New Zealand Travel Advice

General travel information for New Zealand

Continent / continent: Australia / Oceania

Geographic location: southeast of Australia in the Pacific

Highest elevation: Mount Cook, (3724 m above sea level)

Longest river: Waikato River (425 km)

Form of government: parliamentary monarchy System of

Government: parliamentary democracy

Languages: English, Māori

Neighboring Countries: Island nation, the closest neighboring countries are Australia and the Fiji Islands

Capital: Wellington

Area: Approx. 270,000 km²

Residents: Approx. 4.8 million people (2017)

Population density: 17.6 residents per km²

Religions: Approximately 24% Anglicans, 18% Presbyterians, 15% Catholics, 24% non-denominational

Currency: New Zealand dollar (NZD); 1 euro is approximately 1.8 NZD. The current exchange rates for our travel

Destinations can be found at oanda.com Travel

Climate: Temperate – subtropical climate

Time zone: UTC + 13

Area code: +64

Country code: NZ, NZL, 554

Electricity: Type I sockets are used in New Zealand. The mains voltage is 230 V with a 50 Hz change interval. A travel plug adapter is an advantage.

Check a2zdirectory for old history of New Zealand and agooddir for modern history of New Zealand.

Cities and regions in New Zealand

New Zealand is administered in eleven regions and six so-called unit authorities.

These are the regions of Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington, Tasman, Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast, Canterbury, Otago and Southland.

Then there are the outer areas of New Zealand. The Chatham islands have an administration comparable to that of the Unitary Authorities. The Kermadec Islands, Antipoden Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Island, Campbell Island and Snare Islands as well as the Three Kings Islands are uninhabited. Tokelau is not part of the national territory of New Zealand, but its colony. Niue and the Cook Islands are autonomous states in free association with New Zealand.

Wellington

Is the capital of New Zealand and the country’s second largest metropolitan area after Auckland. Wellington has 448,956 residents and is located on the southern tip of the North Island.

The area is the political and cultural center of the country. Wellington became famous for its picturesque location between natural harbor and green hilly landscapes.

The Māori name Te Whanganui-a-Tara refers to the adjoining Wellington Harbor and translates as “The great harbor of Tara”. Thanks to its location on a headland, the city offers an attack surface for strong wind currents, hence the nickname of the city: Windy Wellington, so “Windy Wellington”

Auckland

Largest city in New Zealand and a cosmopolitan metropolis

Auckland (Greater Auckland or Auckland Metropolitan Area; Maori: Tāmaki-makau-rau or Ākarana) on the North Island of New Zealand is by far the largest agglomeration in the country with over 1.4 million residents – one third of the country’s population. The Māori name Tāmaki-makau-rau means “A young beauty with 100 lovers”, while Ākarana is the transcribed version of “Auckland”. On November 1, 2010, the cities of Auckland City, Manukau City, North Shore City and Waitakere City as well as the districts of Franklin District, Papakura District, Rodney District and the Auckland Region lost their independence by amalgamation. Auckland Council, politically legitimized by local elections on October 9, 2010, has since brought together all previous administrative units under the government with a mayor and 20 city councilors.

The landscape of the multicultural Auckland is shaped by the approximately 50 inactive volcanoes, over the back of which the city stretches. The city owes its extensive parks to them. The location on sheltered sea bays also contributes to the image of Auckland, not least because of the numerous sailing boats that gave the city the nickname City of Sails.

Queenstown

on the South Island is the capital of the Queenstown Lakes District in the Otago Region. Queenstown is 358 m above sea level and is located on the edge of the New Zealand Alps on the South Island of New Zealand and is located on Lake Wakatipu. In 2006 it had 10,442 residents. That is an increase of 22.1% compared to 2001. Queenstown is the starting point of the Southern Scenic Route.

Queenstowen is a must for all adrenaline junkies. The offer ranges from bungy jumping to skydiving to cave climbing tours and skiing on the glaciers in the area.

Churchlands

The city of Christchurch with 341,469 residents is located on the South Island of New Zealand in the Canterbury region. Christchurch is known as the “most English” city in New Zealand, which can still be seen today in its architecture. The Māori name of the city is Ōtautahi, named after a Māori chief who settled on the Avon River.

Nelson is

located on the South Island (just over 40,000 residents) and is surrounded by the three most visited national parks in New Zealand (Abel Tasman National Park, Kahurangi National Park and the Nelson Lakes National Park) in the Fjordlands region

Te Anau is the starting point for the beautiful fjordlands. The Milford Track, which New Zealanders call “the finest walk in the world” for a reason, begins at the northern end of Lake Te Anau. Also on the Kepler Track and the Hollyford Track are very nice hikes through this wonderful area. A more leisurely but no less impressive way to explore the fjordlands is to take a boat tour of Milford Sound or the less-visited Doubtful Sound.

Holidays in New Zealand

Holiday	Date
New Year	January 1st
Day after new year	January 2
Waitangi Day / New Zealand National Holiday	February 6
Good Friday	In April
Easter	In April
Anzac Day	April 25
Queen’s Birthday	2th of June
Labor Day	October 27
1st Christmas holiday	December 25
2. Christmas Day	December 26

Medical advice for New Zealand

For legal reasons, we as a tour operator are not allowed to communicate any binding medical information for New Zealand and therefore refer to the information provided by the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Robert Koch Institute and the German Society for Tropical Medicine and International Health.

Travel advice for New Zealand

You can obtain the latest travel and safety advice, information on entering and leaving the country, as well as special criminal notices and recommendations for your stay in New Zealand from the Federal Foreign Office.