In the following you will find some travel tips which are useful for planning your New Zealand holiday.

Driving Tips:
For your safety and comfort we have put together some driving tips which we hope you will find useful.

The most important thing to remember is that in New Zealand, driving is on the LEFT HAND SIDE of the road.

Travelling Times:
The maximum speed limit for the open road in New Zealand is 100 kilometres/hour (62 miles/hour). Drivers generally travel slightly under the speed limit.
Please note that average speeds are lower and it takes longer to travel distances in New Zealand than might be expected. This is due to the hilly and mountainous nature of our countryside.

Rural Driving:
Many roads have gravel verges. Be careful to keep clear of the verge, especially on corners. Some isolated roads are unsealed and use gravel as the surface. In these cases, drive slowly. Note that there are some roads which are not suitable for campervans and rental cars and are not allowed to travel on:

• Skippers Road (Queenstown)
• Ninety Mile Beach (Northland)
• Ball Hut Road (Mt. Cook) and
• North of Colville Township (Coromandel Peninsula)

Particularly in winter and early spring some roads can be closed due to snow and ice - mainly in the South Island and the centre of the North Island. You will then have to follow alternativ routes that are signposted. The New Zealand AA and other info centres can provide you with up-to-date information for those areas.

Seat Belts:
In New Zealand it is an important safety requirement to wear seatbelts. Therefore it is compulsory for the driver and all passengers to do so.

Fuel costs:
Diesel costs range from 1.20 and 1.30 Dollar and unleaded petrol 91 between 1.50 and 1.70 Dollar per litre.

Passport and Visa:
Everyone needs a passport to enter New Zealand. Your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond the time you intend to stay in New Zealand. You do not need a visa if you do not want to stay any longer than three months.

Currency:
New Zealands currency is dollars and cents. There are 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Dollar notes and 10, 20 and 50 cents, $1 and $2 coins.

GST - local tax:
GST (Goods and Services Tax) adds 12.5% to the price of just about everything in New Zealand. Most prices are quoted inclusive of GST but when you are paying for something beware of any small print announcing that the price is GST exclusive.

Business hours:
Office hours are generally Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Most government offices are open Monday to Friday from around 8.30 am to 4.30 pm. Shops are usually open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm plus Saturday morning (9 am to 12.30 pm). Many small convenience stores (called dairies) stay open much longer hours and most of the larger supermarkets now also stay open seven days a week.

Tipping:
Tipping is still unusual in New Zealand but if you feel you have received exceptional service the tip would be about 5-10% of the bill.

Customs:
Before you arrive in New Zealand, you will receive a New Zealand Passenger Arrival Card. Apart from personal belongings you are allowed to bring the following items with you without paying any tax or customs:

• 200 cigarettes or 250 grams of tobacco or 50 cigars
• 4.5 litres wine or 4.5 litres beer
• three bottles (or other containers) each containing not more than 1125ml of spirits, liqueur, or other spirituous beverages

Under no circumstances you are allowed to bring into the country:
Plants and seeds, fruit, fish and meat, soil, sand. Any dirty boots or camping equipment will be unpacked and disinfected. Those safety measurements are essential to keep New Zealand free from animal and plant deseases that would normally lead to desasterous outcomes.
Pets like dogs and cats are only allowed in the country after a certain time of quarantene. As in most places the customs people are very fussy about drugs. More Info on New Zealand Customs Service website.

Medical supply:
There are no vaccination requirements to enter New Zealand. As tourists have to pay for any medical treatment a travel and health insurance is strongly recommended. Medical attention is of high quality and reasonably priced.

Departure tax:
Currently you have to pay a departure tax of about NZ$ 25 before you leave New Zealand. That excludes everyone under the age of 12.
Children aged between 2-11 years leaving from Wellington pay NZ$ 10.

Electricity:
Electricity is 240 volts AC, 50 cycle, as in Europe and Australia, and Australian-type three-prong plugs are used. Appliances designed for DC supply or different voltages need a transformer.

Telephone:
Phone system has been deregulated and opened to competition. The cheapest way to do international phone calls is to make use of either the Kia Ora card of Compass or the NetTel card. They are available in most of the book shops, internet cafes and other shops. At the moment a phone call to Switzerland, Austria or Germany only costs you 37 cents per minute from a public phone or 17 cents per minute from a private phone.