People travelling with passports from the USA, Canada, UK, Germany and most other Western countries will be issued with a 90 day visitor's permit upon arrival in New Zealand. As long as your passport is up to date you won't need anything else to get into the country.
Do I need to be immunised?
No immunization shots are required to come into the country and none are currently recommended by the World Health Organisation.
Do I need to bring anything to purify water for drinking?
No, New Zealand tap water is safe to drink without needing to boil it. It is also just about always OK to drink from streams and rivers when in our wilderness (not the case in farming areas). There will be signs posted if the water is not safe to drink.
Is it customary to leave tips in New Zealand?
Tipping is not part of our culture so is neither required nor routinely expected. You don't usually tip at restaurants, when taking a taxi or getting a haircut. If you feel it is appropriate for good service then it will be welcomed.
Many of our clients choose to tip our guides at the end of an awesome trip. This of course is totally at your discretion.
How big is New Zealand?
New Zealand is 268 000 square kilometres (166 527 square miles) and 1600 kilometres (1000 miles) long from north to south. It comprises two major islands which are long and narrow; these are the North Island and the South Island. There are also many small islands.
Where is New Zealand?
New Zealand lies in the South Pacific Ocean and is southeast of Australia. Flight times are approximately as follows:
Los Angeles to Auckland, NZ - 12 hours
Hong Kong to Auckland, NZ - 12 hours
Sydney to Auckland, NZ - 3 hours
Sydney to Christchurch, NZ - 3 hours
Auckland to Christchurch - 1.5 hours
What will the weather be like?
Because of New Zealand's geography and the fact that we have mountain chains running across the predominant winds we have many different micro-climates, that is the climate varies a lot with different parts of the country and the changes can be quite marked even over some quite small distances. Our weather is also less predictable than in most parts of the States and Europe.
During our high season (1 October to 31 March) you can expect daytime temperatures to lie between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius (mid 70s Fahrenheit) and even higher in mid-summer. In the low season daytime temperatures are typically between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius (mid 60s Fahrenheit).
People living in cities to the south of the country may occasionally experience snow in winter but generally snow is restricted to higher places in the mountains. Frosts can occur throughout the country on winter's nights.
However, when you visit our wilderness you must be prepared for any type of weather at any time of year. We've had snow occur on Christmas Day (mid summer) on our backpacking adventure tours. It can also be very hot at times. It is important you bring along the gear we recommend, that way you are prepared for all extremes and you'll have lots of fun whatever the weather.
What type of electricity and plugs do they use in New Zealand?
In New Zealand the electricity is at 240 volts AC, alternating at 50 hertz. We have a three prong plug that is different to North America and Europe but is the same as used in Australia. Adapters are available in outdoor and travel shops in the main centres.
Do I need dress clothing for going out to dinner or to a club?
On the whole New Zealand is a very casual country and you could get into nearly all dining establishments with casual clothing. Some nightclubs and upmarket bars do however enforce a dress standard in the evenings where sports shoes and jeans are not accepted. Bring along some better clothing if you want to experience the nightlife in the major centres.
Where can I get New Zealand dollars?
There are plenty of ATMs and banks in the towns and cities of New Zealand although this is not the case in the smaller places. Credit cards are widely accepted and you can use them to withdraw cash in many retail outlets, although there will be a fee. It is best to carry a reasonable stash of cash when visiting smaller settlements.
You can change money at the airport when you arrive although the exchange rate is not very good and ATMs will be available. Credit cards usually have the best rate of exchange, followed by traveller's cheques and US cash is the worst.
Will my mobile phone work in New Zealand?
This depends on your cell-phone's compatibility with the New Zealand cellular networks. There are two cell-phone operators here; Telecom and Vodafone. It should be noted however that even if you have a New Zealand cell-phone, there are large parts of the country that do not have coverage due to their remote, mountainous, lowly populated geography. There is very little coverage on the backpacking adventures and guided walking tours we operate.
Will I have access to the internet?
There are internet cafes in Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Nelson, Queenstown, Invercargill and Christchurch and they are beginning to appear in smaller places. We encourage you to leave the internet and the rest of the world behind while you are on our walking tours and backpacking adventures.
Can you recommend any movies/videos to watch?
New Zealand has been used regularly in recent times for filming big budget movies. One of the major reasons for this is that we have a large variety of different sceneries within a small area which suits the logistics of making many movies. Another reason is that the internationally renowned New Zealand film director "Peter Jackson" insists on making his movies here.
Perhaps the most famous of the movies made in New Zealand is the 'Lord of the Rings trilogy' and many of our backpacking adventure tours travel through areas that doubled as Middle Earth during the production of these three films.
Here is a list of movies you might have seen that feature New Zealand's beautiful scenery:
- Last Samurai
- Vertical Limit
- The Piano
- An Angel at My Table
- Heavenly Creatures
- The Frighteners
- Jurassic Park 2 The Lost World
- Xena the Warrior Princess (TV series)
- Once Were Warriors
- Walking with Dinosaurs (TV series)
- Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Can you recommend a travel insurer?
We usually suggest people go to their travel agent or to www.travelguard.com.