New Zealand Facts sheet
| Capital | Wellington |
|---|---|
| Largest City | Auckland |
| Main Cities | Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch |
| Population | 4.5 million (+1 million travellers) |
| Official languages | English, Maori, New Zealand sign language |
| Currency | New Zealand Dollar |
| Location | South Pacific Ocean (Southeast of Australia, below the Pacific Islands and above Antarctica) |
| Size | 267 000 km² A little bigger than the UK, Japan, and California, and a little smaller than Sweden |
| Climate | Generally mild, with huge differences depending on location Summer 20°C to 30°C Winter 10°C to 15°C, with temperatures below 0 on the south island |
| Time | GMT+12, usually you are ahead of UK time by 12 hours |
| Main exports | Wood and paper products, textiles, wood products, wool, dairy and meat products, fish |
| National sports | Rugby all year round, Netball for women in winter, and cricket in summer. |
| Money | ATMs are widely available in cities and towns. Credit cards are accepted basically everywhere, especially at accommodation and tour providers, as well as restaurants. |
| High Season | New Zealand’s high season stretches from December to February. It is summer. Beaches are busy. People attend outdoor explorations, festivals and sporting events. Big-city accommodation prices rise. |
| Mid Season | New Zealand’s mid season stretches from March to April and from September to November and represents the main travelling time. Good weather, short cues. School holidays are over. Long warm evenings. |
| Low Season | New Zealand’s low season stretches from May to August offers brilliant southern hemisphere skiing, no crowds, good accommodation deals. |
| Important Numbers | New Zealand country code: 0064 Police, ambulance, fire: 111 |
| Opening Hours | Banks: 9:30am to 4:30pm Cafes: 7am to 4pm Pubs and bars: 12pm to late Restaurants: 12pm to 2:30pm and 6:30 to 9pm Shops: 9am to 5pm including weekends Supermarkets: 8am to 7pm, in larger cities up to 10pm or 24 hours |