Fast Facts

American Express -- The office is at 105 Queen St., Auckland (tel. 09/367-4422). Other offices are located in Christchurch, Hamilton, Nelson, Porirua, Pukekohe, Queenstown, Rotorua, Wellington, and Whangarei. They accept mail for clients, forward mail for a small fee, issue and change traveler's checks, and replace lost or stolen traveler's checks and American Express cards.

Business Hours -- Banks are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 4:30pm. Shops are usually open Monday through Thursday from 9am (sometimes 8am) to 5:30pm, and until 9pm on either Thursday or Friday. Increasingly, shops are open all day Saturday; many shops are also open all day Sunday, with others closing between noon and 4pm.

Drugstores -- Pharmacies observe regular shop hours, but most localities have an Urgent Pharmacy, which remains open until about 11pm every day except Sunday, when there are two periods during the day when it's open, usually one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Electricity -- The voltage is 230 volts in New Zealand, and plugs are the three-prong type. If you bring a hair dryer, it should be a dual-voltage one, and you'll need an adapter plug. Most motels and some B&Bs have built-in wall transformers for 110-volt, two-prong razors, but if you're going to be staying in hostels, cabins, homestays, or guesthouses, bring dual-voltage appliances.

Embassies & Consulates -- In Wellington, the capital city, you'll find the United States Embassy, the Canadian High Commission, and the British High Commission. In Auckland, you'll find consulates for the United States, Canada, and Ireland.

Emergencies -- Dial tel. 111 to contact the police, call an ambulance, or report a fire.

Film -- Film is expensive in New Zealand, so if you're not using a digital camera, carry a lot of it from home. Most brands are available in larger cities.

Internet Access -- Internet facilities are available in all major cities and in many smaller towns. Consult visitor centers for specifics, or go to www.cybercafes.com. Many establishments now offer broadband and wireless connections.

Language -- English is spoken by all New Zealanders. You'll hear Maori spoken on some TV and radio programs and in some Maori settlements.

Liquor Laws -- The minimum drinking age is 18 in pubs. Children are allowed in pubs with their parents.

Lost & Found -- Be sure to tell all of your credit card companies the minute you discover your wallet has been lost or stolen and file a report at the nearest police precinct. Your credit card company or insurer may require a police report number or record of the loss. Most credit card companies have an emergency toll-free number to call if your card is lost or stolen; they may be able to wire you a cash advance immediately or deliver an emergency credit card in a day or two. Visa's emergency number is tel. 0508/600-300 in NZ. American Express cardholders and traveler's check holders should call collect to the U.S. at tel. 715/343-7977. MasterCard holders should call tel. 0800/44-9140 in NZ.

If you need emergency cash over the weekend when all banks and American Express offices are closed, you can have money wired to you via Western Union (tel. 0800/005-253 in NZ; www.westernunion.com).

Identity theft and fraud are potential complications of losing your wallet, especially if you've lost your driver's license along with your cash and credit cards. Notify the major credit-reporting bureaus immediately; placing a fraud alert on your records may protect you against liability for criminal activity. The three major U.S. credit-reporting agencies are Equifax (tel. 800/766-0008; www.equifax.com), Experian (tel. 888/397-3742; www.experian.com), and TransUnion (tel. 800/680-7289; www.transunion.com). Finally, if you've lost all forms of photo ID, call your airline and explain the situation; they might allow you to board the plane if you have a copy of your passport or birth certificate and a copy of the police report you've filed.

Mail -- New Zealand post offices will receive mail and hold it for you for 1 month. Have the parcel addressed to you c/o Poste Restante at the Chief Post Office of the town you'll be visiting. It costs NZ$2.50 (US$1.80/90p) to send an airmail letter to the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, or Europe. Overseas postcards cost NZ$2 (US$1.40/70p).

Maps -- Get free maps from Automobile Association offices around the country by showing your home-country membership card. Rental-car firms also furnish maps with rentals.

Passports -- For Residents of the United States: Whether you're applying in person or by mail, you can download passport applications from the U.S. State Department website at http://travel.state.gov. For general information, call the National Passport Agency (tel. 202/647-0518). To find your regional passport office, either check the U.S. State Department website or call the National Passport Information Center (tel. 900/225-5674); the fee is 55¢ per minute for automated information and $1.50 per minute for operator-assisted calls.

For Residents of Canada: Passport applications are available at travel agencies throughout Canada or from the central Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G3 (tel. 800/567-6868; www.ppt.gc.ca).

For Residents of the United Kingdom: To pick up an application for a standard 10-year passport (5-year passport for children under 16), visit your nearest passport office, major post office, or travel agency or contact the United Kingdom Passport Service at tel. 0870/521-0410 or search its website at www.ukpa.gov.uk.

For Residents of Ireland: You can apply for a 10-year passport at the Passport Office, Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/671-1633; www.irlgov.ie/iveagh). Those under age 18 and over 65 must apply for a 3-year passport. You can also apply at 1A South Mall, Cork (tel. 021/272-525) or at most main post offices.

For Residents of Australia: You can pick up an application from your local post office or any branch of Passports Australia, but you must schedule an interview at the passport office to present your application materials. Call the Australian Passport Information Service at tel. 131-232, or visit the government website at www.passports.gov.au.

Restrooms -- There are "public conveniences" strategically located in all cities and many towns. Local Plunket Rooms come with a "Mother's Room," where you can change your child's diapers. The Plunket Society is a state-subsidized organization that provides free baby care to all New Zealand families.

Taxes -- There is a national 12.5% Goods and Services Tax (GST) that's applicable to everything. A departure tax of NZ$25 (US$18/£9) is assessed and can be paid by credit card or in cash in New Zealand currency.

Telephone -- The country code for New Zealand is 64. When calling New Zealand from outside the country, you must first dial the country code, then the city code (for example, 03, 09, or 06), but without the zero. The telephone area code in New Zealand is known as the STD (subscriber toll dialing). To call long distance within New Zealand, dial the STD -- 09 for Auckland and Northland, 07 for the Thames Valley, 06 for the east coast and Wanganui, 04 for Wellington, or 03 for the South Island -- and then the local number. (If you're calling from outside New Zealand, omit the zero.) For operator assistance within New Zealand, dial 010; for directory assistance, 018. There are three main kinds of public telephones in New Zealand: card phones, credit card phones, and coin phones. Magnetic strip phone cards for public phones can be purchased from supermarkets, post offices, dairies, and service stations.

The most economical way to make international phone calls from New Zealand is to charge them to an international calling card (available free from your long-distance company at home). All calls, even international ones, can be made from public phone booths. (Long-distance calls made from your hotel or motel often have hefty surcharges added.) To reach an international operator, dial tel. 0170; for directory assistance for an international call, dial tel. 0172. You can also call home using Country Direct numbers. They are 000-911 for the U.S.; 000-944 for British Telecom (operator); 000-912 for British Telecom (automatic); 000-940 for UK Mercury; 000-919 for Canada; 000-996 for Australia-Optus; and 000-961 for Australia-Telstra.

Time Zone -- New Zealand is located just west of the international dateline, and its standard time is 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Thus, when it's noon in New Zealand, it's 7:30am in Singapore, 9am in Tokyo, 10am in Sydney; and -- all the previous day -- 4pm in San Francisco, 7pm in New York, and midnight in London. In New Zealand, daylight saving time starts the first weekend in October and ends in mid-March.

Tipping -- Most New Zealanders don't tip waitstaff unless they've received extraordinary service -- and then only 5% to 10%. Taxi drivers and porters are rarely tipped in this country.

Water -- New Zealand tap water is pollution free and safe to drink. In the bush, you should boil, filter, or chemically treat water from rivers and lakes to avoid contracting Giardia (a waterborne parasite that causes diarrhea).