01Free
The 30-second card
TimeUTC+13UTC+12 the rest of the year The capital’s time. The country has 2 time zones.Source: IANA Time Zone Database · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Visa · United States passport
Online visa or authorisationSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 25 Oct 2026 ↗SIM and eSIM
Prepaid SIMs are easy to buy without registering; activate and top up through the carrier's app or by phone.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Apps locals use
NZTD app: file the compulsory arrival declaration for free on your phone.NZeTA app: apply for the electronic travel authority more cheaply than on the website.Uber: book rides in the larger cities.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Cards or cash
Mostly cashMostly cards
Step 4 of 5: Cards are taken almost everywhere, but a little cash can still help.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Money in New Zealand
New Zealand Dollar · $ · NZD
Insert or swipe and use your PIN, not tap, to dodge the contactless surcharge many independent shops add.
With an overseas debit card, choose Credit on the terminal so the payment runs over Visa or Mastercard.
Withdraw cash at BNZ or Kiwibank machines, which charge no fee for foreign cards.
Look for rental deals heading north: firms sometimes waive the hire fee to bring cars back up.
Collect New Zealand Dollar in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpenPublic holidays in the next 12 months
Fri, 13 Nov 2026 · Canterbury Anniversary Day Canterbury (North & Central) Anniversary Day
Mon, 30 Nov 2026 · Chatham Islands Anniversary Day
Mon, 30 Nov 2026 · Westland Anniversary Day
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day
Mon, 28 Dec 2026 · Boxing Day
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day
Mon, 4 Jan 2027 · Day after New Year's Day
Mon, 25 Jan 2027 · Wellington Anniversary Day
Mon, 1 Feb 2027 · Auckland Anniversary Day Auckland/Northland Anniversary Day
Mon, 1 Feb 2027 · Nelson Anniversary Day
Mon, 8 Feb 2027 · Waitangi Day
Mon, 8 Mar 2027 · Taranaki Anniversary Day
Mon, 22 Mar 2027 · Otago Anniversary Day
Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday
Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday
Tue, 30 Mar 2027 · Southland Anniversary Day
Mon, 26 Apr 2027 · Anzac Day
Mon, 7 Jun 2027 · King's Birthday
Fri, 25 Jun 2027 · Matariki
Mon, 27 Sept 2027 · Canterbury (South) Anniversary Day Dominion Day
Fri, 22 Oct 2027 · Hawke's Bay Anniversary Day
Mon, 25 Oct 2027 · Labour Day
Mon, 1 Nov 2027 · Marlborough Anniversary Day
02Free
Safety today
Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover New Zealand say, side by side, checked daily.
German Foreign Office says
No travel warning
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Exercise normal precautions
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Level 1 of 4
Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 28 Apr 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 28 Apr 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
UK Foreign Office says
No advice against travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 19 Mar 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 19 Mar 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.
03Free
Health
Be up to date on routine vaccines, including measles (MMR), before you go.
Vaccinations
Be current on routine vaccines, including measles (MMR), before you go.
Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.
04Travel layer
In the app: the travel layer
The travel layer
Read a country like someone who’s been there.
What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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05Free
Deep facts
| GDP | ≈ $264.1 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Per person | ≈ $49,591Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Top exports | milk, wood, beef, butter, sheep and goat meat (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Population | 5.3 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 38.1 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Life expectancy | 82.9 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Religions | Christian 37.3% (Catholic 10.1%, Anglican 6.8%, Presbyterian and Congregational 5.2%, Pentecostal 1.8%, Methodist 1.6%, Church of Jesus Christ 1.2%, other 10.7%), Hindu 2.7%, Maori 1.3%, Muslim, 1.3%, Buddhist 1.1%, other religion 1.6% (includes Judaism, Spiritualism and New Age religions, Baha'i, Asian religions other than Buddhism), no religion 48.6%, objected to answering 6.7% (2018 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2018 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Area | 268,838 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Climate | temperate with sharp regional contrastsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Terrain | predominately mountainous with large coastal plainsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Type of government | parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realmSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Calling code | +64Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ |
About the data
Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.
From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.
CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).
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