Experience New Zealand Travel - when it's once in a lifetimeCable car and harbour, Wellington, New Zealand (photo copyright Tourism New Zealand)

New Zealand visitor information

In this section

New Zealand currency and banking
New Zealand shopping
New Zealand duty free shopping
New Zealand telephony services
New Zealand telephone dialling guide
New Zealand holiday dates
New Zealand climate guide
New Zealand driving guide

New Zealand currency and banking

The currency of New Zealand is the New Zealand dollar, which comprises 100 cents.
 
All major credit cards are recognised and New Zealand has an almost universal EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer at Point Of Sale) system and an extensive 24-hour cash machine (ATM) network. Travellers cheques are also widely accepted.
 
Trading banks are generally open Monday-Friday from 9.00am-4.30pm.

New Zealand dollar exchange rate

The New Zealand dollar is relatively weak in comparison to major currencies such as British Sterling, the Euro, the Yen, or the US dollar. This makes New Zealand a particularly affordable destination for many travellers. The New Zealand dollar is currently (as at 7 February 2010) worth approximately USD 0.68, GBP 0.43, and Euro 0.50. Please make use of the currency converter directly below to ascertain today's exchange rate.

 

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New Zealand shopping

Shopping hours in New Zealand vary a great deal but are generally 9.00am-5.30pm, Monday-Saturday. Most stores in towns and cities are open Sundays for slightly limited hours (usually around 10.00am-4.30pm). Stores catering to tourists are usually open every day, often with extended hours.
 
New Zealand has a goods and services tax (GST) of 12.5% which is charged on almost all goods and services and is typically included in the displayed price.
 
Please be aware that unlike many other countries, you cannot claim back tax on any purchases made in New Zealand. The only solution is to make your large purchases at duty free stores. To make a purchase you will need your passport and airline ticket or boarding pass.
 

New Zealand duty-free shopping

New Zealand has some of the cheapest duty and tax free shopping in the world. There are duty and tax free stores at Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch international airports, as well as in many city and tourist centres.
 
You can purchase your duty free goods online before you arrive and save at Duty Free Stores New Zealand.

Duty Free Stores

Telephony services

New Zealand enjoys a very high standard of telephony services including extensive coverage for both analogue and digital mobile phones. Additionally, there is an extensive network of public telephones which operate with coins, credit cards, or prepaid phone cards.

  • In an emergency dial 111

 

Mobile phones

If your mobile phone has roaming capability, you will be able to use this in New Zealand. Please check with you mobile phone company that it is activated. You can also hire mobile phones from all international airports on arrival.
 

Phone numbers

New Zealand's telephone numbers comply with the international format of country code, area code, telephone number. All phone numbers listed in this web site are displayed +64 9 123 4567, where +64 denotes the country code, 9 the area code, and 123 4567 the telephone number.
 

New Zealand telephone dialling guide

Calling New Zealand from overseas

New Zealand country code  64
International calls to New ZealandTo make a call to Auckland from overseas you need to dial your local international access code (typically 00) followed by the New Zealand country code (64) followed by the area code for Auckland (9) followed by the seven-digit telephone number. For example, 00 64 9 123 4567.

Calling within New Zealand

National access code  0
Area codes9 - Northland, the Bay of Islands, Auckland
7 - Coromandel, Bay of Plenty (Tauranga), Waikato (Hamilton)
6 - Hawkes Bay, Gisborne, Palmerston North, Wairarapa
4 - Wellington
3 - The South Island (Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown, Invercargill)
National calls within New ZealandTo make a call to Auckland from anywhere within New Zealand (but outside of Auckland itself) you need to dial our national access code (0) followed by the area code for Auckland (9) followed by the seven-digit telephone number. For example, 09 123 4567.
Local calls within New ZealandTo make a local call (to a number located in the same town or city that you are in) you just need to dial the seven-digit telephone number. For example, 123 4567.

Calling overseas from New Zealand

International access code  00
International calls to New ZealandTo call home to, say, New York in the United States from anywhere in New Zealand you need to dial our international access code (00) followed by the country code for the United States (1) followed by the area code for New York (212) followed by the seven-digit telephone number. For example, 00 1 212 123 4567.

 

 

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Handy information about our climate, currency, holidays, and national statistics. You can also explore our photo gallery or New Zealand travel links.

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