Planning a Trip

With so much to see and do, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure about where to start your New Zealand holiday. I'm here to help -- here you'll find all the nitty-gritty for organizing your big South Seas excursion.

Entry into New Zealand is relatively easy compared to many other countries. You don't need to get any painful shots, and we have no unusual legalities to confuse things. That said, we are very particular about bio-security. New Zealand's economy is heavily dependent on agriculture and horticulture, so we don't want alien pests arriving. To guard against that, there are strict regulations against bringing food into this country.

You can relax on the personal safety front, too. New Zealand is generally a safe place. However, wherever there are people there is the potential for misdeeds, so be sensible, be practical, always be vigilant with belongings, and avoid going into remote areas or city back streets alone. Every year our newspapers detail at least one theft from tourist vehicles. While many of these cases are the result of unfortunate luck, many times staying safe is a matter of common sense.

I would recommend much more vigilance if you plan to hike or climb in our bush and mountain areas. It never fails to astound me when, yet again, I read of missing, or worse, deceased tourists who have gone into the mountains with very little preparation or concern for weather conditions. The outcomes are invariably unhappy. Even in summer, you need top-quality thermal gear when entering mountain areas. Never underestimate the power and changeability of mountain conditions in New Zealand and always take more gear than you think you'll need.

Beyond that, enjoy!

Dialing the Weather -- In New Zealand, call Metservice at tel. 0900/999 followed by your New Zealand area code to hear the current and expected weather conditions for the region you are in. Calls cost NZ$1.30 per minute including GST. You can also visit the Metservice website, www.metservice.co.nz, for further details, or check their blog, http://blog.metservice.com, for the latest updates. Check the website for details about receiving weather updates via SMS texting at a time to suit you. Daily updates cost NZ50¢; on-demand updates cost NZ99¢. For further information, call Metservice toll-free at tel. 0800/932-843.