Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kiwi roads are often made hazardous by speeding locals, wide-cornering campervans and traffic-ignorant sheep. Set
yourself a reasonable itinerary and keep your eyes on the road. Cyclists take care: motorists can't always overtake easily
on skinny roads.
In the annoyances category, NZ's sandflies are a royal pain (the intense itching can last for months). Lather yourself
with insect repellent in coastal areas, even if you're only sitting on the edge of a beach for a minute or two.
Telephone
Telecom New Zealand
(
www.telecom.co.nz
)
The country's key domestic player, with a stake in the local mobile (cell)
market.
Vodafone
(
www.vodafone.co.nz
) Mobile network option.
2 Degrees
(
www.2degreesmobile.co.nz
)
Mobile network option.
Mobile Phones
»
Local mobile phone numbers are preceded by the prefix 021, 022, 025 or 027. Mobile phone coverage
is good in cities and towns and most parts of the North Island, but can be patchy away from urban centres.
»
If you want to bring your own phone and use a prepaid service with a local SIM card,
Vodafone
(
www.vodafone.co.nz
)
is a practical option. Any Vodafone shop (found in most major towns) will set you up with a SIM
card and phone number (about $40); top-ups can be purchased at newsagencies, post offices and petrol stations in most
places.
»
Alternatively, if you don't bring your own phone from home, you can rent one from
Vodafone Rental
(
www.vodarent.co.nz
)
priced from $5 per day (for which you'll also need a local SIM card), with pick-up and drop-off
outlets at NZ's major airports. We've also had some positive feedback on
Phone Hire New Zealand
(
www.phonehirenz.com
), which hires out mobile phones, SIM cards, modems and GPS systems.
Local Calls
Local calls from private phones are free. Local calls from payphones cost $1 for the first 15 minutes, and $0.20 per
minute thereafter, though coin-operated payphones are scarce (and if you do find one, chances are the coin slot will be
gummed up); you'll generally need a phonecard. Calls to mobile phones attract higher rates.
International Calls
Payphones allow international calls, but the cost and international dialling code for calls will vary depending on which
provider you're using. International calls from NZ are relatively inexpensive and subject to specials that reduce the rates
even more, so it's worth shopping around - consult the
Yellow Pages
for providers.
To make international calls from NZ, you need to dial the international access code
00, then the country code and
the area code (without the initial 0). So for a London number, you'd dial
00-44-20, then the number.
If dialling NZ from overseas, the country code is
64, followed by the appropriate area code minus the initial zero.
