Kia Ora ! Welcome to New Zealand
also known as Aotearoa, the "Land Beneath the Long
White Cloud" ! You could come to New Zealand for
a hundred holidays and have a totally different
experience each time. This will weave a spell on
you and leave you enchanted. This is New Zealand.
New Zealand is a South Pacific country with spectacularly
beautiful landscape, located midway between the
Equator and the South Pole, and is approximately
1600 kilometres east of Australia. The island of
New Zealand split off from Gondwanaland approx.
50 million years ago and has since been vigorously
shaped by earth's mantle. New Zealand was first
discovered about 1000 years ago by the great Polynesian
navigator Kupe who sailed here from his homeland
Hawaiki. He named the islands Aotearoa, Land of
the Long White Cloud. Kupe returned to Hawaiki and
left instruction on how to get here. In the legend,
the South Island was Kupe's canoe. Stewart Island
was its anchor and the North Island was the enormous
fish caught by Kupe. About 400 years later Maori
arrived back in Aotearoa with seven great canoes
and began to populate the North Island. The Dutchman
Abel Tasman landed in 1642, charted part of the
coastline and named it Staten land, believing it
was part of the Australian continent. When his mistake
was discovered the country was renamed Nieuw Zeeland.
New Zealand is made up of two main islands, the
North Island and the South Island, and numerous
smaller offshore islands. The total area is 268,680
sq. km (103,740 sq. miles. The coastline is 15,135
km (9,405 miles). It is the largest nation closest
to the International dateline. Comparable in size
and / or shape to Great Britain, Colorado and Japan,
New Zealand has a population of only 4 million -
making it one of the world's least crowded countries.
English and Maori are the official languages, although
English is the common language of everyday use.
It is a haven for those seeking peace, rejuvenation
and relaxation as well as a playground for thrill
seekers and adventurers. A temperate climate with
relatively small seasonal variation makes it a year-round
holiday destination.
New Zealand is more than a holiday destination;
it's a state of mind. The nation enjoys image as
a clean and green land with magnificent mountains
and waterways, steaming volcanoes, sweeping coastlines,
deeply indented fiords and lush rainforests. There
is much more to New Zealand than its natural beauty,
this country is also a dynamic 21st century society
with sophisticated cities, diverse economy and a
vibrant arts and cultural life.
"If Oscars were awarded for location, New Zealand
would scoop the lot," says Clive Irving
of Conde Naste Traveller. From Hollywood to Bollywood
New Zealand landscape is hauntingly evoked in over
150 feature films like Lord of the Rings, The Last
Samurai, Perfect Strangers, Whale Rider, The Piano,
Kaho Na Pyar Hai, Heaven, Vigil, Rain, Heavenly
Creatures, Willow, The Rescue, The Returning etc.
to name a few. Hollywood blockbuster "Vertical Limit" was made in New Zealand. TV series Hercules and
Xena were also made here.
Getting to New Zealand
New Zealand is a 3.5 hour flight from Eastern Australia,
a non-stop overnight flight from the United States,
and around 10 hours flight from most places on the
Pacific Rim, like Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Passports and Visas
Arrivals and Departures
New Zealand Visitor Information
Road Information and Climate
Health, Medical and Insurance
New Zealand Visitor Information
Business Hours
Offices and businesses operate Monday-Friday, 8.30am-5pm; some tourist agencies and airlines have longer hours. Petrol (gas) stations often open 24 hours, stocking food and newspapers. Shops are usually open 9am to 5.30pm Monday-Friday, with late shopping usually Thursday or Friday. Many supermarkets, grocery stores, some large retail chains, most shopping malls and weekend markets also operate Saturdays and Sundays; large supermarkets are often open 24 hours. Local convenience stores - dairies - usually open 7am-7pm daily.
Currency
The NZ dollar is the basic unit, divided into 100 cents; Coins: 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1 & $2. Notes: $5, $10, $20, $50 & $100.
Banking/Travellers' Cheques
Banks open Monday-Friday (except public holidays), 9.30am- 4.30pm. Automatic teller machines operate on a card/PIN number system. Cash can be withdrawn 24 hours a day. Use of EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale) is common. All international credit cards (American Express, Diners, JCB, VISA, Mastercard) are accepted. Travellers' cheques may be changed at banks, hotels and large stores in the main cities and tourist areas.
Goods & Services Tax (GST)
Goods & services are taxed 12.5%. This tax is usually included in the advertised price, or otherwise specified.
Tipping and Service Charges
If you wish to leave a tip for excellent service this is perfectly acceptable, but is not expected. Service charges are not added to hotel or restaurant accounts.
Electricity Supply
New Zealand's AC electricity supply operates at 230/240 volts, 50 hertz. Most hotels and motels also provide 110 volt 20 watt AC sockets for electric razors.
Emergencies
Dial 111 for police, fire or ambulance services. For non-emergency calls, full instructions appear in the front of telephone directories.
Telephones
The majority of Payphones in New Zealand are Card Phones which use Phone Cards as the payment mechanism. Phone Cards can be purchased at many outlets, and can be useful to have for emergencies. Detailed instructions on phone services, including calling codes and charges, can be found in the front of regional phone books. Calls are free from residential telephones.
Television
There are six public broadcasting channels. Broadcasting varies from 18-24 hours per day. Daily papers list programme details. Sky Network Television provides, to subscribers with a decoder, several 24-hour channels offering news, movies, sport and general entertainment.
Tourist Radio
Tourist Information FM, available in most tourist areas, has been specially established to provide information to visitors 24 hours a day. For English language broadcasts, tune your radio to 88.2FM. German-language broadcasts are available on the 100.4FM frequency, and Japanese-language broadcasts are found on 100.8FM.
Postal Services
Besides specialist Post Shops in most areas, stamps can be bought from supermarkets, bookstores and grocery shops. The main forms of postal carriage are standard post and Fast Post. Standard post delivers next day across town and in two to three working days nationwide; Fast Post, which is also the designation for international airmail letters originating in New Zealand, delivers by the next day between major towns and cities.
Visitor Information Network
Over 100 official Visitor Information Network locations are found throughout New Zealand - look for the green i-SITE logo
