Portal about Travel & Study in New Zealand

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 After New Zealand had its dear Telecom privatised, the telecommunication industry in NZ made a great leap. All you need to do to have your own line is to call the company in which you have chosen and ask to be connected. A small fee is charged (some don’t charge anything), and they will give you a number. You can buy the phone from stores or even from the phone company itself. In no more than 48 hours you should be connected and able to communicate with the world. It’s important for you to be aware that If you speak to someone in the same city or region, you are not charged per minute and only a connection fee applies. But if you are making calls between regions or internationally, then you will be charge by how long the call was. Different companies have different plans, and some may charge a small monthly line rental fee, and you pay for the calls that you make. And others you may pay a fixed amount of around NZ$36, which gives you free calls to phone in the same area, but not interregional. Choosing the right one for you will depend on how much you like to talk… best to study your options before you choose a company and plan..

Telephone cards had a boom in the past years. There are two main types: one for calling inside New Zealand, and one for calling to overseas. With both, you can call using any public phone, and all you need to do is to enter the number on the card, followed by the number you wish to call. These pre paid cards are sold in $ 5, 10, 20, and 50, and can be bought from most convenience stores, post office, newsagents, petrol station. Most public phones do not accept coins anymore and only use the card system. At the Auckland airport we found only one phone that still accepted coins. So if are planning to call someone from the airport, also plan to by a card.

Mobile Phones are sold for very cheap prices in NZ. For NZ$ 79 you are able to buy a brand new phone that already comes with a SIM card and NZ$ 30 of call credits. There are many different companies and different deals and plans so best to do you research before you choose to buy one. If you are bringing one from overseas its also wise to check if and how it will work in NZ, as it might not work or you might be charged big time even to receive calls.

The Internet in New Zealand started a little later than many other countries, as many did not have a computer in their homes until 1995. After this time many started to buy personal computers, and the price of connecting to the internet also become more affordable. Broadband also came in more accessible a little later, around 2000 -2001. and since then the price for broadband has dropped dramatically each year, and today you are able to get connected to broadband for around NZ$40 per month with 1Gigabyte of download. Like cell phones, there are several internet providers, each with their own prices and conditions. If you don’t have a computer, In the streets there are many internet cafes that offer internet for NZ$ 2 per 30 minute. Students normally have free access in their schools.

Television in New Zealand has not got the greatest variety and selection. There are only 3 channels on normal TV and are simply called TV one, TV2, and TV3. Most programs are imported from the USA, and even so they don’t offer a great variety. There are a few local comedy programs and a few soap operas. So if you like watching your TV then you would have to consider getting Sky TV, which is the paid cable and offers more channels such as HBO, Sports, Discovery channel and so on.  

Radios in New Zealand still has a great audience and enjoy listening to it during work or in the car. The kiwi uses the radio as a source of news, more so then the television and. But like TV there is limited variety and selection and are very repetitive in the music they play.

 New Zealand Post was also privatised. It is normally very reliable. In the seven year in which we used it, we didn’t once have any problems. Apart from providing the normal postal service, you can also pay bills, apply for your New Zealand Passport, and even buy souvenir all at you local post office. The post offices have had to supplement their profits since the boom of the internet and emails. Competing with the post office are also various local and international currier companies such as FedEx. The post office is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, some also open on Saturdays (normally those located inside shopping centres), but Sunday it is closed.

To Call to New Zealand

• Country code: xx 64 followed by the area code (without the 0 of the area code, you only use the 0 if you are in New Zealand), followed by the number you wish to call. 

• Area codes:  Auckland (09), Bay of Plenty e Hamilton (07), Central and the South of the north island (06), Wellington (04), south island (03).

To Call out of New Zealand

• Call 00 (zero zero) followed by the calling out code of the country, country code, area code, and number you wish to call.

Every tourist in New Zealand has a place where they can go to for help. They are called the Tourist Information or the green “ i ”.  Apart from the thousands of pamphlets you can pick up about everything that you can do in the city, you will also have the best information to have the most enjoyable time. The services of the tourist information centre are excellent and free, and they will try to help in everyway that they can including booking accommodation, tours, rent a car, and much more. 

The Emergency Telephone for Police, Ambulance, e Firefighter is 111 (triple one) and can be accessed from any telephone private or public. It is a free call. The emergency response of New Zealand is considered the second best in the world, losing only to Sweden.