NZD in your pocket. But rather than going to a currency exchange, which can be expensive, or using traveller’s checks which sometimes require a long time to cash, it is better to withdraw NZD directly from banks’ ATMs (small fees apply).
Possible Means of Payment
Payment is usually in cash. A credit card is also useful, but is only taken in the larger establishments. ATMs are easily accessible all day long. There are plenty of them in airports and town centers.

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Speaking

Official Language
English and Maori.
Business Language
English

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Useful Resources

To Find a Job
SEEK New Zealand
NEW KIWI 

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Latest Update: May 2024