General

New Zealand lies in the South Pacific and consists of Two main islands. The North Island and The South Island. We have a total of 15,134 km km of coastline. This means a lot of beaches to visit. The chances are that you may find yourself to be the only person at the beach depending on where and when you go.
New Zealand's population at 2004 is 4,059,900 so we don't have the congestion that some other places have. In saying this, Auckland (our biggest city) has approx 1,000,000 population and can be very slow in the two rush hours each day. 7.00am to  9.00am and 3.30 pm to 7.00pm are not good times to be on the motorways. Some  motorway cams can be seen here along with Auckland road conditions.
Wellington is the capital of New Zealand.
There are three official languages.  English, Maori and sign language. English is the  predominant language. 
The Maori were the first inhabitants of this country. The land was then called Aotearoa (The Land Of The White Cloud)
More of our Maori history  is here.
New Zealand to English Translation Guide  For a list of regularly used New Zealand English.   This will prevent the blank looks when talking to Kiwis.

The first European to sight New Zealand was  Able Tasman (Netherlands) in 1642.  Then By Captain James Cook (England) in 1769

New Zealanders drive on the left side of the road. An international license will enable you to drive on our roads for a limited time. The open road speed is 100 kph and built up areas are normally 50 kph. More info on our road rules can be found at the land transport safety authority  web site  Car rental companies will also have details on our road rules.

We have two cell phone providers which are Telecom and Vodafone Check out their websites for coverage maps and general info including phones and prices .
Emergency numbers in New Zealand are 111 and can be dialed from any phone in NZ

Trading is in New Zealand Dollars. The exchange rate is quite favourable to the main currencies around the world.
The Universal Currency Converter.

The National grid provides us with power rated at 240 volts, 50 cycles. If you wish to bring electrical items to use here, then you may need an adaptor for the appliance. Most electrical shops in New Zealand will be able to supply you with an adaptor.

Daylight Savings. We all put our clocks forward 1 hour on the first Sunday of October and back one hour on the third Sunday of March. This is meant to give us an extra hour of sunshine every day over the Summer months.

International airports New Zealand has six international airports. Three in the North Island and Three in the South Island. Click on the link to find out more.

Supermarkets.  Pack'nSAVE is the largest Supermarket outlet. Some of the others are New World, Countdown and Woolworths
Take a peak at their sites to find locations. Alcohol may be purchased at supermarkets but you may have to provide identification. The legal age to purchase alcohol in New Zealand is 18 years.