This applies to citizens of the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Eire and South Africa.

If you are from any other country you will need to check the New Zealand immigration website for more information.

If you plan to work while you stay in New Zealand you will need to apply for a Working Holiday visa. Again you will need to check out the New Zealand immigration site for more information. This scheme is currently available to 18 – 30 year olds from Canada, Eire, the UK, the US and other countries.

Stays are for up to 12 months and do not allow permanent work unless you apply for and get a work visa. Citizens from the UK are now allowed to choose between a 12 month visa and a 23 month visa.

Flights to New Zealand

The major cost of any trip to New Zealand will be the flight out there and with so many flight shops and agents out there it can be quite daunting to have to search for the best choice.

There are many companies on the worldwide web that offer flights to all over the world and can build your own ‘round the world flight’ as well as normal return flights.

Sites made especially for students and those under 26 can have some good deals for youngsters but you shouldn’t automatically presume that they have the best deal for you. As always it is best to research and get plenty of quotes to assure you get the best deal.

Flights from the United Kingdom and Europe usually have the option for a stopover in a variety of places (destinations depend on the airline) with Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong favourites.

Flights from the United States may have stopovers in the Pacific or Australia on offer and many people choose Fiji, a tropical paradise in the middle of the South Pacific. Flights from the East coast typically go via Los Angeles or sometimes San Francisco.

Flights from South Africa will usually go via cities in Australia before heading off for New Zealand.

Another options for the traveller to New Zealand is to purchase an ‘open jaw’ ticket with the inward flight going to Auckland on the North Island and then flying out of Christchurch on the South Island, therefore saving on time.

Round the world flights which incorporate many stops and go full circle back to home are also popular, though as they are usually only valid for 12 months and that isn’t exactly long to explore several different countries. It would probably be better to get single flights to the countries you want to visit and then another to your next destination and so forth. The only problem with this is you will have to be extremely strict with your money in order to make sure you have enough money to fly to your next destination and to eventually fly home.

In fact sometimes the popular ‘round the world’ flights are cheaper than the typical return fares and should be considered even if it means just spending a few days at each stop until you get to New Zealand.

Things to do in New Zealand