New Zealand

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New Zealand is a temperate to sub-tropical island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. A former British colony, the majority of the population is of European descent, with a sizeable indigenous Maori minority and smaller minorities of various Polynesian and other groups. A modern, but sparsely populated, country, it boasts natural beauty and a wide range of outdoor and adventure activities.

Lonely Planet named New Zealand the world's top travel destination for the second year running (2003/2004), and it was voted best long-haul travel destination in the 2004 Guardian and Observer's People's Choice award. New Zealand is also known by the Maori name of Aotearoa, which is usually translated as "(Land of the) long white cloud".

Quick Facts

Capital: Wellington

Government: Representative democracy

Currency: New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Area: 268,680 sq km

Population: 4,076,140 (July 2006 estimate)

Language: English, Maori, and New Zealand sign language

Calling Code: +64

Internet TLD: .nz

Weather and Climate
New Zealand has a temperate climate in the south island and sub-tropical climate in the North Island and the nature of the terrain, the prevailing winds and the length of the country lead to sharp regional contrasts. Temperatures sometimes exceed 30°C and only fall below 0°C in the elevated inland regions. Generally speaking, rainfall and humidity is higher in the west than the east of the country due to the north-south orientation of the mountain ranges and the prevailing westerly/north westerly winds.

Passports and Visas

All visitors who aren't citizens of New Zealand will need a passport to enter. Citizens of the United States (and several other countries) can be granted a visa-free visitors' entry for up to three months on arrival. Visitors from countries not in the Visa Free list or those wishing to stay longer than the maximum allowed visa free period for their nationality, will need to apply for an appropriate visa. Call your travel agent for details.

Regions
New Zealand consists of two main islands and a number of smaller ones.

The North Island - warm, with scenery ranging from sandy beaches, through rolling farmland and forests to active volcanic peaks.
The South Island - spectacular alps and fiords, large beech forests, beautiful beaches.
Stewart Island - heavily forested, a wilderness paradise for hikers and hunters.

Major cities

From north to south:

North Island:

Auckland - "The City of Sails." The largest and most populated New Zealand city, with over a Million in the metropolitan area, making it the largest city in Polynesia too.
Gisborne - Gisborne is New Zealand's eastern-most province, with a city of the same name. As New Zealand's eastern most point, Gisborne sees each day's light first in the world.
Rotorua - Famous for geysers, hot pools, that funny sulphuric smell (smells like eggs!), and Maori culture.
Wellington - The national capital, home of the Parliament and the Beehive. "The Windy City"

South Island:

Nelson - Sunny with New Zealand's highest sunshine hours. Also Nelson is the absolute geographic center of New Zealand.
Kaikoura - A great place for whale watching.
Christchurch - The Garden City. Where the famous 'Wizard' lives and appears every week, by the cathedral, in the square!
Queenstown - Home to a large portion of the adventure sports in NZ.
Dunedin - The Edinburgh of the South. Proud of its Scots heritage and chocolate factory.
Invercargill - The most southerly city in New Zealand.

Popular sightseeing destinations

New Zealand scenery has long been a major tourist attraction, so spectacular it leaves many lost for words. You need to see it to understand - just describing it is not enough. Selected highlights are:

Bay of Islands - North Island, nice scenery
Kerikeri - Charming historic town in the Bay of Islands. Bring your camera.
Mount Ruapehu and Lake Taupo - volcanoes with lakes in them.
Havelock north - a great base for exploring the Hawkes Bay winerys and home to Te Mata peak.
Feilding - voted New Zealands most beautiful town 12 times in a row
Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers - in the Westland region
The Southern Alps stretch the length of the South Island.
Aoraki Mount Cook - New Zealand's highest mountain in the heart of the Southern Alps.
Queenstown - on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and with the other Southern Lakes in easy reach. Adventure capital of the world… skydive, bungee-jump, thrill yourself to your heart's content.
Milford Sound and Fiordland

Filming Locations

Many movies and television series have been filmed in New Zealand. Some of the more notable examples are listed below:

River Queen (2006) - Wanganui
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–03) - numerous locations throughout the country
Whale Rider (2003) - the North Island's East Coast
The Last Samurai (2003) - Taranaki
Once Were Warriors (1994) - Auckland
The Piano (1993) - west coast of the Auckland region
Xena television series - west Auckland region
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) - alpine grassland and glaciers around Flock Hill Station in the Southern Alps near Christchurch, and other places
King Kong (2005) - Wellington

Time difference

New Zealand has only one time zone. Its standard time is 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). New Zealand utilizes daylight saving in summer. It commences at 2am on the first Sunday in October and ends at 2am on the third Sunday in March of the following year. During daylight savings time New Zealand is 13 hours ahead of GMT.

Money matters

The New Zealand Dollar is used for purchasing goods and services in New Zealand. A few traders do accept foreign currency, particularly in tourist destinations. At 21 August 2006 the conversion from US dollars to NZ dollars was approximately 1USD=1.54NZD.