Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Other Practicalities
The first thing we did upon arriving in Opua was to open a free checking account with the
local branch of Kiwi Bank in Paihia. Although we paid a fee for transferring money from
our home account, we ultimately saved by having a local credit / debit card. Another early
order of business was communications. Vodafone is the biggest 3G cellular provider, and
their dongle can be reused in Fiji with a local SIM card. Internet coverage is good if not
speedy; we hiked many a hill in the Bay of Islands to pick up a signal when coverage down
in the anchorage was poor.
New Zealand will truly seem like the promised land in terms of chandlers, supermarkets,
and hardware stores. Two of our favorite boat products were Uroxsys Aliphatic varnish
(very tough stuff) and Soudal FixAll, a polymer adhesive sealant that's a more economical
alternative to Sixaflex. We're glad we stocked up on these - as well as all our favorite
foods - before leaving New Zealand for Fiji and Vanuatu.
After the relaxed standards of Polynesia, Kiwi officials can seem positively draconian in
some of their regulations. Only locally certified gas cylinders will be filled with propane,
for example, and only locally certified power cords can be used for shore power. And al-
though New Zealand is an extremely friendly host nation in all respects, crews who over-
stay their visas are subject to heavy fines. This became an issue when ugly fall weather
delayed many a boat's departure for the tropics, exactly as crews butted up against their
visa expiration dates. Officials run regular patrols of island anchorages, so don't even think
about laying low anywhere but the crowded anchorage of Opua. That said, customs offi-
cials in Opua didn't pressure anyone to leave in the face of bad weather; present your case
in person to explore options for a short-term extension.
New Zealand might not have it all, but it comes pretty darn close. Sailing for every ambi-
tion level and a variety of attractions on and off the water made our six months whiz by. At
the end of a full season in New Zealand, most cruisers have regenerated enough to look
forward to new destinations in “the Islands” - the generic Kiwi term for Tonga, Fiji,
Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Some like this part of the world so much that they ricochet
between New Zealand and the tropics for season after season, cultivating friendships in
both places and revisiting favorite spots. Alas, we don't all get to sail on that kind of sched-
ule - but even one season is enough to create a treasure trove of memories.
[#1]
http://www.customs.govt.nz
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