A few things worth knowing before you fly

Checked August 2026. Government fees and rules change — please confirm the current position on the official links before you travel.

⚠️ You almost certainly need an NZeTA — arrange it before you fly

The New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority is a visa waiver that citizens of around 60 countries — Germany, the Netherlands, Korea and most of Europe among them — must hold before arriving. This is the one that catches people out, because your airline checks it at check-in: without it you can be refused boarding. Australian citizens are exempt; Australian permanent residents are not. Cruise passengers need one too. It costs NZD $17 through the official mobile app or NZD $23 on the official website, lasts two years and covers multiple visits of up to 90 days. Allow 72 hours for it to come through — do not leave it to the airport.

Apply on the official Immigration New Zealand site →

Use the official site — the copycats charge more

Search for "NZeTA" and you will find a crowd of unofficial sites that will happily process your application for several times the real fee. Immigration New Zealand warns about them itself. The only official channels are nzeta.immigration.govt.nz and the official NZeTA app.

There is a visitor levy as well

Most visitors also pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy, currently NZD $100, usually collected at the same time as the NZeTA. It funds conservation and tourism infrastructure — the walking tracks and reserves you will very likely use while you are here.

Travel insurance matters more here than you might expect

New Zealand has an accident compensation scheme, ACC, that covers treatment for injuries — and in exchange, you cannot sue anyone for compensatory damages if you are hurt. That surprises most visitors. ACC will not cover your cancelled flights, your trip home, or medical costs back in your own country. Comprehensive travel insurance is genuinely worth having.

We drive on the left, and the roads are narrower than they look

If you are hiring a car: keep left, and give yourself more time than the map suggests. Distances here are short but the roads wind, and rural stretches can be single-lane with blind corners. Open-road limit is 100 km/h, towns 50 km/h, seatbelts are compulsory for everyone, and drink-driving limits are strict. Your licence must be in English or carry an accredited translation.

Plugs, power and phones

New Zealand runs on 230 volts at 50 Hz, with the angled three-pin Type I plug (AS/NZS 3112) also used in Australia — European, British and North American plugs all need an adapter, and North American devices may need a voltage converter as well. For your phone, check roaming before you leave or pick up a local prepaid SIM at the airport; coverage is good in town and patchy in the hills. Here at the apartments you are on gigabit fibre, indoors and out.

Money, prices and tipping

Cards are accepted almost everywhere, though American Express less widely than Visa and Mastercard. Prices you see include GST at 15% — the tax is already in the number on the shelf, and visitors cannot claim it back on departure. Tipping is not expected and no one will think less of you for not doing it; it is a genuine thank-you here rather than an obligation.

The time difference, and one seasonal quirk

New Zealand runs 12 hours ahead of GMT, and 13 hours ahead during daylight saving from late September to early April. Our seasons are inverted too: December and January are high summer, July is midwinter. If you are coming from Europe expecting a northern-hemisphere calendar, pack accordingly.

Anything here you would rather just ask us about, please do. We would far rather answer a question than have you find out the hard way.