Cape Reinga
NEW ZEALAND NORTH ISLAND FACT BOX Bay of Islands license from your home country and you must be at least 15 years of age. Alternatively, there are plenty of bus services that ply throughout the country.
Northland
CURRENCY 1 NZD (New Zealand Dollar) = US$0.73/S$0.98/RM2.27
Auckland
POPULATION North Island has a population of about 3.3 million, approximately 76 percent of New Zealand’s entire population.
Rotorua Hawke’s Bay
Ruapehu
LANGUAGE FOOD
Both English and Maori are official languages of New Zealand.
TIME ZONE New Zealand’s standard time is UTC+12:00, while daylight saving time UTC+13:00 is observed during summer. This makes New Zealand either four or five hours ahead of Singapore and Malaysia, depending on time of year.
Wellington Cook Strait
GETTING THERE
TRANSPORT
As the largest and busiest airport in New Zealand, Auckland Airport is the main gateway for international flights into the North Island. The country’s national carrier, Air New Zealand flies direct from Asian cities like Beijing, Hong Kong, Osaka, Shanghai and Tokyo. From Kuala Lumpur, fly direct with Malaysia Airlines. From Singapore, fly direct with Singapore Airlines. Starting March 2011, Jetstar Asia Airways will be servicing direct routes from Singapore Changi Airport.
CALLING CODE
Flying domestically within New Zealand is often cheaper than driving or taking the train, and is a good choice if you’re pressed for time. Many cities have an easily accessible airport nearby. Air New Zealand has an extensive domestic network. While traffic in major cities can get pretty dense, driving around the island by car or campervan is generally not a problem. You can legally drive for up to 12 months if you have a current driver’s
The sails of Auckland
ATTIRE Your attire in New Zealand should be dictated by the regions you visit and by the activities that you’d like to participate in: comfortable walking or trekking shoes if you fancy a hike and a windbreaker or thick jacket if you intend to scale some heights. As the weather in New Zealand can be highly unpredictable, it is always sensible to be prepared.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
Country Code: 64 Area Codes: Northland and Auckland: 9 Rotorua and Taupo: 7 Ruapehu and Hawkes’ Bay: 6 Wellington: 4
The North Island has a sub-tropical climate and an average temperature of about 15°C. Other than a bit more rain during the winter months of June to August, North Island is pretty much an all year round destination.
VISA
BEST TIP
Passport holders of many countries, including Singapore and Malaysia, do not require a visa for stays less than 90 days. Visit www.immigration.govt.nz for
A Hawke’s Bay vineyard in autumn
New Zealand cuisine is largely driven by local ingredients and seasonal variations. Cosmopolitan Pacific Rim fare – British-based cuisine with New American, Southeast Asian, East Asian and Maori influences – is a result of New Zealand’s increase in emigrants. This also results in a range of ethnic cuisine available throughout the country.
While there is indeed much to see, North Island is full of surprises so allow yourself more than ample time to get distracted.
Get up close and personal with the kauri trees
images FAY LOONEY; BOB MCCREE; JAMES HEREMAIA
Taupo
more information on visa requirements.
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