New Zealand

Etiquette & respect

When entering New Zealand, you must declare the following items to customs: *Medicines, if you are carrying more than a 3 months supply or any medicine not prescribed to you. *Restricted or prohibited goods, such as weapons, indecent publications, endangered plants or wildlife, and illegal or controlled drugs. *Goods above the duty-free allowance, that is: ** More than 3 bottles of spirits (not exceeding 1125 mL per bottle) ** More than 4.5 litres of wine and beer. ** More than 50 cigarettes or 50 grams of tobacco products (or a combination thereof). ** Any goods obtained overseas or duty-free in New Zealand valued at over NZ$700. *…

Tipping guidance

Tipping is not part of New Zealand culture and is often treated with suspicion or actively frowned upon, as many people view it as an Americanism that over-compensates certain workers while others are left out. Give the waiter a smile and a thank you instead. Occasionally tips are given in a restaurant for exceptional service, particularly in the larger cities like Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. Some cafés keep a jar on the counter marked "tips for staff", in which customers can leave small change, but more often than not, locals do not leave any. In restaurants, there may instead be a charity collection jar on the counter and it is common to donate one's spare change there. Rounding up a taxi fare is common, but it is almost as likely that the taxi driver will round the fare down to the nearest dollar. Restaurants are generally required to include the cost of service and taxes in posted prices. However, they may impose a surcharge on top the posted prices on public holidays, provided they clearly advertise so, as they are required to pay their employees higher wages on those days.

Health & wellness

New Zealand has very high levels of ultraviolet radiation, around 40% more intense than you will find in the Mediterranean during summer, and consequently has high rates of skin cancer. Sun hats, sunglasses and sunscreen are highly recommended. Smog is a perennial winter problem in many South Island towns and cities, especially Alexandra, Christchurch and Timaru. Like Los Angeles and Vancouver, these areas are affected by temperature inversion, whereby a layer of warm air traps cold air full of pollutants from vehicles and wood fires close to the ground. Be wary in these areas if you have any respiratory problems (including asthma). New Zealand has high and equitable standards of professional health care, comparable with Sweden or Australia. Tap water in New Zealand is regarded as some of the cleanest in the world; it is safe to drink in all cities. Most comes from artesian wells or freshwater reservoirs, but some comes from rivers, which can be chlorinated to be made safe, but does not always taste very nice. Tap water in places such as Christchurch is usually not chlorinated at all as it is drawn from the pure artesian aquifers of the Canterbury Plains. Bottled water is commonly available if you prefer. Precautions should be taken against Giardia when tramping: do not drink water from rural streams without boiling it first. Risk may be lower in the highlands of the South Island, especially where streams are strong and come directly from melting snow in the mountain. It is also recommended that you are up-to-date with vaccinations for whooping cough (pertussis) and measles, as there have been sporadic outbreaks, especially among children and teenagers. It may pay to get a flu vaccination if you are travelling in the New Zealand winter season.

Scams & street smarts

The main emergency number in New Zealand is 111, and can be used to contact ambulance, the fire service, police, the coastguard, and rescue services. 112 works from mobile phones; 911 and 999 may work, but do not rely on them. You can call * 555 from mobiles to report non-emergency traffic incidents. You can call 105 for non-emergency police, e.g. to report a theft or burglary (from overseas, you can call +64 4 910-5105 to reach 105), or you can report it online at [https://105.police.govt.nz/ 105.police.govt.nz]. Deaf people can contact emergency services by fax on 0800 16 16 10, and by textphone/TTY on 0800 161 616. It is possible to send an SMS to 111, but you must register with police first. Full instructions are on the inside front cover of every telephone book. Other emergency numbers and personal crisis numbers are on pages 2 to 4 of the white pages section.