Travel Info

Language

English is the predominant language in New Zealand, spoken by 98 percent of the population. Some particularities build the New Zealand English dialect, in which we can highlight the pronunciation of words such as "bad", "dead", "fish" and "chips" sound like "bed", "did", "fush" and "chups" to non-New Zealanders.

In the 2000s New Zealand English varieties included Māori English, which was mostly, but not exclusively, spoken by Māori; and Southland English, which features what people call a rolling ‘R’.

In the past people complained that the New Zealand accent was due to laziness or bad influences. Today it is thought to be based on the accent of south-east England, where most migrants came from.

Currency

The official New Zealand currency is the New Zealand Dollar, whose symbol is NZ$.

As at October 2014 the currency exchange rate is as below.

To get the accurate currency rate exchange of the day click here

 

Weather

New Zealand's climate is complex due to its highly varied topography and varies from warm subtropical in the far north to cool temperate climates in the far south, with severe alpine conditions in the mountainous areas (around -10°C).

As most of the country lies close to the coast, the temperatures are mild during whole year, that means generally there are relatively small variations between summer and winter temperatures, although inland and to the east of the ranges the variation is greater (up to 14°C).

January and February are the warmest months, and July is the coldest month of the year with snow in the south and rain in the north. During springer the weather is unpredictable from cold, frosty, clear days to sunny and hot. Temperatures during autumn are a little cooler than summer but the New Zealand weather can be excellent. In summer, the average maximum temperature ranges between 20-30°C and in winter between 10-15°C.

The midday summer solar radiation index (UVI) is often very high in most places and can be extreme in northern New Zealand and in mountainous areas. Autumn and spring UVI values can be high in most areas. Due that, the sunlight can quickly burn skin even on cloudy days. So, it is highly recommended the use of SPF 30+ sunscreen and wearing a shirt, hat and sunglasses.

Click here to see what the weather looks like in New Zealand right now!

Time

New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) is 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). During summer daylight saving time is observed since the last Sunday in September until the first Sunday of the following April, and NZDT is used instead (GMT+13).

Travel Distances

Due to the short distances amongst its cities, tourists can easily travel around New Zealand. As a small country, hiring a car and driving from one place to the other is common, however it is recommendable to travel by plane if you are planning on travelling from the North to the South Island or from cities located on the extremes in each island. Check below the travel distances in Kilometres.

North Island Travelling Distances (Distance in Km)

Cities	Auckland	Cape Reinga	Coromandel	Hamilton	New Plymouth	Paihia	Palmerston North	Rotorua	Taupo	Wellington	Whangarei
Auckland		441	157	112	349	247	515	219	264	634	178
Cape Reinga	441		589	567	781	213	947	651	696	1,066	264
Coromandel	157	589		163	392	395	514	214	263	633	326
Hamilton	117	544	163		240	350	404	108	153	523	281
New Plymouth	353	781	391	239		587	234	297	295	353	518
Paihia	247	213	396	351	588		753	458	502	873	70.3
Palmerston North	520	947	514	403	234	753		332	252	141	684
Rotorua	224	651	214	108	297	457	332		81.3	452	388
Taupo	269	696	263	152	296	502	251	81.3		371	433
Wellington	639	1,066	633	522	353	872	140	451	371		803
Whangarei	178	264	326	282	519	70.2	684	388	433	803

South Island Travelling Distances (Distance in Km)

Cities	Christchurch	Dunedin	Franz Josef	Hanmer Springs	Invercargill	Milford Sound	Mt Cook	Nelson	Queenstown
Christchurch		361	386	134	567	758	330	415	483
Dunedin	361		555	487	206	407	320	769	283
Franz Josef	386	555		387	524	625	484	459	350
Hanmer Springs	134	487	387		693	883	456	300	609
Invercargill	568	206	524	693		273	435	975	186
Milford Sound	758	407	625	883	273		537	1,165	288
Mt Cook	330	320	484	456	435	537		737	262
Nelson	415	769	459	300	975	1,165	737		890
Queenstown	483	283	350	609	186	288	262	890

Visa

On arrival, New Zealand’s visitors need to present to Immigration a passport that is valid for at least three months beyond the intended departure date. People from visa-waiver countries can spend for up to three months in New Zealand and do not need to apply for a visa before their arrival, but they need to provide travel tickets or evidence of onward travel arrangements and evidence of funds for maintenance.

UK passport holders are granted a visitor visa for up to 6 months upon arrival in New Zealand. Australian citizens and permanent residents do not usually need a visa to travel to New Zealand.

Travel Insurance

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