New Zealand

Discover Your Personal Paradise in New Zealand

New Zealand’s most celebrated export is its rugby team, the all-conquering All Blacks…but the country itself has more than enough features to entice expats and tourists to its panoramic shores… The South Island is one of the most scenic places on the planet... Gaze in wonder at the Milford Sound fjord…visit the Fox Glaciar...roam through the valleys and mountain peaks and vast lakes of the ecological crucible--Kahurangi National Park. New Zealand’s deeply-embedded Maori culture and friendly people will wow you…and soon charm you.

Learn more about New Zealand and other countries in our daily postcard e-letter.

Simply enter your email address below and we'll send you a FREE report on Australia and New Zealand: Good Living Down Under. (We value your privacy. You can unsubscribe at any time).

Enter your email address below

New Zealand Fast Facts

Population: 4,327,944

Capital: Wellington

Language: English, Maori

Location: Oceania, in the Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia

Coastline: 15,134km

Climate: Temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Country Code: 64

Time Zone: GMT+12

Read more articles about New Zealand below.

New Zealand Articles

Pirate Speak, Burgers and Blues? All in a Day’s Work
Posted on May 7, 2013 by Steenie Harvey

In 19th century New Zealand, I’m sure, speaking like that, I’d have been understood. After lengthy voyages, its early immigrant settlers were undoubtedly familiar with jackspeak—sea-faring slang. Not far from Auckland, the Riverhead is a historic tavern whose walls are adorned with bizarre nautical sayings. Most of those sayings have long vanished into the vault of forgotten phrases.
Balloons, Bangkok and Burning “Bööggs”
Posted on March 25, 2013 by John Joe Worrall

On April 1 only a fool would miss the feast on offer at Le Pince d’Or Crab Festival in Martinique, an island in the eastern Caribbean. In the capital of Fort-de-France, riverfront restaurants each set up a stall to sell matoutou (a spicy crab stew), as chefs compete to make the best bowl.
Beauty and the Beach: Rent and Live Part-Time in New Zealand
Posted on March 25, 2013 by Steenie Harvey

After a day’s hiking in Abel Tasman National Park, I need a night in. A bottle of $8 Sauvignon Blanc is chilling in the fridge. Perfect with these fresh mussels I bought—amazing value at $3.15 for 2.2 pounds. As my accommodation has a fully-equipped kitchen, they’re simmering in a wine and cream sauce.
IL’s Guide to Visa and Residency in New Zealand
Posted on March 25, 2013 by Jo Gibney

Citizens of the U.S. and Canada are eligible for the New Zealand visa waiver program. Under its terms, you will not need a visa for visits of up to 90 days for either a vacation or business once you have a ticket showing onward travel and evidence of funds to cover the cost of your stay.
Shear Sheep, Hunt Eggs, and Buy Art
Posted on February 25, 2013 by International Living

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, and where better to celebrate it than Dublin, Ireland, where, from March 14 to 18, the city revels in traditional music, fireworks, and a huge parade on the day itself. Sotheby’s Paris auction house will see 300 works from Mexico, Central and South America—including a Chupicuaro ceramic statue (estimated to be from 500 to 100 B.C.)—go under the hammer as part of the eagerly-awaited Barbier-Mueller Collection on March 22 and 23.
Almost Utopia: New Zealand Delivers the Good Life
Posted on February 25, 2013 by Steenie Harvey

It’s sunset at Waihi Beach. Earlier, its six miles of glorious beach were almost as white as sand could get. Now the sky’s reflections are brocading the wet shoreline into orange and blue, pink and lilac. One of New Zealand’s North-Island gems, Waihi Beach is a laid-back community on the Bay of Plenty.
Haiku, Murals, and a Lovesick Sea Elephant
Posted on January 24, 2013 by Steenie Harvey

I’ve long been a fan of haiku poems, those little word-paintings that capture fleeting moments in time and nature. But Katikati, a small country town in New Zealand, isn’t the obvious place to find a haiku pathway. Home to around 4,000 people, Katikati is only a speck on the North Island map. Yet it’s well worth a stopover if you love poetry, art, and nature.
Fishing in New Zealand: How to Catch Kai Moana
Posted on January 23, 2013 by Steenie Harvey

“Don’t you want to kiss him goodbye?” asks Ronnie the deckhand. Er, no. Not really. Although I’m sure this handsome lad is incredibly tasty, size matters in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty. The snapper I’ve reeled in doesn’t quite meet the legal minimum length of 27 centimeters (10.6 inches). So back into the Pacific he goes.
Step Back in Time to the Swinging 30s in New Zealand
Posted on January 21, 2013 by Steenie Harvey

I never associated the Art Deco movement with New Zealand. It always conjured up notions of French Riviera resorts—or of Miami Beach, New York and Chicago. It’s King Kong clutching Fay Wray on the Empire State Building. It’s bootleggers, transatlantic liners and flappers in fringed dresses. Yet Napier is also an Art Deco gem. On Hawkes Bay, on the east coast of NZ’s North Island, the city’s 1930s heritage…
New Zealand: The Best Place to Find Sun All Winter
Posted on November 29, 2012 by Steenie Harvey

I’m just back from New Zealand and the lazy days of early summer in the southern hemisphere. I’m wishing I could have stayed the entire season. No apologies for using capitals: This was The Best Trip Ever. Right now, I’m longing for another day on a fishing boat and lunch under a winery’s leafy trellis. I want to loll in a hot pool listening to the birdsong of the bush…
News from Around the World
Posted on November 26, 2012 by International Living

Seaside docks are scattered all along the coastline in Belize. They’re great places to watch the sun rise, fish from, or lounge on as you enjoy the mild sea breezes. From some of them you can also catch boats to Belize’s white-sand islands (known as cayes), or to snorkeling and diving spots along the world’s second-longest barrier reef, just offshore.
A Warm-Weather Road Trip in New Zealand
Posted on January 19, 2012 by Emma Carry

New Zealand gets some of the finest weather in the world, and while snow falls on parts of the U.S. and Canada, folks in the “Land of the Long White Cloud” are hitting the hiking trails, swimming at the beach, and celebrating Christmas in shorts.
Homes in Wine Country
Posted on January 19, 2012 by anon

If a small Italian farmhouse with a vineyard sounds sweet, then look to the Abruzzo (pictured), a region of southern central Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea.
Drums, Buskers, and a Circus Festival
Posted on December 20, 2011 by Darius Fisher

January 1, get initiated into the Vancouver Polar Bear Swim Club by diving into the frigid English Bay. The swim dates back to the 1920s. The coldest recorded water temperature? 38 F in 1928.
The Best Climate
Posted on December 20, 2011 by International Living

Scoring a country on its climate is difficult, because everyone has their own ideas on what sort of weather they enjoy most. But it was Italy’s ability to cater to all tastes that saw it surge to the top of the Index in this category. The weather in Italy is quite different from the stereotypical Mediterranean climate with many of its inland northern regions enjoying weather more on par with…
Get Paid to Play With Dolphins
Posted on November 16, 2011 by Tim Clayton

There is something magical about encountering dolphins. Perhaps it is the mammal connection between the two species or maybe it is the thrill of seeing such wonderful creatures in their natural environment. There is no doubt a dolphin encounter lifts the soul and provides an awe inspiring experience.
IL’s Seven Favorite Road Trips
Posted on September 16, 2011 by International Living

For many folks, the drive down California’s Highway One epitomizes the road trip. The views are glorious. But it’s hardly the only stretch of road that’ll make you stop and stare. That’s why we asked our International Living editors to tell us about their favorite road trips. Here’s the list below, in no particular order of preference.
The World’s Best Retirement Haven in 2011
Posted on August 22, 2011 by International Living

In IL’s annual Global Retirement Index, we rank the top 23 places in the world to retire — and lay out why they make sense — so you can more easily target the destination that’s right for you. The 23 countries are rated out of 100 points in categories such as real estate prices, cost of living, culture, health care, special benefits for retirees, infrastructure, safety/stability and climate.
Our Annual Retirement Index: All the Scores and How It’s Scored
Posted on August 22, 2011 by International Living

Putting together the Annual Global Retirement Index, which ranks the best countries in the world to retire, is a major undertaking. Here’s how we did it.
Lost in Time on New Zealand’s South Island
Posted on June 20, 2011 by Tim Clayton

From the misty shades of grey rolling across the fjords of Doubtful and Milford Sounds to the coal-fi red steamboat, the TSS Earnslaw cruising Lake Wakatipu, there’s a timeless tranquility to the beautiful South Island, New Zealand.
U.S. Claims Top Spot in IL’s Quality of Life Index 2011
Posted on January 3, 2011 by Dan Prescher

International Living has just published its annual Quality of Life Index for 2011. The Index ranks most countries in the world in nine different categories to come up with overall ratings for their comparative qualities of life.
Prague: Fairy-Tale Europe’s Baroque Gem
Posted on August 31, 2010 by William Chamberlayne

In this issue of the Lifetime Society Communiqué, we stroll the cobbled streets of one of Europe’s most atmospheric and beautifully preserved cities. History hangs on every corner. You can see it in the decorative art of the churches and cathedrals, and even feel it in your feet on the old town’s cobbled streets. This is Prague. A concentrated blob of pure baroque unscathed by the Second World War. It’s a glorious place where beer is still brewed by monks and the stories of mad kings, tragic queens and foul monsters are still told.
Luxury Island Life in New Zealand
Posted on July 22, 2010 by Mike Colwill

Nothing beats island life, especially when you share your island with world-class wineries, oyster farms, restaurants and endless bustling cafes. All this, and you’re just 30 minutes away from the modern city of Auckland in New Zealand.
Living in Luxury on an Island in New Zealand
Posted on June 28, 2010 by Mike Colwill

Nothing beats island life, especially when you share your island with world-class wineries, oyster farms, restaurants and endless bustling cafes. All this, and you’re just 30 minutes away from the modern city of Auckland in New Zealand.
New Zealand: Where a Balanced Life is Easy
Posted on June 28, 2010 by International Living

We always knew that we would live in New Zealand “someday.” That day finally came last January, when our family—my husband, 8-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter—moved from Colorado to a small, semi-rural town in New Zealand.
“I Always Swore I would Never Skydive”
Posted on June 28, 2010 by Jean Flitcroft

After we fell 7,000 feet my instructor casually pointed out his new house on the lakeshore below.
“Tramping” Your Way to Health in New Zealand
Posted on June 17, 2010 by Dan Prescher

With plenty of outdoor activities and a pollution-free environment, it’s no wonder that New Zealand was recently named one of the top five healthiest places in the world to live in 2010 by International Living editors.
Feel Younger, Live Longer: The World’s Healthiest Places to Live
Posted on June 1, 2010 by International Living

Optimism and purpose, a low stress level, a natural diet and an active lifestyle…experts say those factors are three times as important as your genetic makeup when it comes to enjoying a long and healthy life. Luckily, it’s easy to embrace those elements when you’re living in a place where they come naturally. And they do in our top picks for the world’s healthiest places to live.
Eight Ways to Vacation Overseas—Free
Posted on February 1, 2010 by International Living

Everyone dreams of vacations. But accommodation, food, and transportation all add up. In the current economic climate, low cost is good. And “no cost” is even better. Here are some suggestions to save on your next vacation
2010 Quality of Life Index: 194 Countries Ranked and Rated
Posted on January 1, 2010 by International Living

Every January, we rank and rate 194 countries to come up with our list of the places that offer you the best quality of life. This isn’t about best value, necessarily. It’s about the places in the world where the living is, simply put, great.
2010 Quality of Life Index By the Staff of International Living
Posted on January 1, 2010 by International Living

Every January, we rank and rate 194 countries to come up with our list of the places that offer you the best quality of life. This isn’t about best value, necessarily. It’s about the places in the world where the living is, simply put, great.
Travel Press Talks: January Issue
Posted on January 1, 2010 by Anna Skellern

Your monthly dose of Travel Talks with Anna Skellern
Globetrotter: News From Around the World
Posted on October 27, 2009 by Paola Fornari

This month’s Globetrotting tales…
“Billy and I are 55, and into our 18th year of retirement”
Posted on August 20, 2008 by International Living

Since my husband Billy and I left the working world behind at the age of 38 in 1991, we’ve been traveling the globe and have lived in dozens of countries.
It’s Never Too Late to Retire
Posted on January 15, 2008 by Steenie Harvey

Are you ever too old for an overseas adventure? Now on his way to a new life in New Zealand, one retired dentist doesn’t think so.
Escaping from 14-hour work days for a better quality of life in New Zealand
Posted on December 30, 2007 by International Living

I was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, to a German father and a New Zealand mother, and although I went to high school in Christchurch, New Zealand, for a brief term when I was 15, I spent most of my school years and university years in Germany, including doing a law degree and a master’s degree in international economic law.
Escaping from 14-hour work days for a better quality of life in New Zealand
Posted on December 24, 2007 by Karin Scharfenberg

I was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, to a German father, and a New Zealand mother, and although I went to high school in Christchurch, New Zealand, for a brief term when I was 15, I spent most of my school years and university years in Germany, including doing a law degree and a masters in International Economic Law.
How to Get Residency in New Zealand
Posted on December 19, 2007 by International Living

Along with the amazing wildlife and scenery, New Zealand boasts a friendly and safe environment, an English-speaking population, high-quality services, a relatively low cost of living, vibrant cities, and homes to suit all budgets.
Meet Me in Hell
Posted on December 13, 2007 by Steenie Harvey

Signposts point to the Devil’s Inkpot, the Devil’s Bath, and the Inferno Crater. Steam rises from cracks and hidden vents…rocks are streaked sulfur yellow…hot water geysers erupt up to 100 feet into the air.
There’s a New Gold Rush in Town
Posted on October 11, 2007 by International Living

With its long hot summer days and frosty winters, New Zealand has the perfect climate for wine production.