A basic guide to New Zealand | Aotearoa - "The land of the long white cloud"
New Zealand is made up of two main islands, the North and South Islands, Te Ika a Maui and Te Wai Pounamu respectively in Māori, and a number of smaller islands, located near the centre of the water hemisphere.
The country's islands lie between latitudes 29° and 53°S, and longitudes 165° and 176°E. The main North and South Islands are separated by the Cook Strait, 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide at its narrowest point. The total land area of 268,021 square kilometres (103,483 sq mi) is a little less than that of Italy or Japan, and a little more than the United Kingdom.
The country is long (over 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) along its north-north-east axis) and narrow (a maximum width of 400 kilometres (250 mi)), with approximately 15,134 km (9,404 mi) of coastline.
The five largest inhabited islands behind the North and South Island are Stewart Island/Rakiura, the Chatham Islands (named Rēkohu by Moriori), Great Barrier Island (in the Hauraki Gulf),d'Urville Island (in the Marlborough Sounds) and Waiheke Island (about 17.7 km (11.0 mi) from Auckland and the most populated).
The country has extensive marine resources, with the seventh-largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, covering over four million square kilometres (1.5 million square miles), more than 15 times its land area.
The basics
Time: Local time is GMT +12 (Daylight savings - GMT +13 from the last Sunday in October to the last Sunday in March).
Electricity: Electrical current is 230 volts, 50Hz.
Driving: New Zealand's tourist routes are of a generally high standard and the main roads are sealed. All roads, including those in rural locations, are signposted. Remember to drive on the left!
You can find out what's different about driving in New Zealand on the NZ Transport Agency website.
Your safety: New Zealand is regarded as one of the safest travel destinations in the world, with a relatively low crime rate, few endemic diseases and a first-class healthcare and accident compensation system. However, we recommend you observe the same precautions with your personal safety and your possessions as you would in any other country or at home.
- Keep copies of your important documents, eg passport and credit cards, and keep them separate from the originals.
- Keep a record of the description and serial number of valuable items, eg digital cameras.
- Dial 111 in emergencies.
Accidents and Health Insurance: With a little care and common sense, your visit to New Zealand should be accident-free. If you are injured here, you may need the help of the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) - New Zealand's accident compensation scheme.
In New Zealand, you cannot sue anyone for compensatory damages if you are injured. Instead ACC helps pay for your care - and that means paying towards the cost of your treatment and helping in your recovery while you remain in New Zealand.
You still need to purchase your own travel and medical insurance because ACC does not cover everything. ACC only covers treatment and rehabilitation in New Zealand, and usually you must pay part of the cost yourself. If you have a serious injury, with long-term effects, you may also be eligible to be assessed for lump-sum compensation once the injury is stable.
The ACC does not pay any additional costs resulting from an accident, for example delayed or curtailed travel costs, travel home, treatment at home and loss of income in your home country.
We strongly advise you to arrange your own health insurance. New Zealand's public and private medical/hospital facilities provide a high standard of treatment and service but it is important to note these services are not free to visitors, except as a result of an accident.
Visitors bringing in a quantity of medication are advised to carry a doctor's certificate to avoid possible problems with New Zealand Customs. Doctor's prescriptions are needed to obtain certain drugs in New Zealand.
Vaccinations: No vaccinations are required to enter New Zealand.
Smoking: To protect people from the health effects of second-hand smoke, smoking in all hospitality venues, including bars, restaurants, cafes, and casinos, is prohibited in New Zealand. If you smoke, please remember to smoke outside.
Emigrating to New Zealand: If you're thinking about living permanently in New Zealand, read the Migration section of the Immigration New Zealand website. It contains a brief summary of immigration requirements and information on obtaining a residence application pack.
newzealand.govt.nz is a government website that has valuable information about New Zealand working holidays. If you've got any work-related questions this is the place to go. You'll find useful links and information on everything to do with employment, training and work in New Zealand.
You can also visit newzealandnow.govt.nz, a one-stop information source connecting you with the information and services you need to relocate to New Zealand. Find out about kiwi businesses, arts, music, lifestyle, recruitment agencies, events and more.
Important dates for 2011
Public Holiday : |
Date: |
|
New Years Day |
1-2 January* |
|
Waitangi Day |
6 February |
|
Good Friday |
22 April |
|
Easter Monday |
25 April |
|
ANZAC Day |
25 April |
|
Queen's Birthday |
6 June |
|
Labour Day |
24 October |
|
Christmas Day, Boxing Day |
23-26 December* |
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*When the public holiday falls on weekend, some of the public holiday will be recognised on the following working day. We recommend you to check the open dates and time with the attractions that you would like to visit with the operator directly. | ||
Sources: NewZealand.com, New Zealand Customs Office and Wikipedia.
More information...
Visit any one of these websites for more information about New Zealand and it's cities
- 100% New Zealand -Official Tourism New Zealand website
- Auckland Tourism - The city of sails
- Wellington - New Zealand's capital
- Christchurch - The garden city
- Dunedin - A city rich in heritage and architecture
- Queenstown - Adventure capital of New Zealand
- Air New Zealand - you have to get here somehow!
Where are we?
New Zealand flag and coat of arms
New Zealand Climate
The latitude of New Zealand, from approximately 34 to 47° S, corresponds closely to that of Italy in the Northern Hemisphere. However, its isolation from continental influences and exposure to cold southerly winds and ocean currents give the climate a much milder character. The climate throughout the country is mild and temperate, mainly maritime, with mean annual temperatures ranging from 10°C in the south to 16°C in the north.
Conditions vary sharply across regions from extremely wet on the West Coast of the South Island to almost semi-arid in Central Otago and the Mackenzie Basin of inland Canterbury and subtropical in Northland. Of the seven largest cities, Christchurch is the driest, receiving on average only 640 millimetres (25 in) of rain per year; Auckland, the wettest, receives almost twice that amount.
Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch all receive a yearly average in excess of 2000 hours of sunshine. The southern and south-western parts of the South Island have a cooler and cloudier climate, with around 1400–1600 hours; the northern and north-eastern parts of the South Island are the sunniest areas of the country and receive approximately 2400–2500 hours.[
Seasons
Spring - September, October, November
Summer - December, January, February
Autumn - March, April, May
Winter - June, July, August
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