Stay extension
- for citizens of some countries is possible to extend your stay permit by internet. In spring 2005 it was possible only during the last month of your allowed stay. It took only two three days. It was necessary to have Visa or Maestro card in order to pay fee.
Bank account
- opening, running and closing is under specific condition for free. You will also get for free ATM card. All tis you should get for example at ANZ.
New Zealand Handy Atlas (Publisher:Hema Maps)
- is a book format, size c. A4, and in very good detail. During my a half year stay in NY I found in this map each road (even unpaved) I have been on. You will find here more than 600 motor camps, campsites and huts in the nature, hiking trails,....Tips for mtb, diving, surfing, hot springs ... Like a bonus are marked places where famous movie Lord of the Rings were made. Price NZ$15.
Hitchhiking
- people driving in this island country are often willing to stop and to the hitchhikers. Some times they will stop for you to take a picture, give you a bottle of wine or ....Problem can be on some roads with a very little traffic and such roads are on both islands.
Restaurants BYO
- in such restaurants you have to bring your own alcohol beverage if you want to drink that. They do not have a licence to sell alcohol. BYO means Bring Your Own.
Internet
- the cheapest was NZ$2 per hour. You can pay as much as NZ$6 per hour. Opposite to public libraries in the USA here internet is expensive NZ$2 per 15 minutes.
Burning CD
- to burn CD of your digital pictures costs c. NZ$10 per one memory card. The cheapest it was in a special photo shops where you could do that by yourself. Than I could get it for NZ$10 per CD regardless how many memory cards I had. Another option is in internet coffee shop.
Cycling
- NZ is sometimes called "cycling paradise". I guess that is right but be aware that specially a northern island is not flat and sometimes it is pretty windy...